He's got something to say

Man, Nicholas Payton sure knows how to rile people up…

I’m not going to re-hash the whole thing here, all the back-and-forth between Payton and intelligent (Marcus Strickland) and idiotic (Brent Black) dissenters is out there if you care to read it. Payton’s basic argument, I think, is that the word “jazz” is too loaded with cultural, racial and economic connotations to allow musicians to create and profit freely. Basically, if you want to play jazz, then that label will constrain you. Payton attacks the term “jazz”, proclaiming it died in 1959 and even going as far as to put it on par with the n-word, among other quasi-outrageous/blasphemous/ludicrous claims.

I see where Payton is coming from regarding the term “jazz” and the constraints, limitations and expectations it places on artists. I understand wanting to be free from such a label and the 100 years of baggage it carries. Jazz must die, and with it the boxes it puts artists in.

However, can’t the same be said of just about any genre label? The very existence of genre is based on limitations and expectations. Once you name something, you define it. You forever limit it to that definition. To me, this is what Miles and Duke were against. This is where Wynton Marsalis butts heads with those who bristle at his rigid definition of jazz. It makes sense, especially for artists who play a music that is considered passe by so much of modern culture, to want to shake free of a brand that constrains.

Payton declares jazz dead and plants his flag in a new genre he names Black American Music. I have two problems with the Black American Music label. The easiest problem is that it is simply too broad to accurately describe any one type of music. Under the heading of Black American Music we could  place Jazz, R&B, Hip-Hop, Gospel, Blues, Ragtime, Funk… the list could go on. While it is completely true to say that these are all forms of Black American Music, and even share the same roots (and I do like that the name focuses on credit where credit is due), I don’t think it is descriptive enough or narrow enough to ever be adopted by the general public as a way of describing what kind of music they like. As freeing as it would be for musicians it would be useless to most audiences.

Which brings me to the larger problem with the label Black American Music, which is that it is still a label.  I think labels are woven more deeply into our culture than most of us would like to admit. When people say they are jazz fans, this statement implies so much more about them than simply the kind of music they like. Same for punk fans, hip-hop fans, country fans- these are not just styles of music, but cultural identifiers. It speaks to what is on your iPod, sure, but also what is in your closet, what is on your TV, what is on your book shelf, what kind of movies you like. In some instances it speaks to your socioeconomic position and even to who you’ll be voting for in the next election.

Are these labels a good thing? I can’t see how they are. They’re convenient, especially for record labels and bloggers, but they only serve to build walls between music and, eventually, between music fans. To really break down these walls we don’t need better labels, we need no labels.

How freeing is that? The thought dawned on me as I was looking over Ted Gioia’s list of the 100 Best Albums of 2011 that I wouldn’t have given 75% of these albums a chance at all, based solely on genre. My listening time is precious, and with such a massive amount of good music out there, both new and old, I’ve used genre labels to whittle down the options to something (somewhat) more manageable. If these labels didn’t exist, I would be forced to approach everything from a more open-minded place. The worlds of music currently stored under R&B, Hip-Hop, Rock, Classical, Country, as well as Jazz would all be able to meld into one new genre, with the only unifying requirement being that I dig it. It’d be the Shit I Dig section.

From now on, that’s what I listen to: Shit I Dig. That’s what I write about: Shit I Dig. That’s what I play: Shit I Dig.

James Farm- James Farm

I have to admit that this record didn’t grab me at first. It sounded like something was missing, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. After seeing them live last week in Santa Monica, the record sounds completely different. Something clicked, and the songs sound less like sketches and more like complete works. The power of live music, I suppose.

Konitz, Mehldau, Haden and Motian- Live at Birdland

Three certified legends and one of jazz’ most exciting contemporary masters on a live quartet date at an equally legendary venue. The band eases into the opener, a nice take on “Loverman”, with a subdued feel and good Haden solo, but as the night goes on it is Mehldau who shines brightest. His playing in a standards setting has always been more enjoyable to me than his more ambitious compositional work or his covers of pop songs, and this performance reaffirms that. Ethan Iverson pointed out in an earlier post on his blog (I think it was either the interview with Konitz or Motian) that Mehldau has a great ability to seemingly develop two separate ideas at once, one in the right hand and another in the left. You can hear some of that on the track below.

