2013-0418 Frank Basile Celebrates Pepper Adams at Kogod-7736

2013-0418 Frank Basile Celebrates Pepper Adams at Kogod-7736, a photo by NoVARon on Flickr.

Thursday April 18, the monthly Take 5! program at the Smithsonian's Museum of American Art featured baritone saxophonist Frank Basile and his group celebrating the music of the late Pepper Adams.

Frank Basile

Adams, one of the most celebrated baritone players of the sixties until his death in 1986, first came to notice when he co-lead a group with Trumpeter Donald Byrd. He may be best known for his associations with Charles Mingus and the Thad Jones-Mel Louis Village Vanguard Orchestra, but was also a composer of note as well as a great player.

Basile, one of the finest young baritone sax players on the New York scene, has recorded CDs of Adams composition and brought his arrangements of Adams music for a group that included fellow baritone saxophonists Leigh Pilzer and Brad Linde. The rhythm section included pianist Hod O'Brien (who had played with Adams), bassist Tom Baldwin and drummer Tony Marucci.

It was a real pleasure listening to the three saxophonists, each with their own distinctive sound playing Adams' music. Reminder that the Take5! series takes place the third Thursday of the month and starts at 5:00PM, and runs until 7PM (8PM in the late spring and summer).

Brad Linde's Holiday Jazz

Brad Linde led a fascinating evening of holiday music on Thursday December 20, 2012 at the Kogod Courtyard in the Smithsonian's Museum of American Art. Saxophonist Linde's Quartet with fellow saxophonist Sarah Hughes was augmented by a brass ensemble for a terrific evening of holiday music. It was as if the Birth of the Cool Band interpreted Jingle Bells, and other favorites. Here is an excerpt from their performance of Sarah Hughes's arrangement of "Chorale of the Bells."

Smithsonian Holiday Jazz with Brad Linde & Sarah Hughes

Brad Linde and Sarah Hughes on Saxophone at the 2010 DC Jazz Festival's Jazz at the Phillips Collection.
Photo © Ron Weinstock

If you are in The Washington DC area tonight, Thursday December 20, you might want to check out the Holiday Program the Smithsonian's Museum of American Art is presenting in the Kogod Courtyard starting at 5:00 PM and continuing until the Museum closes at 7:00PM. It will be some cool yuletime jazz with The Brad Linde Quartet and a Brass Ensemble. The program is described as "Brad Linde and Sarah Hughes present an evening of holiday music arranged for their jazz quartet and brass ensemble. Listen to your favorite Christmas classics as you've never heard them in the Brad Linde Quartet's unique post-cool, free-bop style." In addition to the music, one can participate in a free drawing workshop during the Take 5! performances. Build your own sketchbook from recycled materials to take home. Workshops are in conjunction with the exhibition Abstract Drawings.

It marks the return of the monthly series of free jazz concerts at the Kogod Courtyard. Upcoming programs in the Take 5! series include saxophonist Elijah Jamal Balbed: Tribute to Wayne Shorter on Thursday, January 24  which is in tribute to Wayne Shorter's 80th birthday year. Elijah Jamal Balbed, will showcase Shorter's early works. On Thursday, February 21, Take 5! will showcase Trumpeter Mike Davis performing the music of the legendary Kenny Dorham, one of the mist significant trumepters of the bebop and hardbop period (1945-1965). 

For more information on these performances and the Take 5! series visit the Smithsonian’s website. Note that while the webpage has the performances running until 8:00PM, these performances will end by 7:00PM.

Brian Settles Presents The Music of Dewey Redman

The "Take 5" series of early evening concerts held at the Kogod Courtyard at the Museum of American Art in Washington DC continues on Thursday October 18 with a performance by Brian Settles who will be exploring the music of Dewey Redman. The free concert starts at 7:00PM and runs until the Museum closes at 7:00PM.

