TrOmbONE mAGIC

J A Z Z G R A M
J A Z Z
I N S T I T U T E
SEPTEMBER 2009
O F
DEDICATED TO JAZZ IN ALL ITS FORMS
C H I C A G O
www. JazzInChicago .org
PHOTO: JAVET KIMBLE
Trombone Magic
In The Big Apple
BY Emilie Pons
T r o m b o n e p l ay e r S t e v e T u r r e
performed May 28-31 at the Jazz Standard in New
York with his sextet: Xavier Davis on piano, Ray
Drummond on bass, Ron Blake on saxophone, Ignacio
Berroa on drums, Abdou Mboup, a brilliant Senegalese
musician, on percussion, and the young Christian Scott
on trumpet. Turre pointed out that one will hear about
Scott, that he is this young trumpet player from a
country of its own, New Orleans.
Ron Blake hails from St. Thomas, in the Caribbean,
while Davis is from Michigan. Pianists Wynton Kelly
(who played with John Coltrane) and Mulgrew Miller
are his main influences. The charismatic Berroa was
introduced by Turre as a musician who has played
with the very famous American trumpet player
Dizzy Gillespie. The intensity with which Berroa
plays astonishes: he seems to breathe rhythms. He is
extremely focused and his skills can be heard. Ray
Drummond is called “The Bulldog” after a character
from British novels written by Sapper, which were
popular after Word War I. Many of these novels were
adapted to the screen in the ’30s and 40’s and these
movies became part of American pop culture in the
’50s (both on TV and radio).
On Friday evening the club was packed. The musicians
followed pianist Jason Moran, who had just performed
on Tuesday and Wednesday. The acoustic of the Jazz
Standard, the atmosphere, and the food guarantee a
good time. An epicure, Turre swears that out of all the
New York jazz clubs, the Jazz Standard has the best
food. On Sunday evening, for the very last set of this
Steve Turre at the Chicago Jazz Festival in 1989
sextet, the club was not as crowded, but the music was
just as good.
Among the tunes Turre featured were one of his
compositions entitled “Woody and Bu” and dedicated
CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE >>
F R OM T H E F I E L D
Members’
Club Events
<< CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE
to legendary drummer Art Blakey (Abdullah Ibn
Buhaina) as well as “Woody’s Delight.” Turre
mentioned that he learned a lot with trumpet player
Woody Shaw. “Woody’s Delight” is a fast-tempo
and upbeat piece with a boundless energy. Turre is
an impressive leader. He worked with teachers such
as Rogers Shoemaker or Phil Wilson and his major
influences are jazz multi-instrumentalist Rahsaan
Roland Kirk (who was famous for his ability to play
several reed instruments at the same time) and Latin
jazz percussionist Manny Oquendo. “With Steve it is
intense,” confided Davis during a break.
Please join us to hear great music and meet new friends
at the following events organized bv the Membership
Committee.
As always, the cover is waived for JIC members. See
you there!
Monday, September 14, 8:00 p.m.
Jazz Showcase
Stu Katz and Willie Pickens Mboup is a nice addition to the band. His solos were
original and added a sort of freshness and perhaps
clarity to the music. And of course, Steve Turre played
the conch shells. At the very end of both Friday’s and
Sunday’s sets, he decided to play one, and then two
shells at once. The sounds he created were unique and
beautiful. On Sunday evening, he and Christian Scott
were responding to one another. Turre seemed to be
melodically barking in his shells. These effects sounded
authentic and quite surprising.
Tuesday, September 22
Andy’s
5:00 p.m.
Typhanie Monique Trio
9:00 p.m.
Ron Perrillo with Pharez Whitted
Wednesday, September 30, 9:00 p.m.
Green Mill
Alphonso Ponticelli & Swing Gitan
The concerts were marvelous: not only did Turre
gather musicians from different parts of the world,
and with different sensibilities; he also knew how to
alternate uptempo songs with slower songs. “The most
difficult thing is when we have to play three sets in a
row,” said Davis. Indeed, the musicians managed to
play with the same intensity four nights in a row, and,
for the first three nights, three sets in a row.
