Paul Combs Unknown Dameron

Paul Combs
Unknown Dameron
Summit Records

Paul Combs, author of "Dameronia: The Life and Music of Tadd Dameron," is the leader of this celebration of lesser-known and previously unrecorded works by Tadd Dameron. Dameron's music has long inspired Combs. "I loved his melodies, as well as his notion that our purpose as musicians should be to create something of beauty as a balm for the ugliness in the world - or as Art Blakey, Tadd's colleague, and friend but it 'to wash the dirt of the day off of people.'" He plays all the saxophones and provided all of the arrangements on this project. Among those joining him are Alex Aspinall, Charles Ruggiero or Richard Sellers, drums; Ken Cook, Bill Cunliffe, piano, Melonie Grinnell, or Kamau Kenyatta, piano; Jeff Denson, Alex Frank, or Rob Thorsen, bass; Derek Cannon, trumpet; and Danielle Wertz, voice. Unfortunately, my download did not include the personnel on specific tracks.

About the music, Combs states, "While Dameron is fairly well-known for the eight compositions that have become part of the jazz canon, there are many more of his works that deserve our attention. Of the twelve selections recorded here seven were never recorded, and two only recorded once. The three songs with words have only been available on rather rare recordings, although there seems to be a renewed interest in them." This recording is likely to instill interest in all these songs.

While some of the melody lines and harmonies might hint at such classics as "Hot House," "Our Delight," "Lady Bird," and the ballad "If You Could See Me Know," these compositions stand on their own starting with "Conversation," which was initially written for Harlan Leonard's Kansas City Rockets but not recorded. Besides that he handsome arrangement, Combs delivers a rousing baritone sax solo which is followed by some excellent trumpet by Derek Cannon set against a relaxed tempo. "Take a Chance on Spring" has been recorded previously and showcases Wertz's delightful singing and scatting. This selection also has a terrific piano solo and some trading fours between Wertz and Combs.

There is a charming "Don't Forget It," written during Dameron's time with Jimmy Lunceford, with Cannon taking the lead on this. Bill Lee previously recorded the ballad "Never Been In Love," with lyrics by Bernie Hanighen on an obscure Strata-East LP. Wertz's singing here is exquisite with the understated piano trio accompaniment. Combs advises that "Sando Latino" was written for a lost recording by Milt Jackson. Whatever the case, the Latin tinge enhances a typical lovely Dameron melodic line with Cannon and Combs (on tenor sax) each negotiating the tunes harmonic scheme.

Combs burly baritone sax shares the spotlight with Cannon on "A La Bridges," which was written for and recorded by Harlan Leonard's Kansas City Rockets. Bridges was Harry Bridges, the Rockets tenor saxophonist who shares composer credits. "Weekend" combines lyrics about a ski weekend with a bossa nova groove which is beautifully sung by Wertz with Combs displaying a gruff, but lyrical talent one on the baritone. Combs' tenor ballad playing is at the forefront of the enchanting "Come Close."

"Unknown Dameron" is a revelation for those only familiar with Tadd Dameron's most famous recordings. A labor of love for Combs, the music here is rich in warmth and melodic qualities. With the first-rate ensembles and superb soloists, it hopefully will be an inspiration for future interpretations of these compositions from Dameron's oeuvre.

I received a download to review from a publicist. This review appeared in the September-October 2019 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 386). Here is a promo video for this CD.

Danielle Wertz, Tal Cohen Intertwined

Danielle Wertz, Tal Cohen
Intertwined
Self-produced

This collaboration between vocalist Danielle Wertz and pianist Tal Cohen is a delightful, lovely recording of standards and originals that is ultimately full of charm. Wertz, from Falls Church, Virginia, received a degree in Jazz Vocal Performance from the University of Miami's Frost School of Music, and was a semi-finalist in the 2015 Thelonious Monk International. Cohen's piano in part reflects the folk songs and classical music he played growing up in Israel. He moved to Perth, Australia at the age of 16 where he continued his musical studies at the Western Australian Academy of the Performing Arts. The stablished in Australia as a performer, he is the winner of the 2015 Barry Harris International Jazz Competition in Detroit.

"Intertwined," is an intimate session in which the two develop their ideas together, It opens with saxophonist Jamie Oehlers (one of the two tracks he plays on) introducing the standard "Beautiful Love," on which Oehlers solos as well as does Wertz scatting after her lovely delivery of the lyrics. She has enchanting voice that sings the lyrics in a soft, almost dreamy fashion, while the interplay between her, Cohen, and on this track Oehlers, has a fugue-like quality. The title track is an original by the duo where you her scatted, wordless vocals is set off against Cohen's piano again displaying a chamber-like quality in this duet. There is the longing of Wertz's vocal on "But Not For Me," before the other original by the pair, "Chopin Meets Abach," where her vocal again provides an instrumental voice as opposed to simply interpreting lyrics. Other standards receiving very appealing interpretations include "I Wish You Love" (with some scatting by Wertz intertwined with Cohen's piano); "Manhattan in the Rain" with Cohen's spare piano introduction and backing; and "Autumn Leaves," on which Oehlers contributes to the wistful rendition of this classic.