Dave Douglas- Orange Afternoons (GPS, Vol. 2)-

I’ve long held that the seismic shifts, brought on by ever-evolving technology, in the way we consume music should have breathed new life into the recording business. Alas, major labels (and most indie labels) have been too scared to see the opportunity in front of them, but not trumpeter Dave Douglas. He gets it, and his Greenleaf Portable Series is a brilliant example of what is possible. This particular group features Douglas, Ravi Coltrane, Vijay Iyer, Linda Oh and Marcus Gilmore. Absolutely killer performances all around. The album feels spontaneous and well thought out at the same time and could have easily come out of Blue Note in the 1950s. I think this is my favorite album of the year.

Rolling around the neighborhood the other day and I see a yard sale with, quite literally, hundreds of records scattered around a front lawn. A couple hours scouring the piles yielded 12 records for the low, low price of $1/each.

As should be expected at that price, nothing here is in great condition. I’m no expert in rating vinyl, but all of the records have some scratching, with at least one being pretty heavily damaged. All of the sleeves have moderate to severe damage. But, with only one exception, they’re all playable. Here’s a run down:

Pat Metheny Group- American Garage- Not my favorite Metheny record, but still pretty decent. Lyle Mays’ keys sound incredibly dated, and I’m not a big Mark Egan fan, especially when he’s in full-on Jaco clone mode as he is here.

Gene Ammons- Big Bad Jug- Another miss here. I took a look at the line-up and thought this might be pretty strong. Ron Carter on DB and EB, Idris Muhammad and BIlly Cobham, Hank Jones on electric piano and Ammons the lone horn player, but the song selection is pretty terrible and overall it comes off sounding like sugary-sweet pop.

The Ahmad Jamal Trio- Finally something cool. The first LP with Jamal as leader, this trio features Israel Crosby on bass and Ray Crawford on guitar. Fun takes on “Autumn Leaves” and “Love For Sale” give a taste of where Jamal was going.

Various Artists- Autobiography in Jazz- Now this is something interesting. A sort-of “best of” from Debut Records, this features various cuts pulled from dates spanning 1952, ’53 and ’54. Too many names to mention pop up on this one, including Mingus (who is on about half the tracks), Max Roach, Lee Konitz, Hank Mobley, Teo Macero, Hank Jones, Bud Powell, “Milton” Hinton, Percy Heath, Louie Bellson, and on and on. My favorite tacks are The Bud Powell Trio (with Mingus and Roach) doing “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” and a very young Paul Bley leading a trio with Mingus and Art Blakey through “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”. This record’s worth having.

The next two records come from the Ramsey Lewis Trio with Eldee Young and Red Holt, both recorded at the Bohemian Caverns in Washington, D.C.  First up is 1964′s The Ramsey Lewis Trio at The Bohemian Caverns. This set is highlighted by a sort of overture through tunes from West Side Story, by Young’s excellent pizzicato cello on “My Babe” and the only original tune, a song written specifically for the Bohemian Caverns called “The Cave”.

In 1965 the band was back at the Bohemian Caverns for three nights, later released as The In Crowd. I always like hearing bands evolve, and this one was definitely growing. Again, my favorite bit is Young’s pizz cello, this time on “Tennessee Waltz”.

Cannonball Adderley Quintet- In San Francisco- The opening track, Bobby Timmons’ “This Here”, sets the tone- groove above all else. Gospel, soul, R&B and jazz all perfectly melded into that classic Adderley product. I’m betting Joe Zawinul wore out the grooves on this one.

