One of the greatest bass players on the planet, the Liberian/German expatriate Kai Eckhardt, has made his home in Berkeley, after thrilling audiences around the world. His resume features a veritable who's who of the fantastic jazz and world musicians; guitarist John McLaughlin, drummer Billy Cobham, percussionist Trilok Gurtu, Stanley Clarke, Wayne Shorter, Patrice Rushen, Dewey Redman, Donald Byrd, Bela Fleck, Victor Wooten and his band Garaj Mahal, to name but a few. Eckhardt's latest album "Zeitgeist", is jazzy blend of funk, Indian
ragas and straight-up, butt-kicking electric jazz. Eckhardt's band in
fact released his new album at Yoshi's in Oakland a few weeks ago. For
that performance, Eckhardt enlisted Baltimore's Dana Hawkins on drums,
Australia's Chris Robinson on electric guitar and the North African
keyboardist, Osam Ezzeldin. If you missed it, you can download it via
his website.
Early fans of Eckhardt's will no doubt recall his work with Cobham, and his opening cut "Seven Cows Jumping Over the Moon" and "Chester the Pester" are masterful nods to those days; If you liked those tunes, you will certainly enjoy the organ flavored and rhythmic romp, "The Wake-Up Call" and the electric "Mary Poppins". Eckhardt certainly takes no prisoners on these cuts which are among my personal favorites.
Bassists will also enjoy his remarkable solo piece, "Giant Slaps"; an inventive and inspired take on the classic "Giant Steps by John Coltrane. The grooving and thoughtful tune "From the North to the South" and the album's closing cut, "KK Express", for this listener, conjured memories of another amazing show Eckhardt performed a few years ago at Yoshi's with Gurtu's "Glimpse" band.
Eckhardt shows no signs of slowing down and thankfully so; I'll be
looking forward to his next live performance as well as recordings he
appears on. Here is a clip of the aforementioned tune "Mary Poppins",
from a recent performance in Sacramento, CA by one of the truly great
"spirits of our time", Kai Eckhardt.
Lately, I've been enjoying a variety of guitar, bass and drum trios, and one of my favorites is bassist Hansford Rowe's "HR3". This is a tasty trio based in Montreal, featuring two younger players, (guitarist Julien Sandiford and Max Lazich), who seem a little wise beyond their years. With HR3, Rowe has a gentle, yet wonderfully wicked sound; 'Scooby Goes to School", and the energetic "Voix Aciennes" are among my personal favorites.
HR3's website describes the group as "A wounded road warrior meets two young bucks. Together they confront the beast…."
You can’t create without destroying – that doesn’t mean scorched earth is HR3’s method. They kill you softly. They take you under slowly giving you time to visit musical subtleties along the way that require a moment. Bassist Hansford Rowe has scorched with quite a variety of characters along the rocky road; guitarists for example - Allan Holdsworth, Biréli Lagrène, Mike Oldfield, David Fiuczynski, Mick Taylor, John Martyn, micro-tonal maestro Jon Catler, David Torn, Jordi Torrens; or drummers - Gary Husband, Pierre Moerlen (Gong).
It has all cleared a path to the fountains of creative youth that are two twenty year old sages named Max and Julien. It couldn’t be predicted but you know it is right. Just like their music. Critics have begun talking about Julien’s playing with reference to some major jazz icons but that’s what they do… Julien sounds like Julien. And Max is just Max. No need to compare him to his idols Colaiuta or Tony Williams…
Journalist Frank Beacham had this to say, "Very rarely in this life does one get to see—up close and personal—an eruption of singular young talent that is both mesmerizing and thrilling. But last night, I had such a moment in a small New York City nightclub at the American musical debut of two 20-year-old Canadians—guitarist Julien Sandiford and drummer Max Lazich. Teamed with veteran American bass player, Hansford Rowe, this new trio is called HR3. What was barely contained on this small stage was a musical tour de force driven by three talented improvisational artists..."
Here's a clip of their tune from the album, "Barcelona".
There have been some exciting to come through San Francisco in 2013; too many to name in this space in fact. Sadly, we've also lost many musical greats, and yet we continue to see and hear some new music emerge, thrilling audiences worldwide, and making spirits dance. Here's a list of some of my personal favorites and musical moments...