JAZZGRAM
Newsletter for the Jazz Institute of Chicago
A monthly newsletter published by the Jazz Institute of Chicago for its members. The Jazzgram
represents the views of the authors and the editorial staff, and, unless so designated, does not
reflect official policy of the Jazz Institute. We welcome news and articles with differing opinions.
Editor: Alain Drouot
Managing Editor: Lauren Deutsch
Design: Jon Resh @ Undaunted
Correspondents: Rahsaan Clark Morris, Richard Wang, Reed Badgley, Jay Collins, David
Whiteis, Moira Sullivan, John Chacona, Dan Godston, Corey Hall, David R. Adler, Emilie Pons
Russ Musto, a major specialist and aficionado of the
New York jazz scene whom all musicians know and
appreciate for his listening skills and his knowledge
of the field and the music, was in the club on Sunday
evening, near the bar, sipping every magical note of the
last set.
Board of Directors:
President: Joseph Glossberg
Vice Presidents: Tim Black, Ruby Rogers, Willinda Ringer, Richard Wang
Secretary: Jim DeJong
Treasurer: Harry Porterfield
Past President: Richard Wang
Board Members:
Reed Badgley, Bruce Baker, Ken Chaney, Warren Chapman, Alain Drouot, Richard Dunscomb,
Peter Ellis, Carlos Flores, Stanley Hoffman, Nadim Kazi, Ross Kooperman, Bill King, Terry Martin,
Nicole Mitchell, Ted Oppenheimer, Roger Pascal, Kent Richmond, Steven Saltzman, Deavay
Tyler, Corey Wilkes, Darryl Wilson
It was, overall, a very special musical experience.
A not-for-profit corporation dedicated to the preservation and perpetuation of Jazz in all its forms.
410 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 943, Chicago IL 60605
312-427-1676 • Fax: 312-427-1684 • www.JazzInChicago.org
The JIC is partially supported by The Polk Bros. Foundation, a CityArts grant from The Department of Cultural
Affairs, The Illinois Arts Council, a state agency, The Chicago Community Trust, The Benjamin J. Rosenthal
Foundation, The Alphawood Foundation, The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelly Foundation, The Field Foundation of
Illinois, The Oppenheimer Family Foundation, The Richard H. Dreihaus Foundation and Kraft Foods.
JAZZGRAM SEPTEMBER 2009
www. JazzInChicago .org
C H I C A G O ON C D
Fred Anderson
here illustrates how depth of experience and virtuoso
technique have made him Anderson’s most valuable
foil in recent years. Anderson’s increasingly frail
appearance in recent concerts betrayed the toll of age
and travail, but the melodic authority, rhythmic surety,
and improvisational fluency are all undiminished. If this
is the sound of a lion in winter, he’s still got a loud roar
and a bite to be reckoned with. — BILL MEYER
Staying In The Game (Engine)
The acknowledgment that accompanies this release
doesn’t quite say it all, but it says a lot; “Fred Anderson
would like to thank God for keeping him here so he
can play jazz.” In recent years Anderson has faced
potentially career-sidelining business and health
travails, but at age 80 he still helms a significant south
side jazz venue, the Velvet Lounge, and blows his tenor
saxophone on local and international stages every
month. He also maintains a recording schedule brisk
enough to make it fair to ask the question, “Which one
should I pick?”
Staying In The Game definitely caters more to some
tastes than others. It comes packaged in a letter-pressed
chipboard sleeve more closely associated with indie
rock than jazz, and the recording is similarly gritty. The
Engine label’s recording aesthetic eschews digital clarity
and total separation in favor of a mostly analog signal
path designed to capture the sound of musicians playing
together in a room. Already more concerned with
documentation than audiophilia, Anderson has often
tracked his music using his own gear in his own club,
so he seems a likely candidate for the Engine treatment.
