Not a household name even within the jazz world, pianist Michele Rosewoman ought to be. Years ago I bought one of her CDs but apparently I forgot about it. Having heard her live at the Raven Theater tonight, I have to wonder how I could possibly forget this very original, ferocious talent. This is a pianist who sounds like… no one else, although at times McCoy Tyner comes to mind. She is simultaneously percussive and lyrical, highly inventive as an improviser, thoroughly in modern mode yet always accessible, melodically directed and rhythmically challenging, and with just the slightest hint of Latin. She seems to never cross the same path twice, never content to land in a groove and just ride the tide. Many of the compositions tonight were originals—hers or from her highly collaborative bandmates, including bassist Andy McKee, drummer Billy Hart and special guest, trombone master Julian Priester. Yet the standout moments came when she was reinventing familiar standards—in a sublime duet with Priester on “In a Sentimental Mood” and in solo with a novel deconstruction of “Body and Soul.” The Mingus encore, however, left no doubt that this is an ensemble project, a mighty fine collective that warrants far more attention.

 

Sheila Jordan Master Class (June 9)

“If it wasn’t for jazz music, I wouldn’t be alive today,” sang Sheila Jordan. Known for her scat and vocalese as well as original approach to interpreting songs, the 83-year-old vocal jazz icon started off her Master Class in the Healdsburg High School band room with “Sheila’s Blues in F”—her own biography set (spontaneously, it seemed) to a Charlie Parker blues form, backed by piano and bass. The festival brochure noted that Sheila believes in “teaching from the heart, offering encouragement to build confidence.” I am not a singer myself--I was registered as an “observer.” But I know teaching from the heart when I see and hear it, and this was the real thing. The workshop drew a diverse group of 17, including four observers and 13 singers of all ages (including two high schoolers) and levels of experience.

After her opening remarks regarding general recommendations for jazz vocalists (e.g., “Don’t expect to make a lot of money;” “don’t imitate other singers;” “know how to count out time;” “learn the original melody first”) and a brief discussion of the three “essentials” (“ears” --listening, “heart” --emotion, and “feet” --rhythm), Sheila encouraged her singing pupils to put their own biographies into spontaneous song, backed by bass and piano. Each singer then performed a tune prepared for the workshop. For Sheila, a critique is a discussion of enhancements, an opportunity to motivate rather than criticize. Reacting positively to each singer, she offered suggestions—move the key up (or down) a step, try a different ending, find a way to signal the band that the you want to go out of time, go back and listen to the original recording of the song. Extending the class an extra thirty minutes, Sheila distributed charts for “Barbados” (Charlie Parker) and “Song for My Father (Horace Silver). “Listen first to how Charlie Parker altered the chords,” Sheila told the group as she and the band did a straight run at “Barbados” before launching into the improv as Parker recorded it. After three and a half hours, everyone left a little tired, laughing, smiling, supported by one of the greatest jazz vocalists in the history of the music. And more than eager to hear her duo set with bassist Cameron Brown the following afternoon.

Kenny Burrell Solo/Trio (June 9)

I first saw NEA Jazz Master guitarist Kenny Burrell a few years ago at the Detroit Jazz Festival with a big band in a huge amphitheater, and welcomed the opportunity to hear him in solo and trio contexts in the 500-seat Raven Theater. Noting in a recent interview with the LA Times that music “has to be a balance between heart and mind,” Burrell has spent his 60-year career living up to his own words, from his days with Dizzy Gillespie in the 50s to his most recent solo recording (Tenderly) and ongoing artistic love affair with Ellington. Both sets (sold out!) were somewhat of a mixed bag, his solo set at times so laid back that one longed for some energetic surprise amidst the beautifully performed homages to Billie Holiday, Wes Montgomery, and Ellington. The trio, with “house” drummer Billy Hart and local bass master Chris Amberger, kept the spotlight on Burrell through sparkling—if not fiery—renditions of “Speak Low,” J.J. Johnson’s “Lament,” “All Blues,” and “Take the A-Train.” I like the Raven, it’s as well suited for jazz as any small theater, but I wondered if Burrell, particularly in solo, would have better displayed that balance between heart and mind in a more intimate setting? But there’s no doubt that, even past 80, Burrell, with his still-elegant finger-style magic, is a national treasure in any context.

 

Vijay Iyer Trio (June 10)