10. SFJazz Center Opens
San Francisco's newest venue, located on Franklin near City Hall, is the
SFJazz Center which opened on January 23rd with "a star-filled line up
“consecrating” the stage of the Robert N. Miner Auditorium." Hosted by
Bill Cosby, the concert included pianists McCoy Tyner and Chick
Corea, saxophonist and long time SFJazz Collective alum Joshua Redman,
legendary vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, Esperanza Spalding, Mary
Stallings, John Handy, Pete Escovedo, the SFJazz Collective, and the new
SFJazz Center Resident Artistic Directors Regina Carter, Bill Frisell,
Jason Moran, John Santos and Miguel Zenón amongst other special guests. I saw two fantastic shows there, Hiromi with Anthony Jackson and Simon Phillips, and later Brad Mehldau and Mark Guiliana's "Mehliana".
9. Trilok Gurtu's "Spellbound"
Describing this latest release, Gurtu's website actually provides the best
insight, stating, "Two short snippets recorded live by Trilok Gurtu and
Don Cherry, bookend the
album “Spellbound”: a 33-second improvisation in a duo with Cherry on
trumpet and Trilok Gurtu, who can be heard on the drum set especially
converted and modified for his needs, forms the start of the new CD by
the Indian percussionist, while a brief “Thank you, thank you very much”
from Cherry for the applause of the audience closes the album. Trilok's last Bay area appearance was at Stern Grove, where he put on a wonderful show.
8. Billy Martin and Wil Blade's "Shimmy"
Drummer Billy Martin of Medeski, Martin and Wood and up and coming
organist Wil Blades come together for a new duo project. After two
highly successful shows in San Francisco and New Orleans, Martin and
Blades are taking the show on the road. The duo's music is at once
danceable and highly improvisational. This duo rolled through town and rocked the Boom Boom Room, later adding a horn section. Great album and a great show.
7. The 12th Annual Outsound New Music Summit
Every year, the Outsound New Music Summit showcases some of the most
innovative and pioneering new music that is happening in California and
beyond, and it gets better every year. Rent Romus' Lords of the Outlands, with special guests Hasan Abdur-Razzaq and LA Jenkins kicked off just one of the fabulous evenings; followed by Lewis Jordan's Music at Large and Kyle Bruckman's incredible "Wrack".
6. Sussan Deyhim at Yoshi's SF
“Sussan Deyhim is a fascinating original voice in music and the arts.
Her rich and complex vocals are warm, beautifully sung, and always
surprising. I’m proud that she is and has been a member of our
‘Voicestra’ for many years.” - Bobby McFerrin. On a Sunday night last October Sussan brought her incredible voice and trio to Yoshi's on Fillmore in
San Francisco for what was a truly fantastic show.
5. Mehliana at the Independent
As I wrote in a previous column, there have been a few notable jazz-rock
duos featuring piano/synthesizer and drums over the last few decades;
Weather Report's Joe Zawinul and Indian percussionist Trilok Gurtu's
"Orient Express"; Drummer Bill Bruford's duets with Patrick Moraz, and
later Michiel Bortslap, (Bruford would also record and perform
simultaneously with six pianists in Colin Riley's Piano Circus!); Happy
the Man and Camel's Kit Watkins and Coco Roussel; Marco Benevento and
Joe Russo, to name but a few.
Following in their footsteps comes "Mehliana", (an amalgamation of their
names), featuring keyboardist Brad Mehldau; a fabulous player well
known by fans of guitarist Pat Metheny, and drummer Mark Guiliana, who
like Russo and drumming legend David Van Tiegham before them, hails from
NYC's cauldron of forward thinking percussionists. Mehliana returned to
San Francisco at the Independent on Divisadero, and followed up their amazing SF Jazz Center last April, with yet another fantastic
show.
4. Ann Dyer's "Vak" at Yerba Buena Gardens
Inspired by the ancient Indian goddess Vak, who creates the world
through sound vibration, Vak: Song of Becoming calls on ancient yoga
philosophies to create an immersive sonic experience. The new work,
commissioned by YBCA, comes out of a period in which Dyer withdrew from a
successful recording and performing career as a jazz vocalist to
explore her personal relationship to voice and self through the study of
Indian sound practices. In the piece, Dyer experiments with these
ancient principles in a new, contemporary context, creating a monumental
work at a new intersection of art and mindfulness..." Dyer brought "Vak" to the Yerba Buena Center for the
Arts and left me completely blown away. The choreography, music and performers were like nothing I had ever seen before. Breathtaking and one of the best shows I've seen in years.