Jimmy McGriff- The Worm- This is exactly what you expect from 1968 Jimmy McGriff. Nothing mind blowing, nothing too complicated, just groove for days and buckets of soul. I imagine this record is many DJs’ arsenals, maybe just for the first 4 bars of the first tune.

The Modern Jazz Quartet- MJQ At Music Inn w/ Jimmy Giuffre-  Unfortunately, this one would hardly play. I suppose that for $1/record I can’t complain, but this is one I was looking forward to the most.

Erroll Garner- Soliloquy- Overall, this is my favorite record of the bunch. A solo piano recording from a master. I’m thinking Jarret gave this one a few spins. Great creativity on standards with just the right levity. The most enjoyable listen of the bunch.

Sidney Bechet- Jazz Festival Concert Paris 1952- And this was the biggest surprise. I’m not a big fan of trad, but this record is a lot of fun. It also plays great, which was surprising given the condition of the jacket and what looked to be some pretty deep scratches on the disc. Apparently its pretty collectible, so I’m trying to decide whether I should old on to it or take it over to Amoeba and trade it out for some stuff that will get more play.

All in all, a pretty good day. It seems like with all the TV shows about finding treasure in your attic and eBay only a few clicks away to tell you what your junk is worth, there are fewer and fewer opportunities to dig through yard sales and flea markets for gold. I’m glad I had this one.

Lots of buzz about a couple of new internet music services, Spotify and Turntable.fm. End of the world? Brave New World? Party time, excellent? I investigate…

Turntable.fm is a new chat-room based website where users take turns “DJ-ing” for the rest of the room. Listeners rate the songs either “lame” or “awesome”, and DJs earn points for receiving “awesomes”. I’ve spent some (too much) time in the only real jazz room over the last couple days, and I am somewhat addicted. Its fun to see what others think of your favorite music and great to find new music you hadn’t heard (or given a chance to) before, though it can be infuriating. Below is a rundown of my first couple hours in the “Real Jazz” room, as well as what percentage of the room “awesomed” the song (stuff I played is in bold):

1. Hat and Beard- Eric Dolphy- 78%. Hey, we’re getting off on the right foot here. Cool tune, and that 78% approve rate is pretty solid.

2. Barbados- Joe Lovano US Five- 61% OK, not so high. Maybe people don’t dig Lovano as much as I thought.

3. Django- Modern Jazz Quartet- 65%

4. Moanin’- At Blakey- 64%- A couple safe ones. Good music, but haven’t we all heard these before?

5. California Dreamin’- Wes Montgomery- 60%- I love Wes, but this was some over-produced garbage.

6. The Black and Crazy Blues- Rahsaan Roland Kirk- 70%- Now we’re talking. Great song, and well received.

7. Brews- Tar Baby- 64%- Again, a decent reception for a song I absolutely love, but not as high as I expected.

8. Bohemia After Dark- Cannonball Adderley Sextet- 68%

9. When Sunny Gets Blue- Ed Bickert Trio- 59%- The first one I hadn’t already heard, and it was only OK.

10. A Love Supreme, Pt. 1- John Coltrane- 64%- Wow. 64%?

11. Maiden Voyage- Herbie Hancock- 91%- Double wow. 64% for ‘Trane, 91% for Herbie. So its gonna be that kind of party?

12. Gangsterism Over 10 Years- Jason Moran- 72%- My most well-received choice of the night, and my last.

After a few return trips, I’m starting to see some real divisions between the traditionalists and more forward-thinking fans. I can’t tell you how many versions of “Autumn Leaves” I’ve heard. Nothing against that song, but isn’ the idea supposed to be about playing something interesting? Its pretty obvious that most people in the jazz rooms are casual jazz fans, put off by things (and names) they don’t recognize and excited by the things they do. That’s OK, and as the site gains users (I think it’s still in beta), there will be more diversity and maybe more than one or two jazz rooms, so the advanced kids can play while the newbies get caught up.