Brian Settles performing with Freddie Redd and Butch Warren at the
Smithsonian American Art Museum's Kogod Courtyard in July, 2012

Brian Settles may be the DC Tenor Saxophonist of the moment. The DC native is quite a presence on the local jazz scene. His first album as a leader with his band Central Union, Secret Handshake (Engine Studio), was selected by Capital Bop, as the best new DC jazz album of 2011. Talking about that recording and settles, Capital Bop observes, "Anyone who’s spent a reasonable amount of time hearing live jazz in the District over the past few years knows Settles, whether by name or not, as the slight, quietly ubiquitous gentleman who’s always stepping out of the shadows at somebody else’s gig and knocking the audience out of its seats. His solos tend to be quick, 90-second cabochons that slither and whisper, never insisting on your attention so much as requiring it."

Secret Handshake is a remarkable recording that reveals new pleasures every time I listen to it. Settles can swing in a straight-ahead fashion, but he is at home in a more exploratory vein. His choice to present the music of Dewey Redman is a fascinating one. Redman was best known for his associations with Ornette Coleman and Keith Jarrett (Jarrett's celebrated American Quartet), and also a member of Old Dreams, New Dreams with fellow Ornette alumni Don Cherry, Charlie Haden and Eddie Blackwell.  Capital Bop observed that Redman also "wrote and performed acerbic original music that incorporated the musics of West Africa and India." 

On October 18, Settles will be presenting his arrangements of Redman's original compositions which should provide for some compelling listening. This is the second in a series of 5 concerts in which the Smithsonian will have local DC talent playing compositions of jazz legends. In September, Donvonte McCoy did a wonderful presentation on the music of Lee Morgan. The series will take a hiatus in November and December, returning January 17 when Elijah Jamal Balbed will present some of the early compositions of Wayne Shorter.  Capital Bop had an excellent overview of this particular series of performances, http://capitalbop.com/2012/09/20/news-smithsonian-trains-take-5-spotlight-on-local-musicians-and-legendary-composers/. 

Here is Brian Settles performing as part of a group led by Freddie Redd and Butch Warren.

Donvonte McCoy Celebrated Lee Morgan

Donvonté McCoy Sextet with Fred Foss on alto sax, Donvonte McCoy on trumpet, Elijah Jamal Balbed on tenor saxophone, Hope ? piano, Blake Meissner ? on bass and Steve Williams on drums.

Thursday evening September 20, 2012 , I had the pleasure of seeing a tribute to the legendary trumpet player and composer Lee Morgan at the Kogod Courtyard of the Smithsonian's Museum of American Art that featured trumpeter Donvonté McCoy Sextet. The presentation was part of the Museum's monthly Take 5 series. It has been 40 years since the tragic shooting of Morgan and the program of lesser known compositions by Morgan was a special program for fans of Morgan as well as aficionados of hard bop.

Donvonté McCoy

There was quite a turnout for this program including a niece and nephew of Morgan. I did not fully get the name of the pianist (I believe his first name was Hope) and I believe the name of the bassist was Blake Meissner (I was not taking notes during the program). On alto sax was Washington legend Fred Foss and on tenor saxophone was Elijah Jamal Balbed who is establishing himself as among the DC area's finest players. Another legend, Steve Williams was on drums. For the second set, trombonist Lincoln Ross, and then Brad Line on Baritone replaced Balbed.

Fred Foss

Steve Williams

The music was excellent. I had heard much about McCoy, and was not disappointed by the warmth and bite in his playing and the whole band was excellent. I do not remember all of the compositions they played by did include "The Sixth Sense" "Top Cat" and "Rigor Mortis." In addition to meeting a niece and nephew of Morgan, I spoke with Earle Gullins, President of the Lee Morgan Jazz Fan Club of DC, Maryland and Virginia who is writing a biography of Morgan. Also, WPFW programmer and historian Rusty Hassan was among the many enjoying the music.

Lee Morgan's nephew; Earle Gullins; unidentified (holding Lee Morgan's flugelhorn) and Rusty Hassan.

These monthly programs continue on the third Thursday of each month (although they are skipping November and December). October 18, saxophonist Brian Settles will lead a program devoted to the music of  Dewey Redman while on January 17, 2013, the Elijah Jamal Balbed Quintet +1 will help celebrate the 80th Birthday year of Wayne Shorter with a program focusing on his Shorter's compositions from his time with Vee-Jay Records (before he signed with Blue Note). The shows start at 5;00PM and run until 7:00PM when the Museum closes. There is food and drink available at the Museum.

Elijah Jamal Balbed