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Saturday, 25 May 2013

Hawkeye Jazz: The 2011 Iowa City Jazz Festival

Written by Andrea Canter, Contributing Editor

Thursday, 07 July 2011

Randy Weston©Andrea Canter

There are many things that make me proud to be an Iowa Hawkeye. First, from a relatively young age, I always liked the University of Iowa’s Herky the Hawk mascot. He wasn’t politically controversial, he wasn’t a wimpy sort of bird, and over the years he has survived redesign to keep him “hip.” Then there’s the university itself, my alma mater, with the nation’s (or world’s?) best creative writing program, the famed Iowa Writers Workshop. Iowa gave the nation Herbert Hoover, Meredith Wilson, Glenn Miller and Charlie Haden, among others. And for the past 20 years, the 4th of July fireworks have played second fiddle to the Iowa City Jazz Festival, designated one of the nation’s top ten by Down Beat.

John Ellis©Andrea Canter

I don’t go every year, but I should, not just because I still have family in Iowa City, but because this really is a well-run, musically engaging jazz festival, not that far from home in the Twin Cities (about 5 hours of easy driving). And it’s about as user-friendly as a jazz festival can get. First, it is relatively compact. This is not a huge urban center but a Midwest university town, and the festival becomes its cultural and family fun center for the weekend. There’s one “main stage” and never any competing music. In between the main stage acts, there are three side stages (about a block or so from each other) that run for 30 minutes, the half hour prior to the next main stage set. Mostly national touring acts are booked on the main stage, along with some of the best regional and university jazz bands. The side stages feature high school, college and community jazz ensembles—and it all runs on time. And then there’s about two blocks of concessions—an array of ethnic and Midwest food stands, crafts, jazz recordings and the usual festival promotional items. It’s all contained within 3 blocks of downtown Iowa City and the center of the U of I campus.

This year was one of the best I have attended. It was a bit hot (this is early July!), especially on the first night, but there was a persistent breeze and you could easily chase the shade til the sun dipped behind the “Old Capitol,” a gold-domed beauty that once housed the Iowa statehouse and now serves as the iconic administrative building for the university. This year, the main stage, in front of Old Capitol’s east steps, presented Basie singer Carmen Bradford; up-and-comers Kneebody, Josh Roseman, and Ambrose Akinmisure; Piaf-style chanteuse/multi-reed player Elsie Parker and the Poor People of Paris; noveau New Orleans saxman John Ellis and his Double Wide band; and the elder statesman of modern African jazz, Randy Weston and his African Rhythms Trio.

Carmen Bradford©Andrea Canter

My first set, early evening on Friday, was the very fine DePaul University Jazz Ensemble directed by Bob Lark. One of 13 jazz ensembles at the Chicago university, the band spun through big band charts for “Bass Face,” “Con Alma,” “Nature Boy” and “Softly As In a Morning Sunrise.” The trumpet section, and Lark himself (on a flugelhorn a cappella “Round Midnight”) were particularly impressive. The Friday headline set featured third-generation jazz artist Carmen Bradford, daughter of famed trumpeter Bobby Bradford and an alum of nine years with Count Basie. Here she was backed by the multi-talented Iowa Jazz Orchestra, but it was Carmen whose soaring songs and entertaining stories gave us, as her opening song stated, “All of Me.” Peaks among a high plateau included a stunning duet on “Moon River” with guitarist/former artistic director Steve Grismore, a gorgeous “How Do You Keep the Music Playing?” and a gritty “I’d Rather Drink Muddy Water.”

Taking us a bit back in time from a different angle, Elsie Parker and the Poor People of Paris frequently evoked Edith Piaf on Saturday afternoon, but beyond her stellar vocals, Iowa alum Elsie proved to be a competent alto saxophonist and flautist. This wasn’t a gypsy jazz set but more of a French jazz/pop nightclub act that, if not exciting, was well executed and highlighted Parker’s wide ranging talents, particularly effective on tunes from the songbooks of Michel Legrand, Gato Barbieri and Charles Trenet. Earlier in the afternoon on the main stage, the first edition of the North Corridor Jazz All-Stars took flight, bringing together (after just three rehearsals!) standout jazzers from the Cedar Rapids-Waterloo area high schools; their repertoire extended from Ellington (“Koko”) to Coffin (“Wobble”), and they closed with a delightfully reckless run at Mingus (“Moanin’”).

