I can say patently that I do not come to this recording as a die-hard fan of organ jazz. In fact this is the only jazz organ recording I own and this one was given to me. Until I attended Joey DeFrancesco's gig at the Dakota last winter, I had intentionally avoided organ dates. I was not totally converted by Joey D, but I was warming up. Then I heard the amazing Dr. Lonnie Smith with sax veteran Lou Donaldson in August, and the fabulously subtle Mike LeDonne (with Eric Alexander) just last week, and I was even closer to admitting that the Hammond B-3 was a powerful jazz voice. Now, hearing local "organizer" Holloman with his regular Tuesday Night Band, I have arrived--count me among the believers. This is jazz, not stadium or elevator music, and while it is indeed "satisfying to consume," it requires as much effort and musicianship to reach artistic nirvana as any jazz endeavor. "Easy to make?" Maybe as easy as a critical review.

The Phil Hey Quartet features Dave Hagedorn on vibes, Phil Aaron on piano, Tom Lewis on bass and Phil on drums and has been an Artists' Quarter favorite for the past 5 years. No surprise really. This is a no-nonsense, uncompromising band of local jazz greats regularly performing the tunes of Kenny Wheeler, Bobby Hutcherson, John Coltrane, and Wayne Shorter and others. Over the years they have attracted a loyal crowd of hardcore jazz fans and students who show up on the monthly Thursday night when they perform.

Photos by Don Berryman
Among young saxophonists today, there is a tendency to dismantle the horn as much as the melody and harmony. In efforts to outblow Trane and Bird, the sax becomes a weapon of mass deconstruction, not in service to art but strictly as a sonic experiment. Simply, how many sounds can you get from the horn? Yet there are a few in the thirty-something generation who insist on maintaining a connection between sound and musical purpose, whether that purpose is on the outer edge of reason (Chris Potter comes to mind) or, in the case of Eric Alexander, creatively within the wide bounds of bop.

This week, at the Dakota in Minneapolis (and moving on to the Cellar in Vancouver, BC), tenorman Alexander more than lived up to what Downbeat critic Paul de Barros claimed as "proof positive that an engaging, personal voice can still be forged from historical styles." Over his three-night, six-set engagement, he reminded listeners that even the most sophisticated post bop excursions can spring from beautifully crafted melodic lines without the obbligato squeals and shrieks that we expect from his generation of technical wizards.

Leading off the procession with sass and brass, Dick and Jane's Big Brass Band belted out contemporary renditions of New Orleans grooves, from Professor Long Hair to Basin Street and beyond. "St Thomas" got the full horn treatment as did Herbie Hancock's "Watermelon Man." And I never realized the tuba had so many notes!

While hinting at a fantasy blend of Bud Powell, Bill Evans, Herbie Hancock, and McCoy Tyner, Keezer has evolved a singular style of intellectually abstract lyricism woven over exotically complex rhythms and harmonies. Still in his early 30s, his highly regarded discography, unique compositions, and acclaimed performances in a variety of configurations command the attention typically reserved for the living legends of jazz.

Given the breadth and depth of his experience, which includes studies at the National School of Arts in Havana, it was inevitable that Doug Little would bring yet another new project to the stage, in the form of a septet devoted to Cuban themes and rhythms. The still-nameless band (the original name, El Septeto, was dropped, said Little, following some ribbing from fellow musicians) debuted at the Dakota on September 9^th, featuring a last-minute substitution on bass and a small Thursday night audience. Not an auspicious beginning, it seemed, until the band took the stage. What happened next was nuclear fission.