Jazz Police - Ninety No “Finality” for Mr. Smooth

In the past few years, Minnesota’s own tenor legend, Irv Williams, has released glowing recordings, been inducted into the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame, held down weekly happy hour gigs at the Dakota, performed annually at the Twin Cities Jazz Festival, and otherwise forged ahead as if oblivious to his approaching 90th birthday. Yet he keeps dropping hints, starting off the liner note to his 2005 CD, Dedicated to You, with “as the sun goes down like a ton of bricks on my career...” and more blatantly titling his most recent release Finality. He claimed this to be his last recording, but rumors abound that another is in the works. “I don’t know how much longer I’ll be doing this,” he remarked last night at his first of two club birthday gigs.

After 90 years, one can’t predict how long anything will continue. We do know that Irv’s 75-year career has brought pleasure to thousands, from his days touring with Fletcher Henderson and Billy Eckstein, to the 50s crowd at the old Flame Bar to the 21st century fan club that gathers at Happy Hour at the Dakota every Friday night. And as was so delightfully apparent last night, it’s been a career that has brought much pleasure to Irv Williams. He filled his birthday party at the Artists Quarter with stories, some spoken commentary, others played out musically in the company of Peter Schimke (piano), Jeff Bailey (bass) and AQ owner Kenny Horst (drums), the same quartet that ignited a late afternoon during the recent Twin Cities Jazz Festival.

Irv Williams with Peter Schimke©Andrea Canter

Holding up his ultra-shiny tenor sax, Irv told of a request to donate his long-used horn to the Minnesota Historical Society for its Greatest Generation collection, resulting in turn in a gift of an expensive Selmer. “It’s a great horn, but I miss my old one, this one is not as mellow.” Yet I think Irv Williams could make a K-Mart whistle sound as mellow as warmed brandy on a winter night. They don’t call him “Mr. Smooth” for no reason.

The AQ birthday gig covered a lot of Irv’s favorites, from the majestic opening “I Hear a Rhapsody” to the energetic closing (energetic, after two sets ending at midnight) “Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise.” At least outwardly, Irv was as fresh as that morning sunrise, and glowing more. It’s always hard to pull out highlights from an Irv Williams set, as there’s never a clunker, never a sour note, never a weak tune. “Days of Wine and Roses” featured a lovely opening duet with Jeff Bailey, Irv’s vibrato wide with a Ben Websterish whisper. Bailey starred often, particularly soloing on “On Green Dolphin Street” –melodic, assertive, nimble. One of the most versatile pianists around, Peter Schimke has long been Irv’s musical partner (their duet recording Duo is simply sublime) and their mutual affection shows in every encounter, be it graceful readings of “Besame Mucho” or rhythmic antics of “In a Mellow Tone.” Kenny Horst worked his kit inside out, from sticks to brushes to mallets, and sometimes all three in quick succession, sharply punctuating “Mellow Tone” and softly caressing “Old Folks.”

Kenny Horst©Andrea Canter

Irv’s amazing dexterity and lung power not withstanding, it’s the ballads that are his signatures, and two of his favorites are surely mine as well: “Here’s to Life” (which he first heard via Shirley Horn) and his own “Besti’s Song,” my nominee for the most angst-driven ballad in saxophone literature. It’s hollow, haunting, and beautifully tragic.

But it was not an evening of angst, despite Irv’s occasional suggestion that retirement is coming. It’s always coming. One day he will put down the horn. So he has said for the past decade. Last night, there was cake. Last night, there were stories. Last night, youngest grandson Max came on stage to have a few words with Grandpa. There was the loving standing ovation at the close. And Irv told the story of his first night in Minneapolis, looking for a hotel room in a 1940s town that hid its racist attitudes better than most, finally ending up a the downtown Y. Many would still recall that time with bitterness. Irv recalled the Y as a pretty nice place.

At 90, Irv Williams has many stories to tell. He’s a bit of a stand-up comic. But he lets his horn do most of the storytelling, and we’re still gathering at his knee for another, and another.

(And you can hear some more on Monday night, August 17th, at the Dakota Jazz Club in downtown Minneapolis for the second installment of Irv Williams at 90.)