All in all, its a pretty great concept. The potential for new music discovery is amazing, and I really enjoy playing things people might not hear on whatever local jazz radio they have. I’ve already befriended David Marriott, creator of the Periodic Table of Jazz, and the great Donna M, whose Elements of Jazz blog is a must read, especially for twitter users. The active social aspect of Turntable is the highlight, and the closest the internet has come to recreating the feeling of hanging out with friends and listening to music. Like I said, I’m addicted.

The other hot new music site is Spotify, the music streaming service that took over Europe a couple years ago and has finally landed in the USA. The service offers three tiers of subscription, with the cheapest being a free service that is ad-supported and the most expensive ($9.99/month) offering ad-free and mobile playability through smartphone and tablet apps. The list of available songs is a massive 2.5 million and growing (compare that to Pandora’s 800,000, or iTunes 100 million). The interface is straight forward enough for anyone familiar with iTunes, and building playlists is fairly easy- as log as you know what you’re looking for.

Where Spotify fails is the lack of recommendations. Every other online music service makes note of what you listen to and suggests other songs/artists you may like. Spotify doesn’t offer this. They rely on a social network of users to create playlists and recommendations. Most of the hipster music magazines and blogs already have Spotify accounts and are publishing playlists that users can subscribe to and copy to their own accounts. There are also third party sites such as shareplaylists.com and spotifylists.com that allow users to submit playlists for sharing.

I’m not sold on Spotify yet. I can see the potential, but so far it doesn’t seem that much better than Pandora or Grooveshark. Once some of the dust settles and the third party and social aspects are more clear, I think the service could really take off. Will it take off to to the point where it will be worth $9.99/month? I dunno. The ads on the free version are incredibly annoying (and strangely, not targeted at all. I mean, if all my playlists are jazz, why would I suddenly click over to the the new LMFAO single? Is Spotify the last company on earth to hear of targeted marketing?), and the $4.99 version only gets rid of the ads, it doesn’t include mobile service. Without mobile, is the whole idea even relevant? And once Apple rolls out the iCloud, will I still need access to streaming music?

Both Turntable and Spotify are promising, and the potential for Spotify to be a game changer is clear. But for now, I’ll spend most of my time on Turntable. Now if people would just stop laming my Albert Ayler cuts…

 Wynton Marsalis- Black Codes (from the Underground)

I think for a lot of people my age and younger it’s easy to forget that Wynton can really blow. It gets lost behind all the proselytizing and posturing, and this record is the best reminder of how great a player he can be. The music is inspired, the sound of young lions who haven’t yet been crowned new kings of their jungle. I think I’ll throw this one on the next time Wynton spouts off about, well, just about anything.

Lee Konitz/Brad Mehldau/Charlie Haden- Alone Together 

Chances are you’ve heard Lee Konitz play most of these songs before, and chances are you’ve heard him play them better. His performances here are good, if somewhat disinterested. The real star of this show is Brad Mehldau. His ideas are fresher than Konitz’s and more fully formed than Haden’s. In Ethan Iverson’s recent interview with Konitz he mentions Mehldau’s ability to develop two ideas simultaneously, one in the right hand and one in the left. That talent is on full display here, including on the track below.

Ben Allison- Action-Refraction

I think Ben Allison’s greatest strength is as a composer, so when I heard his new record was interpretations of other people’s work I was a little worried. Foolish of me. Tunes from sources as varied as PJ Harvey, Donny Hathaway and Samuel Barber all end up sounding like Ben Allison tunes. I do think this record showcases some Allison’s best playing, especially on the opener “Jackie-Ing”. The tune below, Donny Hathaway’s “Someday We’ll All Be Free”, is the best on the record.

Garage a Trois- Always Be Happy, But Stay Evil

After the awesome bombast and freedom of 2009′s Power Patriot, I couldn’t wait to hear what Garage a Trois would release next, but this falls a little short. The songs sound unfinished, like demo versions laid down to sketch out the skeletons of what will someday be something greater. Stanton Moore said of the original GaT that it was an outlet for “all the freaky stuff”. This record sound like a bunch of guys trying to do “freaky stuff” who just weren’t feeling freaky.