A brief snippet of the title track closes this marvelous recording. Danielle Wertz enchants with her voice, tone and phrasing while complemented by Cohen's uncluttered accompaniments (as well as the accents added by Oehlers' saxophone on two selections), resulting in wonderful listening.

I received a download to review from a publicist. Here is a recent performance of Danielle Wertz with a fine trio led by Chris Grasso.

 

Los Angeles Hosting Monk Institute International Jazz Vocals Competition and All-Star Gala Concert

Happening this weekend, the following appeared in the November-December Jazz & Blues Report.

Vuyolwethu Sotashe at 2014 Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival

The Thelonious Monk Institute International Jazz Vocals Competition will be held November 14-15 in Los Angeles. This year’s Competition features some of the world's most outstanding young jazz vocalists who will sing before a judging panel that includes Patti Austin, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Freddy Cole, Al Jarreau and Luciana Souza. The Jazz Vocals Competition Semifinals will be held on Saturday, November 14 from 12 to 5 p.m. at Schoenberg Hall on the UCLA campus. Each of the eleven semifinalists will perform for 15 minutes, accompanied by pianist Reginald Thomas, bassist Rodney Whitaker and drummer Carl Allen. Three finalists will be selected for the Finals on Sunday, November 15 at 7 p.m. at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. They will vie for scholarships and prizes totaling more than $100,000 including a $25,000 first place scholarship and a guaranteed recording contract with Concord Music Group.

The 11 semifinalists are: Liam Burrows, Sydney, Australia; Christie Dashiell, Greenville, North Carolina; Jazzmeia Horn, Dallas, Texas; Sirintip Phasuk, Stockholm, Sweden; Walter Ricci, Naples, Italy; Lena Seikaly, Falls Church, Virginia; Vuyolwethu Sotashe, Butterworth, South Africa; Veronica Swift, Charlottesville, Virginia; Katie Thiroux, Los Angeles, California; Danielle Wertz, Falls Church, Virginia; and Lucy Yeghiazaryan of New York, New York and Armenia. This writer has been privileged to have seen several of the semi-finalists perform including Vuyolwethu Sotashe, the winner of the Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival's 1st Vocal Competition in 2014.

Christie Dashiell at 2014 Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival

Immediately after the Competition Finals, The All-Star Gala Concert on Sunday, November 15 will bring together some of the most renowned artists of our time. Legendary producer, composer, bandleader and humanitarian Quincy Jones, will receive the Institute’s 2015 Herbie Hancock Humanitarian Award. Herbie Hancock, Seth MacFarlane, Andy Garcia, Jeff Goldblum and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will host the event. Artists will include Patti Austin, George Benson, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Terri Lyne Carrington, Freddy Cole, Dave Grusin, Jimmy Heath, Paul Jackson, Jr., Al Jarreau, Hubert Laws, Gretchen Parlato, Arturo Sandoval, Wayne Shorter, Luciana Souza, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Ben Williams and others. John Beasley will serve as the evening’s musical director.

The Thelonious Monk Institue International Jazz Competition, is regarded by many as the most prestigious jazz competition. Each year, the Competition features a different instrument, and major scholarships and prizes are awarded to talented young musicians. For 28 years, the competition has launched the careers of a number of major jazz artists including saxophonist Joshua Redman; vocalists Cécile McLorin Salvant, Jane Monheit and Gretchen Parlato; pianist Marcus Roberts; bassist Ben Williams; and trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire. Cécile McLorin Salvant was the winner the last time the competition focused on vocals and the other two finalists, Charenée Wade and Cyrille Aimée, have also led successful solo careers.

Lena Seikaly at 2014 Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival

Proceeds from the Thelonious Monk Institute International Jazz Vocals Competition and All-Star Gala Concert will support the Institute’s public school jazz education programs across the U.S. and around the globe. In recent years, the performances of the semi-fianls have been broadcast over the world-wide web, and one should check the Monk Insitute's website to see if they web-cast this round this year. Tickets for the gala start at $40 and are available at dolbytheatre.com. For more information about the competition and the Monk Institute’s other programs, visit monkinstitute.org.

(In addition to the Monk Institutes press release, this writer also used Nate Chinen's New York Times story for background).

On Facebook, The Monk Institute gave more details about the webcast of the semi-finals. 

"This year's MonkCompetition features Semifinalist vocalists from Australia, Italy, South Africa and Sweden as well as the United States. No matter where you are, you can watch the 2015 Semifinals round at UCLA - with all 11 of our unbelievable competitors - LIVE on monkinstitute.org. Webcast starts at 12:00 Pacific Time on Saturday, November 14. Don't miss it!"