3. "OoN - The BassOoN - Bass Duo" "Bass and bassoon are not your usual musical duo partners. But when Paul
Hanson and Ariane Cap met and talked about how they have both been
using their instruments beyond their traditional roles, they felt an
immediate kinship on so many levels. They agreed that what matters most
is the music and not the 'tool'. They could relate how one could just
fall in love with a sound. They understood the challenge and joy of
hearing something inside and bending the instrument beyond its intended
techniques to create new sounds. This amazing duo also just released their fantastic debut album, and I'll be reviewing it in detail in 2014.
2. Stick Men
"Stick Men is a rock trio like no other. Playing
instruments not seen or heard every day, and writing captivating,
challenging music, they embody the tradition of progressive rock and created by musicians with extensive experience playing
together. Pat Mastelotto and Tony Levin are the rhythm section of the
legendary band King Crimson. Mastelotto is in demand all over the world
as the premier drummer for progressive rock. Levin plays an unusual
instrument -- the 12 string Chapman Stick -- in Crimson, with Peter
Gabriel and others. Markus Reuter is a composer/guitarist who designs
and plays his own unique touch style guitar.
Their newest and
best work yet, DEEP features heavy rock pieces “Concussion”, “Horatio”,
the 11 min. tone poem “Whale Watch” and the musically amusing “Nude
Descending Staircase.” Mixed by Machine (producer for King Crimson,
Clutch, Lamb of God), this is a must have for King Crimson and
Progressive Rock fans..." Stick Men rolled into the Regency on Van Ness awhile back, (along with Arian Belew's Power Trio), and the "double trio" finale rocked the house.
1. Richie Havens, George Duke, Donald Blackman, Lou Reed, and Bobby Parker
Lastly, a nod to a few of the great musicians I've known or seen, who have moved on this year; Richie Havens, George Duke, Donald Blackman, Lou Reed, and Bobby Parker to name only a few. True musical giants whose like we'll never see again. As I wrote previously, "I will leave you with my favorite tune by Duke of the era, from his
album, "The Aura Will Prevail"; the aptly named "For Love, I Come Your
Friend", by the late great George Duke.
Back in 2006, Chesky Records released "Electric", "a blistering set of jazz, blues and classic rock anthems as performed by the pioneer of jazz-rock, Larry Coryell, with veteran 'Return to Forever' drummer Lenny White and former 'Weather Report' bass player Victor Bailey". "Coryell and friends have an all-out blast working their way through a track listing of rock and blues tunes, bending and stretching covers of well-known cuts popularized by Led Zeppelin (Black Dog), and Sly and the Family Stone (Sex Machine), as well as Miles Davis' "So What" (from his seminal Kind of Blue album) and Wayne Shorter's "Footprints" into a rockin' musical adventure. "We tried to straddle the lines between 'jazz', 'rock', 'funk' and 'fusion' and whatever other names people want to put on music," comments Bailey…" This amazing trio would go on to record another album in 2006, "Traffic".
Chesky Records described Traffic, as the "...CBW's highly anticipated follow-up to their 2005 debut", and continued the "CBW tradition of blending virtuosic original compositions with immaculately conceived interpretations of jazz and classic rock standards. Original songs on Traffic include go-for-the-throat throwdowns like "Judith Loves Jazz," "Door #3" and "Overruled," while covers of Thelonious Monk's "Misterioso" and Jimi Hendrix's "Manic Depression" are also featured.
Though Coryell & Co. have been acclaimed for their raw, in-your-face sound, they also know how to apply finesse when necessary. Traffic even finds CBW unplugging for gentle acoustic respites like "Jake's Lullaby" and "Joyce's Favorite." "It's not only a detour from the rest of the program, but I think it's a needed one in the first decade of the 21st century," Coryell says of the featured acoustic numbers. "I just don't think we can go all the way through with loud rockin' stuff, so we offer a few detours on this record."