Seeing as this is a jazz blog, and I am (occasionally) a jazz blogger, I am required by the JJA bylaws to write a post concerning Miles Davis’ birthday. I wasn’t really sure that I had anything to add to the conversation, but this post by Ted Panken, with a really great Marcus Miller interview, got me thinking about 1980s Miles and how his music from that decade impacted his legacy.

I can’t stand Miles’ 1980s output. I hate it. It grates on me. It is dead sounding music, the music of machines. On much of it, Miles’ playing is strained, his years away from the instrument evident in the thin, shallow tone he produces. That tone might have been covered up, or at least assisted, by a live band of expert musicians playing off what Miles was doing and adding their own touches where they felt it. Instead we get layers of synths, drum machines and Marcus Miller’s scooped bass.

In the Panken interview, Miller says he envisioned a relationship with Miles similar to what Gil Evans had had- as a composer/arranger who would create tapestries for Miles to work over. The problem here is that Evans’ work stands on its own, Miller’s does not. Without Davis, Miller’s studio creations sound more like karaoke versions of funk tunes than cutting edge music.

The common criticism of this work is the extensive use of electronic instruments. That criticism is misplaced. Bands like Weather Report used synths and Fender bass and avoided the sterility of Davis’ work. The difference is in the active communication between musicians, something that, according to Miller, was purposefully avoided on the Davis records. That communication is the most important aspect of jazz, or any good music for that matter, and Davis’ decision to avoid it is puzzling.

I’ll throw in the usual disclaimer here that it’s important to give Davis credit for never being one to rest on his past achievements, but I have to think that he was more than willing to use the weight of those achievements to lend some weight to his new projects. I even respect the idea of making music that was uniquely of it’s time. The Warhol/pop art/disposable culture of the 80s is clearly reflected in the music Davis and Miller made. Motivation is one thing, results are something else altogether.

It’s hard for me to tell if the music would have sounded better to me had I heard it when it was released. It is undoubtedly dated, the drum machines and synths sounding almost antique today. I don’t really think anything that is quintessentially “80s” has aged well, except perhaps John Hughes movies. Maybe Davis just had the unfortunate luck of having the last phase of his career coincide with a serious low point in American culture.

Whatever the reason, the fact is the music doesn’t hold up, and I can’t help but feel this sub-par work does leave a negative mark on Miles’ legacy. It obviously can’t take anything away from the amazing work he did in the preceding 40 years, a record of innovation and creation unmatched by any other artist of the 20th century. Miles is, in my opinion, the single most important American musician. Without that last sour note his career would be a string of successes with no failures, a perfect testament to a pure genius.

A few days in New Orleans can really set the soul straight. I was in town for five days over the first weekend of this year’s Jazz and Heritage Festival and saw more good music in those five days than I have in the last year in Los Angeles. Granted, L.A. is a cultural wasteland, but the disparity between the two was startling and enough to make me consider missing my flight back.

FRIDAY, APRIL 29 – 

9:10AM- I arrived Friday morning and proceeded to wake myself up with a Sazerac. I dropped my things off at my very swank hotel and lost an hour or two roaming the Quarter, stopping for a beer or two here and there to try and shake off the red-eye fuzz, before deciding I should head to the festival.

2:30PM- The people who run JazzFest are kind enough to give free tickets to many of New Orleans’ less fortunate residents, especially those who live in the area surrounding the fairgrounds, and one of those gentlemen was eager to sell me his ticket at a deep discount. Community reinvestment, indeed. My plan was to go straight to the Jazz Tent, but I was distracted by meat pies, then Crawfish Monica, and finally a spearmint sno-ball. Once I did make it to the tent, I caught the last few minutes of Mashup, a trio of Terrence Higgins on drums, Ike Stubblefield on B3 and Grant Green, Jr on guitar. The group was solid, and Higgins is always fun to hear, but there wasn’t anything that really set them apart. Of course, with the horrible sound quality in the Jazz Tent, maybe there was much more happening that I just couldn’t hear, but we’ll address the sound issues later on.