Kneebody©Andrea Canter

The remainder of the festival events took a more modern turn. Among the new sounds, on Saturday the main stage presented the youth-appealing, high energy Kneebody, a quintet of young lions (Adam Benjamin on keys, Ben Wendel on sax, Shane Endsley on trumpet, Kaveh Rastegar on bass, Nate Wood on drums) who are certain to make a deep impression on the modern jazz scene, collectively and individually. (Already trumpeter Shane Endsley has an impressive recording as leader, featuring keyboard magician Craig Taborn.) Among their high-flying compositions, Benjamin’s “The Rock” featured hefty rhythms, growling keyboards and sax on steroids; the collective’s “Nerd Mountain” could serve as a sci-fi soundtrack, suggesting an underlying clavé born in a dark prehistoric cave; Endsley’s trumpet pierced the early evening sky as if summoning rain.

On the “Local” sidestage, but no less impressive Saturday night, was the oddly titled band Koplant No. To quote KFAI’s Larry Englund, here is a group “that knows how to use electronics and still sound like a jazz band.” Led by Twin Cities native saxophonist Joel Vanderheyden, Koplant No appeared at the Artists Quarter in St Paul a year ago. Vanderheyden and drummer/vibist Rob Baner play relatively “straight” men to Brian Lewis Smith, who alternates trumpet and Mac-driven keyboards, and Drew Morton, who switches off among bass, keyboards and vocal effects. The band issued its eponymous recording in late 2010, filled with original compositions, but their festival sets were filled with newer music—maybe a new recording to look forward to in the next year? Or at least a return visit to the Twin Cities?

Koplant No©Andrea Canter

Saturday night concluded as somewhat of an anti-climax after hearing Kneebody and Koplant No. Trombonist Josh Roseman and his “Unit” are described as a “progressive funk, electro and jazz extravaganza,” but seemed to be missing the latter component for much of the set. Perhaps this music demands too much from the listener for the festival environment? Staccato notes scattered among long pauses do not make for the best fit to an aural setting filled with background family chatter and the occasional overhead helicopter. And Roseman, trying to be personable, has a deadpan delivery of subtle humor…like Dave King but without audience engagement. The music, which probably would be intriguing in a small club setting, similarly lacked audience engagement. A better finale Saturday would have been Sunday afternoon’s funfest with John Ellis and Double Wide, playing a unique blend of New Orleans brass and New York cool, with their trademark instrumentation of sax (Ellis), trombone (Alan Ferber), keyboards (Brian Coogan), drums (Jason Marsalis), and sousaphone (Matt Perrine). One moment bebop circus (“Dubinland Carnival”), the next majestic sax balladry, then sousaphone comedy (“Bovine Boogaloo”) and a closing Ferber-doused funk (“Break Tune”), Double Wide was double fun.

Ambrose Akinmisure©Andrea Canter

I had looked forward to my first encounter with recent Thelonious Monk Trumpet Competition winner Ambrose Akinmisure, and I was not disappointed. In addition to the stellar leader, the quintet featured another cadre of young notables, with Walter Smith III on tenor sax, Sam Harris on piano, Harish Raghaven on bass and Justin Brown on drums. Akinmisure has a gorgeous tone that shone most brightly on ballads like his “Regret No More,” where he somehow conjured the mournful cries of the muted trumpet with an open bell. Smith III, whom I’ve seen with Sean Jones, is a welcome addition to any ensemble, both as a soloist and harmonizing partner. I most recently saw Raghaven with Kurt Elling, which should be sufficient evidence of his skill and forward thinking.

Alex Blake&ccopy;Andrea Canter

But there is no substitute for the timelessness of the music’s living legends, in a concert hall, a jazz club, or an open-air festival. The closing set Sunday night from octogenarian genius Randy Weston and his long-standing African Rhythms Trio was as riveting and uplifting as any I’ve heard in Iowa City….or pretty much anywhere. Towering above the piano at about 6’7,” Weston, with acrobatic bassist Alex Blake and exuberant percussionist Neal Clarke, held nothing back, the African roots and extensions of jazz (“African Sunrise” in particular) filling the night with aural fireworks. The holiday pyrotechnics that followed seemed a bit pale in comparison.

It was a near-perfect weekend of jazz. Although we had a few errant drops on Sunday afternoon, it didn’t rain! It was a bit too hot in the sun, especially Friday, but quite comfortable in the shade of the evenings—and after all, this is Iowa in midsummer! The music was all free; the combination plates at Masala and Oasis provided some of the best food bargains to be found in outdoor venues; you could catch great interviews as well as live broadcasts on award-winning jazz radio station KCCK; the crowds were orderly, reasonably attentive and as diverse as possible in a Midwest university town. We had a strong contingent of jazz fans from the Twin Cities. And we’ll be back in 2012.

This review is expanded and adapted from Andrea’s blog (7/5/11). Photo gallery will be posted soon!

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