Other sonic highlights include a rare documented instance of Coryell playing slide on "Misterioso" and Bailey's two-handed tapping technique on several tracks throughout the album. Recorded in St. Peter's Episcopal Church in New York, Traffic uncompromisingly captures the immediacy of uncompressed live music in a sonically rich environment; CBW just let the tape roll and channeled the spirit of the moment. "Monk told me one thing that I will never forget," Coryell recalls." He said, 'Wrong is right, baby!' And on this record, we all took his advice. We all made mistakes with authority and it sounds good." I'm happy to say these tunes have stood the test of time. Here is a clip from the trio's tour of Russia in 2006.
"Caught a great gig by E. Doctor Smith (aka today's birthday boy Eric Smith)
at Hotel Utah in SF last night. The master of the Zendrum performed
music from his new CD Quantum, along with guitarist Jack Wright and
bassist Tom Shiben. Excellent stuff crisscrossing prog, avant, funk and
fusion territory. Learn more here: http://edoctorsmith.com/ (and happy birthday dude!)..."
Kind words from my friend, Anil Prasad of the incredible musical archive Innerviews. We wrapped up our 2 city, CD release tour at the Hotel Utah Saloon with another long time friend, John Moremen and his Flotation Device, after playing a show Busboys and Poets in Washington, DC a week or so earlier. Great attendance with family, friends and fellow musicians made for some inspiring moments with Jack and Tom...
I was honored when Allan Leibowitz, editor of digitalDrummer magazine asked to do a feature on me for the November 2013 issue. Here's the text of the article below!
"Not only is he a great drummer, but E. Doctor Smith is also a bit of an
inventor. However, when he saw the Zendrum, he gave up on his own
invention and showed his genius on the new instrument." -Allan
Leibowitz, Editor digitalDrummer.
My electronic musical journey
began back in the ‘80s when I started programming sequencers, computers,
and drum machines with my friend Stephen Bray, who was writing songs
and working with Madonna in New York, then in LA. I also experimented
with a Dynacord Rhythm Stick they had lying around. I was a big fan of
Bill Bruford’s drumming and the Simmons electronic drums that he used in
his groups Earthworks and King Crimson. I was really excited to get my
hands on a basic 5-piece Simmons SDS9 kit, then to add 6 more pads, a
Roland PM-16 interface, a Yamaha TX-7, and an Alesis HR16. I used that
kit on and off until 1995, when I made my first Drummstick.
Some
musical friends, who had once opened for Bela Fleck & the Flecktones
and knew about my e-drumming, asked me if I’d ever thought about
creating a “drumitar” like Futureman had done with his Synthaxe. While
mulling the idea over, I remembered having seen singer Bobby McFerrin
tapping on his torso during a duet with Wayne Shorter, which had
conjured up images of how Alphonso Johnson and Tony Levin approached the
Chapman Stick. That was the inspiration for the design of the
Drummstick, a 2” x 6’ piece of oak with 16 triggers that would be played
vertically. I went to Radio Shack and a to music store to buy parts,
and a few weeks later, the Drummstick was born. Since then, I have
played the Dummstick and toured with a number of bands and recorded
several albums on the Edgetone Records label in the SF Bay Area where I
live. I’ve been honored to have had some great jams with some amazing
folks—Bon Lozago, Howard Levy, and Bill Kirchen, to name just a few!
I
first saw a Zendrum at a NAMM show back in the ‘90s and thought it was
great, but I still preferred the ergonomics of the Drummstick. One day, a
friend surprised me with a maple ZX he’d just bought, and happily let
me program it and try it out. The first thing I did was to flip it up
vertically, so I could play it the way I play the Drummstick. Although
the straps weren't in the right places, it worked well enough. After 20
minutes or so, I'd programmed the ZX to a playable level. It was so
incredibly responsive. I immediately loved it.
In 2007, I
finally made the switch. The Zendrum Corporation’s David Haney built a
beautiful, black “Jimi Hendrix ZX” for me, which was modeled after
Hendrix’s Fender Stratocaster. After I replaced the strap locks, so that
I could play it vertically, it worked like a charm. When Haney and John
Emrich announced the new Zendrum, “EXP”, in late spring, I took a look
at it, saw that it had been redesigned to allow greater left hand
trigger access and to be worn vertically, and I knew I had to have one. I
bought the first ever production model, and it’s been a dream come
true.
Live, I’m a hybrid of new school meets old school, so I
use a MacBook Pro with BFD2 and GarageBand for my basic kits, along with
an Alesis DMPro. I also use iDrum to trigger my pre-recorded samples.