4:00PM- Next up was Anat Cohen and her quartet. They opened with their great take on “Jitterbug Waltz.”  I love the way Cohen attacks the syncopation in this song, making it something entirely different from a waltz- more Brubeck than Waller. Jason Lindner on piano bridged the gap perfectly between Cohen’s often soaring clarinet and the locked-in groove of bassist Joe Martin and drummer Daniel Freedman. They were a highlight of the weekend and probably the best group I heard at the festival itself, although they were the only group that had decent sound, but we’ll address the sound issues later on.

5:35PM- Next up was the Golden Stryker Trio- Ron Carter, Mulgrew Miller and Russell Malone. This group is the reason I chose weekend one over weekend two. For me, the holy trinity of the double bass are Mingus, Haden and Carter. The chance to hear Ron with Miller and Malone was too much to pass up. They played great…I think. The sound quality was so bad I had a hard time distinguishing Carter’s bass from Malone’s guitar. Miller’s piano reverberated like we were in an empty concert hall, and the whole stage threatened feedback the entire show. Towards the end, Malone seemed so frustrated with the bad sound that he laid out for large portions of the set, including what was the highlight, a duet of “My Funny Valentine” featuring a long solo piano excursion by Miller before Carter joined him. I wish I could say it was a great performance, but I’m not really sure it was. I will say that seeing true legends having to deal with such issues reminded me that we’re all just musicians…but we’ll REALLY address the bad sound later on.

SATURDAY, MAY 30–

11:15AM- Saturday started off at the big Acura Stage where my friend Mike Jenner performed with Renard Poche. Renard’s style is old school funk-rock, equal parts Earth, Wind and Fire, Sly Stone and Jimi. The show was good, but probably better suited for 11pm than 11am. Regardless, they managed to get the late morning crowd moving, no small feat.

12:30PM- After Mike packed up and Bon Jovi’s people chased us from the backstage area, it was time for breakfast. Creole Stuffed Bread, Crawfish Pie and a banquet beer or two got me set for some more music. We caught a bit of Kidd Jordan’s set at the Jazz Tent.  Somehow, this group had decent sound (despite having two bass players on stage). Jordan is a New Orleans legend who doesn’t get his due alongside the other giants of avant-garde saxophone, but the crowd didn’t seem to care. I was impressed by how into the way-out playing they were.

1:30PM- After Jordan, we wandered around a bit, waiting for the Midnite Disturbers to take the Jazz & Heritage Stage (formerly the Brass Band Stage- why’d they have to change the name?). The Disturbers are something of a JazzFest super-group. Founded when drummers Kevin O’Day and Stanton Moore felt like starting a brass band, so they recruited Trombone Shorty, Skerik, Ben Ellman, Matt Perine, Shemar Moore, Big Sam, Brad Houser and Mark Mullins. I can’t really imagine a better line-up, and the group performs as you would expect. That many stellar horn players on stage together leads to some healthy competition when it comes time to blow, and this day belonged to Shorty. The members of this group are clearly having a lot of fun, relishing the chances they get to play together.

3:35PM- After the Disturbers we decided it was time to pass out in the grass for awhile, so we found comfy piece of grass at the Gentilly Stage for Amos Lee’s set. I was pleasantly surprised by this group. Much more soul and swagger than I expected from a pop star. His band could play and they weren’t afraid to flex a little Stax-influenced muscle. Plus, being only a few steps from a beer tent made for a fine late-afternoon relaxation.

4:45PM- We had no interest in hearing Jason Mraz so we bolted from Gentilly as soon as Lee finished up. We were a little hungry (read: we were not quite pass-out stuffed yet) so we headed over to what is always the best food at JazzFest- Prejean’s Duck and Andouille Gumbo. Seriously good.