He’s also prone to using a bell-mounted microphone
that can unkindly sharpen his splendid full tone. But
the results here are mixed. The way the players listen to
each other and balance themselves is well represented,
but the anemic and treble lack of definition in the drums
undermine the music’s presence.
This is unfortunate given that this is Anderson’s first
with drummer Tim Daisy. The saxophonist’s penchant
for continually reworking material he wrote decades
ago makes the reframing conferred by new associates
key to distinguishing one record from another. Daisy’s
playing is light-wristed and busy, qualities that come
to the fore on the sax-drums duet “Springing Winter,”
where the cymbals seem to surge around stark horn
lines like white water flowing around big black rocks.
His mallet work on “Changes And Bodies And Tones”
creates a sumptuous bed upon which Anderson and the
session’s third participant, bassist Harrison Bankhead,
lay gorgeously turned phrases. Bankhead plays often
with Anderson, and his elaborately empathetic work
JAZZGRAM AUGUS T 2009
Josh Berman
Old Idea (Delmark)
Cornetist Josh Berman is steeped in the jazz lore
of the city of his birth. He’s soaked in everything
from the Austin High Gang through the mid-century
hard boppers and free jazzers to the multitude of
multidisciplinary ensembles helmed by his North side
contemporaries and confederates for long enough to
know that the idea of putting together everything he
loves, old and new, is not that new. But an old idea
can still be a good one, and it’s hard to find fault in
his personal spin on this recombinant notion. Berman
also has time on his side. He waited until he was 34
years old to record this disc, which is his debut as a
leader. He’s spent years developing his playing, writing,
and collaborative chops, and much of that time was
devoted to trying out a lot of ideas in a lot of different
ensembles. So the ideas at work here are well-tested
ones. Chief amongst them is the notion that a solo is
part of a piece of music, and you needn’t rush carelessly
through the one to get to the other. Berman’s writing
and arranging for this quintet, which comprises Keefe
Jackson on tenor saxophone, Anton Hatwich on
bass, Jason Adasiewicz on vibes, and the marvelously
versatile Nori Tanaka on drums, are every bit as
engaging as any individual’s turn in the spotlight. On
“Nori,” jaunty bop lines lead the band in and out of
broken, obstacle-strewn terrain. And on “What Can,”
an angular horn unison first bristles, then softens into
a voluptuously Latin-tinged interlude for the rhythm
section, which in turn sets Berman up for a dialogue
with Tanaka that confronts ebullient swing with
affectionate but unsparing deconstruction.
— BILL MEYER
www. JazzInChicago .org
J A Z Z IN C H I C A G O
CONCERTS / SPECIAL EVENTS
Junius Paul Combo......................................................Thursdays
Sept. 3: Benny Goodman Centennial Celebration
Chris Madsen Quartet....................................................Sept. 11
with Jon Faddis & Columbia College Chicago’s
Bryan Doherty Band.......................................................Sept. 18
Chicago Jazz Ensemble
Moshier-Lebrun Group . ................................................Sept. 25
Dave Specter & Mark Wydra...........................................Sept. 4
Jazz at 9
6:30 p.m., Millennium Park, Jay Pritzker Pavillion, Michigan
and Washington, Chicago, IL 60602. 312-427-1676 or
Andy’s Jam Sessions......................................................Sundays
www.jazzinchicago.org for more info.
Yoko Noge Jazz Me Blues . ......................................... Mondays
Ron Perillo & Pharez Whitted...................................... Tuesdays
Sept. 4-6: Chicago Jazz Festival
Mike Smith Quartet.................................................Wednesdays
Grant Park. Jazzinchicago.org for more info.