My rigs vary depending on the size of the venue, and my sound is fed
into either a Fast Track Ultra 8R, a Tascam US-1800, or PreSonus
USB/MIDI interface. I use either an Alesis iMultiMix 9R or a Mackie
mixer and a pair of Mackie SRM450s. For recording, I mostly use
GarageBand, Logic, and ProTools. I also enjoy using Darin Kadrioski’s
Zendrum editor app, ZenEdit.
My Zendrum technique is based on my
nearly 20 years of playing the Drummstick. My left hand carries a lot of
the snare, open hi-hat, crashes, and sample triggering. With my right
hand, I do my signature finger rolls, as well as carry the basic kick,
ride, closed hi-hat, snare, and toms, split between multiple fingers. I
was really happy when I discovered that I could put the EXP on over my
right shoulder, ala Hendrix. This gave me more range with my left hand,
allowing me to use the EXP’s additional triggers more comfortably. So
far, I haven’t used any pedals, but you never know.
I am a
perfectionist when it comes to the audio quality of my drum sound.
E-drums allow me to control reverb, EQ, and volume, no matter the
venue—indoor, outdoor, wherever. This is something you don’t get with
acoustics, especially when it comes to percussion, because not all sound
engineers are created equal. I also enjoy the ability to pack up in 15
minutes and being able to fly with a Zendrum, a USB interface, and a
laptop anywhere in the world!
Equipment list:
Zendrum EXP
Zendrum ZX
Drummstick x 3
Dynacord Rhythm Stick
Fast Track Ultra USB MIDI Interface
Tascam US-1800 USB MiDI Interface
PreSonus Audio Box USB MiDI Interface
Alesis DMPro, D4 and Trigger I/O
MacBook Pro with BFD2, GarageBand, iDrum
10 piece Simmons SDS9 kit
6 piece Ddrum D2 kit with Hart Dynamics mesh heads
Roland Octopad
Meinl Cajon
Mackie CR1604, 2 x Mackie SRM450
San Francisco has seen some fabulous jazz vocalists roll through town in recent weeks, Karyn Allison, Rhondi Charleston and Ann Dyer to name but a few. I'm happy to add Lisa Engelken's name to that esteemed list with her latest effort, "Little Warrior".
Engelken builds on the success of her previous and critically acclaimed album "Caravan", with a musical journey that takes the listener to far away places like Brazil, conjures melodies of Wayne Shorter or pays homage to works of Joni Mitchell and her works with Jaco Pastorius. However Engelken never imitates, and adds her own unique and fresh arrangements, making "Little Warrior" a another gem in her sparkling catalogue.
"Little Warrior" begins with the "Foggy Bottom", (perhaps a nod to the One Step Down, an old jazz club in Washington, DC which Engelken's former stomping grounds and once home to the late, great Shirley Horn who regularly performed there), is a beautiful tune with Hammond organ, trumpet and a funky groove that made me want to dance on Pennsylvania Avenue again.
"Viva la felicita", is one of my personal favorites; absolutely gorgeous and reminded me a bit of both the Brazillian singer Flora Purim and the horn section of the group Chicago at their grooving best. Songs like "You Wear Those Eyes", "Throw It All Away" are also great examples of not only Engelken's vocal talents;t her deft arrangements and use of the horns and organ were just wonderful and full of what I like to call admirable restraint; a perfect blend of beauty and power.
The title cut "Little Warrior"continued to pleasantly surprise, with drummer Matt Swindell propelling the horn section to new heights, along with the hilarious and mischievous "Housemate from Hell" and the fabulous trumpet work, piano and drumming on "Sea Journey", finds Engelken "letting her hair down" and the band in full swing.
"Undertow" feature Engelken's lyrics over the classic Wayne Shorter tune "Nefertiti", one of my all-time favorites. Like her treatment of Freddie Hubbard's "Red Clay" on her previous album, (yet another favorite!), Engelken doesen't disappoint, and I absolutely loved her arrangements and rendition of Joni Mitchell's "Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire".
Engelken close the album with the balladic "Blue Valentines" and the lovely little "All I Do is Dream of You", featuring some tasty brush work by Swindell, who continues to support Engelkens music in a fashion most admirable.
"Little Warrior" is perhaps Engelken's best effort to date, and her prowess as both a fantastic jazz singer, as well as an accomplished arranger and composer can no longer be denied, if it ever was.