5:35PM- We had a few minutes before we needed to split, so we headed to catch some of Ahmad Jamal’s group in the jazz tent. The band took the stage and about 30 seconds into the first tune the droning feedback from the sub-par sound system caused Jamal to jump up off his stool and start waving his arms at the sound man, who’s only recourse was to cut the sound off entirely. What an embarrassment! One of the largest and oldest jazz festivals in the world can’t get decent sound engineering in their jazz tent. After about 10 seconds of silence the problems were mostly worked out and Jamal’s group soldiered on. Jamal was in great form, steering his entire band from his piano. James Cammack is a highly underrated bass player and got a moment or two to shine in this set. All in all a good way to close out my festival for 2011.

Close out the festival at the fair grounds, that is. I’ll be back tomorrow with my run down of my off-site shows, including a couple of Louisiana Music Factory in-stores that were the best things I heard all weekend.

Tarbaby- The End of Fear

Orrin Evans, Eric Revis and Nasheet Waits make for a compelling trio and the interplay between them here is mostly strong. Guest spots from horn players JD Allen, Oliver Lake and Nicholas Payton more often serve to muddle the proceedings than heighten, though Payton’s performance on the Waits’ penned “Hesitation” is a high point. My favorite tracks are just the trio, including the track below, “Brews”, which nods to Monk without so many of the cheap tricks often used to nod to Monk. Overall a good record, but I imagine a live set from the trio would be infinitely more satisfying.

Geri Allen, Charlie Haden & Paul Motian- Live at the Village Vanguard

Speaking of trios I’d love to hear live… I’m of the opinion that Haden + Motian + a broken fire alarm would sound pretty good, so pairing a great rhythm section like that with a genius like Geri Allen produces great music. I’m not too familiar with Allen’s playing, but she seems able to combine Evans-like melodies with more adventurous forays away from the center. The track below has both of those styles, and some great stretching among the three.

Wayne Shorter Quartet- Beyond the Sound Barrier

Another live set from the current best band in jazz. This one was released in 2005, three years after Footprints Live! and the added time together really shows. Shorter lays out for long stretches and lets his rhythm section find their way without him. Danillo Perz, John Patitucci and Brian Blade communicate more through rhythm than melody, often taking on the feeling of a highly evolved drum circle. The pushing and pulling creates a churning tension that is the perfect canvas for Shorter’s searing entrances.

Albert Mangelsdorff, Jaco Pastorius and Alphonse Mouzon- Trilogue-Live!

Multiphonics motherfuckers. The best jazz music is about interplay; high-level communication between masters of improvisation all tapping into a higher plane simultaneously.  When that moment happens and instantaneous creation is happening there is nothing better. However, sometimes you just want to hear some badasses killing it. There isn’t much (if any) subtlety happening here, but who cares? Motherfucking multiphonics.

This Saturday will be the 4th Annual Record Store Day, an international celebration of independent music retailers. The festivities are highlighted by in-store performances and special releases of limited edition music, mostly on vinyl. Independent record stores? Collectible vinyl? This sounds like a holiday for jazz fans!

Except there are no jazz artists participating. None. No re-issues of classic records on weirdly-colored 180g wax, no limited edition 7″ singles of today’s up and coming artists, no one-time-only collaborations between living legends. There’s indie rock, classic rock, punk, pop, metal, hip-hop…but no jazz at all.

This shouldn’t keep you away from your local shop on RSD. Most stores are running great deals all day long, so even if none of the special releases interest you you might be able to find something good. Really, when is it not a good idea to hit up your local record store?

What it should make you do is question who the hell is running the marketing departments for our favorite jazz labels. An international event, steadily growing in popularity, taylor-made for jazz fans and artists…that sound like something a jazz marketer might want to jump all over, maybe make sure his established artists are featured, make sure his up-and-coming artists are playing in-stores in front of fans and potential fans on what is becoming the single biggest day for independent music retailers of the entire year.

Just saying, the next time you hear someone bemoaning declining jazz sales, maybe remember Record Store Day and wonder how many other opportunities are they missing?