John Wojciechowski Group.........................................Thursdays
JIC Club Tour....................................................................Sept. 2
SEPT. 11: Experimental Piano Series
Guy King’s Blues Review..............................................Sept. 4, 5
with Frank Abbinanti and Thollem McDonas
Von Freeman Quintet............................................... Sept. 11-12
7 p.m., Piano Forte, 410 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 825. For info,
Corey Wilkes............................................................Sept. 18, 19
312-291-0000 or www.pianofortechicago.com.
Moshier-Lebrun Group feat. John Moulder.............Sept. 25, 26
Backroom.............................................1007 N. Rush/312-751-2433
Sept. 16: Henry Johnson’s Organ Express
Chicago Cultural Center.......78 E. Washington/312-744-6630
“WDCB Night at the Jazz Showcase”
Elastic.................................. 2830 N. Milwaukee Ave/elasticarts.org
WDCB continues its new monthly series, 8 p.m., free,
Bishop/Rempis/Kessler/Zerang.........................................Sept. 3
www.WDCB.org or (630) 942-4200.
Cylinder Ad Hoc..............................................................Sept. 10
My Silence/Mikrokolektyw..............................................Sept. 17
Stein/Giallorenzo Duo, HyperColor................................Sept. 24
Sept. 20: Chi-Town Jazz Experience
2 p.m., Glendora Ballroom, 10225 S. Harlem Ave., Chicago Ridge,
Evanston SPACE..........................1245 Chicago Ave/847-492-8860
Sam Barsh.......................................................................Sept. 20
IL., 708-672-3561 for more info.
Fitzgerald’s.................6615 Roosevelt Rd., Berwyn/708-788-2118
Green Dolphin Street................ 2200 N. Ashland/773-395-0066
Sept. 25: John Coltrane Birthday Tribute
Jose Valdez Latin Jazz Trio............................................Tuesdays
with Ari Brown & John Brumbach
8 p.m., Evanston SPACE, 1245 Chicago Ave., Chicago, IL 60602.
John Burnett Orchestra.......................................... Wednesdays
Green Mill.................................... 4802 N. Broadway/773-878-5552
847-492-8860 or www.evanstonspace.com for more info.
Patricia Barber Quartet................................................ Mondays
Deep Blue Organ Trio.................................................. Tuesdays
CLUBS
Alfonso Ponticelli and Swing Gitan................Wednesdays early
Frank Catalano Sextet..................................... Wednesdays late
Not all clubs have their schedules set by our deadline or present jazz
Alan Gresik Swing Shift Orchestra..............................Thursdays
exclusively. Call ahead, or call the JIC Hotline: 312-427-3300.
Green Mill Quartet Jam Session............................. Fridays Late
Adelle’s............................. 1060 College Ave, Wheaton/630-784-8015
Sabertooth.......................................................... Saturdays Late
Andy’s...................................................11 E. Hubbard/312-642-6805
Kimberly Gordon Organ Trio.......................................... Sunday
Chris Foreman........................................................ Fridays early
Jazz at 5
Jordan Baskin.................................................................Sundays
George Freeman..........................................................Sept. 4, 5
Guy King’s Organ Trio.................................................. Mondays
Astral Project............................................................Sept. 18, 19
Typhanie Monique Trio................................................. Tuesdays
Sheila Jordan............................................................Sept. 25, 26
Chicago Salty Dogs........................................Sept. 9, 16, 23, 30
Hideout.......................................... 1354 W Wabansia/773-227-4433
JAZZGRAM SEPTEMBER 2009
www. JazzInChicago .org
J A Z Z IN C H I C A G O
Gordon Grdina Trio..........................................................Sept. 2
Ryan Cohan Quartet................................................Sept. 11, 12
Hotti Biscotti...............................3545 W. Fullerton/773-772-9970
Scott Burns Quartet.................................................Sept. 18, 19
Baker/Sandstrom/Williams/Hunt................................... Tuesdays
Typhanie Monique Quartet......................................Sept. 25, 26
Hungry Brain............................ 2319 W Belmont Ave/773-935-2118
Room 43............................................ 1043 E. 43rd St./773-373-8445
Lucky 7’s...........................................................................Sept. 7
Audley Reid......................................................................Sept. 6
JAZZ Showcase......................... 806 S. Plymouth Ct./312-360-0234
Ava Logan.......................................................................Sept. 13
Katerina’s...................................1920 W. Irving Park/773-348-7592
June Yvonne...................................................................Sept. 20
Glawdys N’ Dee.............................................................Sept. 25
Curtis Robinson..............................................................Sept. 27
Marion Street Cheese Market..................................................
