Photo by Andrea Canter

Meet Dave

Probably best know among current Minnesota audiences for his work with Red Wolfe’s Ellington Echoes, the Jazz MN Big Band, and the ever-popular Salsa Del Soul, Dave Graf has unmatched depth and breadth of experience across diverse jazz styles. From Dixieland to straight-ahead, from salsa to Brazil, in big bands, pit orchestras, and studio ensembles, Dave has been there, done that, and done it with consummate skill and imagination.

Debut Recording

After years of sideman appearances, Dave Graf was approached by Artegra Records to make his own recording. Seeking to display his wide-ranging talents with the best possible supporting cast, Dave took three years to select the music and musicians. To a playlist of classics from Monk, Shorter, Strayhorn, Kern and Stevie Wonder, Dave added in a few original compositions and one from local legendary saxman Dave Karr. In various combinations, his ensembles range from quintet to septet, from organ/guitar combo to Latin band, drawing on his own talents as arranger as well as those of Adi Yeshaya and Wade Clark.

Dave’s impeccable taste in musicians is evident in the revolving cadre of the very best Twin Cities’ jazz artists: On piano--Chris Lomheim, Nachito Herrera and Adi Yeshaya (doubling on Fender Rhodes); on organ—Mark Ashe; on vibes—Dave Hagedorn; on sax—Doug Haining, Kathy Jensen (also bass clarinet), and Dave Karr; on flute—Dave Karr (again) and Rebecca Kuehl; on guitar—Dean Magraw (electric) and Dave Martin (acoustic); on bass—Gordy Johnson (acoustic) and Dave Martin again (electric); on drums and percussion—Phil Hey, Shai Hayo, and Gordy Knudtson; on trumpet—Dave Jensen; and on bass trombone—Wade Clark.

Graf and septet give the recording an auspicious beginning with Adi Yeshaya’s arrangement of Wayne Shorter’s “This is for Albert” (aka Bud Powell). Opening with a marvelous bass figure from Gordy Johnson and the belltones of pianist Chris Lomheim, Graf then launches into the head as melodically as a trombone allows. Kathy Jensen—more often heard on bari and alto—reminds us that she also plays a beautiful tenor, while husband Dave proves that he is one of the most under-rated trumpeters around. As a septet, the group blends like a big band, climaxing with Phil Hey’s big mallet rolls.

Graf’s original “Going Away” was written during his transition from the Minneapple to the Big Apple in 1981. Chris Lomheim adds just the right gentle support on piano under Dave’s wistful melody, while Dave Hagedorn’s vibes help create a Modern Jazz Quartet-meets-brass sound You can hear Gordy Johnson’s bassline pulsing subtly beneath; and Phil Hey is, as always, an elegant timekeeper, unobtrusive but never far away.

Graf and Yeshaya arrange the old classic “Five O’Clock Whistle” for quintet, driving it with snappy percussion. Graf’s trombone dissolves into Dave Karr’s tenor solo, while Yeshaya works in some Monkish licks over Gordy Johnson’s swinging bassline. “Al’s Way” is Dave Karr’s tribute to early muse Al Cohn, a swinging melody and perfect showcase for Karr’s sophisticatedly accessible sax. Similarly, Graf takes off in a tour de force of virtuosic bone bending. On piano, Yeshaya’s light touch glides across the keys while embellishing the melody with a graceful vamp.

“A Flower is a Lovesome Thing” is one of Billy Strayhorn’s most haunting melodies, enhanced by the most interesting instrumentation of the set, with Dave Karr (flute), Kathy Jensen (bass clarinet), and Dave Hagedorn (vibes) joining Graf, Johnson, Hey, and Yeshaya, who wrote the arrangement. The opening melody line belongs to the flute which is a lovesome thing in and of itself. Hey’s mallets gently push the beat and support the celestial atmosphere created by the interplay of keyboard, vibes, flute, bass clarinet, and muted trombone. Dave Graf proves to be an accomplished balladeer as well as bandleader, and Hagedorn makes a grand contribution to this track, particularly effective in tandem with Karr.

Photo by Warren Sampson

The Jerome Kern standard “I Won’t Dance” offers an athletic dance between Graf and Karr; Gordy Johnson does his own dance and it is a playful jig. As Dave says in his notes, “Gordy Johnson shows that some musicians can dance and quite gracefully.”

Full of fun and funk, “I’d Be a Fool Right Now” was Stevie Wonder’s B side of “Yester-Me, Yester You….” Here the group goes electric with Dean Magraw and Mark Ashe (guitar and B-3), and even Johnson picks up the electric ax while propulsive drummer Gordy Knudtson fuels the drumkit. Magraw and Ashe bring a unique sound to Graf’s ensemble; Graf plays with a harder edge and the normally smooth-as-silk Dave Karr shows that he can get down and funky with the best of them. “Panonnica” is Monk rather than funk, but this track retains the electric band (Magraw on guitar, Johnson on electric bass, Yeshaya on Fender Rhodes), featuring the dueling trombones of Graf and bass trombonist Wade Clark. A showcase for Magraw’s “slippery” sound (as Graf describes it), the guitarist slides deftly across the deconstructed melody.

Dave Graf’s “Neighbors” is the third electric track highlighting Magraw and Ashe. On this pleasing straight-ahead tune, well suited to the B-3, Ashe shines as he swings through with modestly wailing accents. Graf’s “7 Train” evokes the rush of a commuter train hurling down the track, bringing together some of Graf’s Salsa del Soul compatriots (Shai Hayo and David Martin). And what pianist to better transform the keys into train tracks than Nachito Herrera, himself a diesel engine of energy and power? With his classically trained chops and Latin roots on full display, Herrera transverses the chart like the 7 Train criss-crossing Queens. Shai Hayo contributed the trapset and overdubbed congas, while David Martin dubbed in acoustic over his electric bassline. On flute, Rebecca Kuel adds a lyrical line to the percussive attack, while Graf’s trombone adds the urgency of rush hour traffic. It’s a slam-bang end to a glorious ride.

Seven of the ten tracks were recorded at Sundin Hall at Hamline University; three tracks were recorded at MPR’s Studio M, with engineering, mixing and mastering by John Scherf; the result is a sound that does justice to the music. Dave Graf adds his own informative liner notes, which add another dimension to the listener’s enjoyment of the recording.

Party at the AQ!

Many of Dave Graf’s compatriots on “Just Like That” will be on hand for the celebration of the CD release at the Artists Quarter. On Friday, October 21, Dave will be joined by Chris Lomheim, Phil Hey, Dave Hagedorn, and special guests Pete Whitman (sax), Jeff Gottwig (trumpet), Jay Young (bass), and Clay Moore (guitar). On Saturday, October 22, Dave Karr, Kathy Jensen, Dave Jensen, Dave Hagedorn, Phil Hey, and Adi Yeshaya will welcome guest Jay Young. On both nights, Artegra artists (Lomheim, Whitman and Hagedorn) will add samples from their recordings to the set list. The centerpiece, of course, will be “Just Like That.”

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