Opening the final day of music at the expansive Rodney Strong winery, pianist Vijay Iyer made his Healdsburg debut with his much-anticipated trio, displaying his unique jazz modernism nurtured in a culturally and musically eclectic background. That background draws on the rhythms and harmonies of his Indian heritage as well as the formality of European classical tradition and the freedom of American rock, and in the long shadows of his mentors—Steve Coleman, Roscoe Mitchell and George Lewis. Amiri Baraka described Vijay as “an oncoming phenomenon, already up to his fingers in the most advanced music of our wildly contradictory age...” and he did not disappoint the crowd that gathered in the sparsely shaded winery courtyard. Iyer’s trio normally includes bassist Stephen Crump and drummer (and Roy Haynes’ grandson) Marcus Gilmore, but Gilmore had scheduling conflicts. No worries—Iyer enlisted monster drummer Tyshawn Sorey, and they churned through a long set of mostly original music (drawing on the trio’s latest release, Accelerando), marked by obtuse harmonies, slippery modal explorations and increasingly personal improvisations. Sorey provided a nonstop flow of percussive ideas and accents that never overpowered the ensemble; Crump was creatively assertive, bowed or plucked. Second generation Haynes, cornetist Graham, added his voice as special guest on several tunes, infusing additional energy. But the artistic fulcrum was Iyer, almost as elegant in his physical movements as in his music, be it on his own “Optimism” or music from 70s rockers Heat Wave – an apt choice for a hot afternoon in the Sonoma Valley.

 

Sheila Jordan and Cameron Brown (June 10)

After observing the master class the day before, my expectations for Sheila’s duo with Brown were quite high. Still, I don’t think I was fully prepared for the impact of her singular approach to song and storytelling and the intensity of the voice/bass collaboration. As she did with her class, Sheila introduced herself to the Rodney Strong audience with an improvised bebop bio blues and a run through “Willow Weep for Me.” I remember our music class singing this old chestnut in 7th grade. Could this be the same song? In duo with fellow improviser Cameron Brown, Sheila alone carried the melody throughout her 70-minute set, a significant feat for a singer at any age, but her phrasing is her true hallmark and her lineage goes straight back to Charlie Parker while not simply suggesting hornlines. Her medley of Astaire/Rogers dance-themed songs (“Let’s Face the Music and Dance,” “Cheek to Cheek,” “I Won’t Dance,” “I Could Have Danced All Night”) suggested dance merely in the way she turned a phrase, and her interaction with Brown was as perfectly in sync as a two-step between Fred and Ginger. Throughout the set, their musical give and take flowed like the intimate conversation of long-time partners; Brown is surely one of the most sympathetic and inventive bassists around, his musical stories as engaging as Jordan’s, without words. Other highlights—Sheila’s invented lyrics paying homage to late musicians; a medley saluting Billie Holiday (more invented verses re Lady Day and Prez); a recitation of the words of Martin Luther King speaking at the 1964 Berlin Jazz Festival (“jazz puts the hardest realities of life into music”) as an intro to Kenny Dorham’s “Fair Weather”; melding “Blue Skies” with “All Blues”; saluting (or scolding?) the chirping birds flitting above the stage; another scion of Haynes, Craig sitting in on congas. I don’t know how Sheila sounded in her early years. But she remains the consummate jazz singer in her 80s. And did I mention that she is outrageously funny?

 

Roy Haynes Fountain of Youth (June 10)

I’ve seen Roy Haynes and his youthful quartet a number of times in the last decade—several times at the Artists Quarter in St. Paul, at the Dakota in Minneapolis, at the Detroit Jazz Festival, and even at the Healdsburg Jazz Festival (2006). Now an unbelievable 87, Haynes could rest on his impressive laurels and resume that goes back to Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker, Sarah Vaughan, Lester Young, Sonny Rollins, Miles Davis and John Coltrane. But like Art Blakey, Haynes also runs one of the most enduring “street academies” of jazz, helping launch careers of young upstarts like saxophonists Marcus Strickland and Jaleel Shaw through his Fountain of Youth quartet. Last I saw him in Healdsburg, Strickland was in the horn chair; recently it has most often belonged to Shaw, who was on stage for the volcanic festival finale with long-time FOY cohorts Martin Bejerano (piano) and David Wong (bass), as well as guests cornetist Graham Haynes and brother Craig adding more percussion. There are some constants in any FOY set—great bebop and post bop tunes from the likes of Miles, Monk, Parker, Metheny and Corea; ample soloing opportunities, particularly highlighting the saxophone; at least one showcase drum solo, this time with Roy closing out the opening (“Trinkle Tinkle?”). Haynes may play with less ferocity at 87 than at 37, but find me another within ten years of Roy who maintains his level of intensity, leadership, and time keeping. Or a better dresser. And his contingent of “youth” were on the mark throughout, particularly Shaw who is rapidly evolving into one of the genre’s most consistent and exciting saxophonists, on both alto and soprano, pulling out both horns on a swinging ride through “These Foolish Things.” Perhaps the big surprise of the day was one of the last moments, with Sheila Jordan joining in on “I’ve Got Rhythm.” Sheila and Roy are indeed masters of rhythm – and everything “jazz.”

 

It was not the best attended festival in Healdsburg’s 14-year history. Freddy Cole and Kenny Burrell both sold out the Raven, but there was plenty of room for more at Rodney Strong. Maybe it was the heat (which, in my experience, is really normal for June) or the economy, particularly the $4.29+/gallon gas prices in the Bay Area. By artistic standards, this was a blow-out success.

 

Portions of the segments on Michelle Rosewoman and Sheila Jordan adapted from Andrea Canter’s blog (www.jazzink.blogspot.com). Photo gallery available soon on Jazz Police!