SoTish......................................... 23 S. LaGrange Road/708-588-1115
100 S Marion St, Oak Park/708-848-2088
Uncommon Ground.....................1401 W. Devon/ 773-465-9801
Barry Winograd Duo........................................................Sept. 3
JIC Club Tour....................................................................Sept. 2
Andy Brown-Jeannie Lambert........................................Sept. 10
Alison Ruble ....................................................................Sept. 7
Tom Muellner Duo..........................................................Sept. 17
Lisa Roti .........................................................................Sept. 14
Chris Bernhardt Duo......................................................Sept. 24
Velvet Lounge.............................. 67 E. Cermak Rd./773-791-9050
Martini Park...........................................151 W. Erie/312-640-0577
Isaiah Spencer Jazz Jam Session...................................Sundays
Museum of Contemporary Art......220 E Chicago, 312.280.2660
Great Black Music Ensemble................................Sept. 13 early
Steve Hashimoto..............................................................Sept. 8
AACM Small Ensemble.........................................Sept. 20 early
Corey Wilkes..................................................................Sept. 15
Edwin Daugherty/Dee Alexander....................................Sept. 2
New Apartment Lounge.....................504 E. 75th/773-482-7728
Grimes/Bankhead/Ra.......................................................Sept. 3
Von Freeman and Friends............................................ Tuesdays
8 Bold Souls......................................................................Sept. 4
Old Town School.......................... 4544 N. Lincoln/773-782-6000
Kidd Jordan/Fred Anderson/Harrison Bankhead/
Papaspiros..............................733 Lake St., Oak Park/708-358-1700
Henry Grimes/Hamid Drake........................................Sept. 5, 6
Gregorio Aguirre and the Stone Chisel Quintet.........Thursdays
Ike Jackson.......................................................................Sept. 9
Pete Miller’s...................... 1557 Sherman, Evanston/847-328-0399
Clif Wallace Trio................................................................Sep 10
Corky McClerkin Trio.................................................... Mondays
Douglas Ewart Inventions Velvet Fire CD Release.... Sept. 11, 12
Guy King Organ Trio.................................................... Tuesdays
Steve Berry.....................................................................Sept. 16
Bobby Broom Trio...................................................Wednesdays
Willerm Delisfort CD Release.........................................Sept. 17
The Skinny...................................................................Thursdays
Ernest Dawkins/Dee Alexander/Ari Brown/
BMR4............................................................................Sept. 4, 5
Junius Paul/Avreeayl Ra.................................................Sept. 18
Corky McClerkin Trio................................................Sept. 11, 12
Tatsu Aoki Miyumi Project Birthday Bash........................Sep 19
Mike Allemana Organ Trio.......................................Sept. 18, 19
Kahil El’Zabar/Junius Paul/Corey Wilkes.........................Sep 23
Guy King Organ Trio................................................Sept. 25, 26
Simon Lott, Tony Barba & Friends.................................Sept. 24
Pete Miller’s - Wheeling........................ 412 N. Milwaukee Ave.,
Ernest Dawkins, Vincent Davis, Avreeayl Ra,
Wheeling/847-243-3700
Ken Vandermark, Guitto Gargle....................................Sept. 25
Pete Miller’s - schaumburg................ 1385 N. Meacham Road,
Ernest Dawkins, Darius Savage,
Schaumburg/847-330-5500
Vincent Davis, Guitto Gargle.........................................Sept. 26
Philander’s........................1120 Pleasant, Oak Park/708-848-4250
Justin Dillard w/special guest Ernest Dawkins .............Sept. 30
Piano Forte.............................410 S. Michigan #825/312-291-0000
Digital Primitives: Cooper-Moore,
Pops for Champagne................ 601 North State Street/312-266-7677
Assif Tsahar, Chad Taylor................................................... Oct. 1
Joe Policastro/Dan Effland.............................................Sundays
Village Tavern..........................................135 Old McHenry Road,
Clark Sommers Trio..............................................Sept. 3, 10, 17
Long Grove/847-634-3117
Mikel Avery’s Every People Jazz Workshop..................Sept. 24
World Music Company............ 1808 W. 103rd St./773-779-7059
Marc Pompe Quartet ..................................................Sept. 4, 5
Steve Thomas and the Beverly All Stars.....Wednesdays, 7:30 p.m.
JAZZGRAM SEPTEMBER 2009
www. JazzInChicago .org
F r o m the F i e l d
TALENTS TakE
Montreal
By Storm
B Y E MILI E P ONS
due to its highly eclectic and sophisticated selection
of artists, from jazz to rock to dub. There is music
for all tastes. Even lesser-known acts like the French
quintet High Tone that played on the first Friday of
the festival at Club Soda were able to pack the venues
they performed at. The festival also tends to bring back
quite a number of musicians. Singer Melody Gardot
or jazz legend Dave Brubeck had already honored the
festival last year, and Canadian pianist Oliver Jones, a
sort of godfather of the festival, was back also. Other
noteworthy returns were Cuban pianist Chucho Valdés
(see article on the next page), French trumpet player
Erik Truffaz, the young American bass player and
singer Esperanda Spalding, the gifted saxophone player
Joshua Redman, or the talented New York-based
pianist Aaron Park.
T h i s y e a r , M o n t r é a l c e l e b r at e d t h e
30th anniversary of its Jazz Festival. The setup was
enormous and the selection of artists quite special,
with African-American pop star Stevie Wonder
opening the festival on June 30 and another American
singer-songwriter, Ben Harper, closing the festival
on July 12 at the Scene General Motors, six years
after his previous appearance at the festival. On the
main square, which is the center of the “quartier des
spectacles” in Montréal, many stages were installed.
And many theatres were also used for concerts:
Théatre Maisonneuve, Théatre Jean-Duceppe, Salle
Wilfried-Pelletier, or the Metropolis on rue SainteCatherine. This central spot of the city was, overall,
where most of the festival took place. It was the
festival’s headquarters for journalists, musicians,
producers, and other jazz professionals. The outdoor
stages featured mostly young up-and-coming artists
even if their program also included a few veterans.
Nearby is also the red light district, on rue SaintLaurent, and the whole area is crowded with young
people during the summer, which makes the whole city
look younger than it actually is.
This year, contrary to last year, jam sessions did not
occur inside the Hyatt Hotel, but in front of it, in a
restaurant, which somewhat changed the atmosphere,
since musicians had to get out of the Hyatt to play
instead of just leaving their room and walking down to
the bar of the very hotel they stayed at.
June, July, and August is festival season in Montréal,
the jazz festival being one event among many others
(Les Francopholies, Just for Laughs Festival, etc.).
During the summer, the city of Montréal is extremely
vibrant, just like the whole province of Quebec. People
enjoy the outdoors, especially after such a long winter.
The Quebecois are proud of their festivals. They
claim they bring them tourists Ð a lot of foreigners.
Americans, they say, like Canada for its festivals.
But rain or shine, a myriad of concert-goers make the
effort to go to the concerts, whether they were free or
not, proposed on the main square. Quite a few young
artists get a chance to come and play. Next year, the
festival might bring back some of these musicians who
by that time might have reached a major artist status.
Montréal is a real platform for musicians of all calibers
and of varying talents.
The Montréal Jazz Festival is a wonderful event partly
JAZZGRAM AUGUS T 2009
www. JazzInChicago .org
F r o m the F i e l d
Chucho Valdés
Returns To
MontrÉal
special energy, authenticity, dexterity, and originality.
Valdés was born in a musical family since he is the
son of pianist Bebo Valdés, one of the most influential
figures in Cuban music and winner of five Grammy
Awards. In 1967, Chucho Valdés formed Orquesta
Cubana de Musica Moderna before founding Irakere
which would become one of the top Cuban jazz
orchestras and included at one point trumpet player
Arturo Sandoval and reed player Paquito D’Rivera.
Chucho Valdés is probably, to this day, one of the most
gifted pianist technically, rhythmically, and melodically;
upon listening to his music, one may feel and admire his
artistic depth as well, a tribute to not only Afro-Cuban
music, but also, and simply enough, to music in general.
Chucho Valdés and his bass player Lazaro Alarcon
met at a jazz festival in Vitoria, Spain, in 2000. As
Alarcon explained after the concert, “in one of the
themes the quintet played,
[one could hear] a mixture
of Cuban rhythms. The
theme was dedicated to
Duke Ellington and the
Cuban rhythms in it were
cha cha cha and bolero to
end up with a rumba rhythm
— conga style.” Indeed, the
shadow of Duke Ellington
was cast over the evening
as the quintet gave personal
renditions of “Satin Doll,”
“In A Sentimental Mood,”
and “Caravan.”
Valdés’ sister mesmerized the audience with her
version of “Besame Mucho.” The way she projected
her voice on stage was quite astounding. Her voice
moved effortlessly from very high to very low pitches,
and she also scatted and conversed with the public in
a call-and-response manner, which created a magical
bound between the band and the audience. As Alarcon
mentioned, both Mayra Caridad Valdés and her brother
have the ability to “mix classical music with popular
music,” while remaining Cuban, which makes their style
rich and extremely charming.
After such a breathtaking musical moment, one
hopes the Valdés Quintet will not wait another seven
years to return to Montréal.
BY Emilie Pons
I n M o n t r É a l , p a r a d o x i c a l ly e n o u g h ,
one feels there is a connection between Cuba and
Canada. Cuba has a weather Canada doesn’t benefit
from every month, but Canada is more inviting to
Cuban artists than the US. Cultural and human
exchanges abound between the two countries. The
Montréal audience certainly
proved this upon listening
to the Chucho Valdés
Quintet on July 2 at the
Théatre Maisonneuve, Place
des Arts, a performance
that took place as part of
the 30th Montréal Jazz
Festival: the musicians had
to play three encores as they
brought down the house.
That night, pianist Chucho
Valdés was joined by Lazaro
“El Fino” Alarc—n on
bass and percussion, Juan
Carlos Rojas on drums, Yaroldy Abreu on percussion,
and Mayra Caridad Valdés on vocals (she joined the
band a little later on). The Montreal audience was
most receptive to Valdés’ music. They understood the
beauty and the uniqueness of his music. In one of the
three encores, bassist Alarcon and percussionist Abreu
used the gourds they had handy to create a most special
rhythmical moment, enthralling the entire crowd with
their audacious creativity.
After seven years of absence, it proved to be a
wonderful comeback for Chucho Valdés, who showed
that he is a giant not only in height. The way he played
the piano was soft, light, and sophisticated. He will be
turning 68 this year, but he has lost none of his most
JAZZGRAM AUGUS T 2009
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Mastercard
Visa
American Express
Card #_____________________________________________________________
Expiration Date______________________________________________________
Name on card______________________________________________________
Signature__________________________________________________________
Mail this completed form with your check, money order, or credit card
information to:
J A Z Z INS T I T U T E O F C H I C A G O
4 1 0 S . MI C H I G A N AV E . # 9 4 3 , C H I C A G O , IL 6 0 6 0 5
CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE JIC ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE TO THE EXTENT ALLOWED BY LAW