Dexter Payne Quartet + 1 - Pra Você

Dexter Payne

Since the bossa nova wave hit the music scene in the U.S.during the 1960s there has been a growing interest in Brazilian music traditions among non-Brazilians, some of this interest naturally generated inspiration in musicians to further explore the vast musical landscape of Brazil. Clarinetist Dexter Payne is an example of a musician who has seriously devoted his interest and skill to explore and incorporate Brazilian music in his own musical repertoire with success. According to his website, Dexter Payne went on a walk-about playing with bands and artists from Tijuana to Buenos Aires, during this odyssey he stayed in Brazil for ten months where he recorded with samba vocalist Beth Carvalho and met composer and percussionist Thiago de Mello with whom he collaborated and recorded four acclaimed CDs (- more info on Dexter Payne's CDs, here ). Back in the U.S. he founded his own quintet that has specialized in Brazilian instrumental music from samba and choro to baião and other traditions from the Northeast of Brazil. Earlier this year this ensemble released a CD titled Pra Você (- in English meaning 'for you') that is in focus here.

CD front: Pra Você, DEXOFON 1401

The shown CD was recorded in 2012 and Dexter Payne (clarinet) is accompanied by Bill Kopper (guitar and 7-string guitar), Dave Willey (accordion), Raoul Rossiter (drums, pandeiro) and Victor Mestas Pérez (piano), all very competent musicians with a deep understanding of various Brazilian instrumental music genres. There are nine tracks on the CD and the over-all impression of the performed music is an uplifting experience. The music clearly reflects the gafiera repertoire and atmosphere, the genuine Brazilian ball-room tradition of danceable instrumental music with roots in samba and choro - a well known example of this music style is the gafieira jazz project initiated by pianist Cliff Korman in collaboration with Brazilian clarinetist Paulo Mouro a.o., read more here.

Clarinetist Dexter Payne

Dexter Payne and his musicians pay tribute to one of the originators of the gafieira tradition on the CD, Severino Araújo, recording their version of Araújo's 'Chorinho pra você'. Zeca Freitas' 'Alma Brasileira' introduces the CD and the lighthearted atmosphere of the disc, and there are further two famous choros by Jacob do Bandolim, 'Doce de coco' and 'Assanhado', the last mentioned in a new arrangenment, 'Conversa de botequim' by samba composer Noel Rosa, three modern pieces: 'Sampa' by Caetano Veloso, 'Playground' by renowned guitarist Nelson Faria, 'Lembrei do Ceará' by composer, accordionist Marcelo Caldi and finally an example of the collaboration between Dexter Payne and Thiago de Mello, 'No Wolf at the Door'. - Below I'll insert some examples of the recorded music that has been uploaded on YouTube. The CD is available for purchase here, and you have the opportunity to listen to all tracks in streaming audio here 

Dexter Payne (cl), Victor Mestas Pérez (p), Bill Kopper (g), Dave Willey (acc)

As mentioned above, the CD takes off with Zeca Freitas' 'Alma Brasileira', here recorded live in a concert last year featuring guest performer Mitchell Long on electric guitar

The tune 'Playground' by Nelson Faria was recorded live in an intimate video-performance

Finally, from the same intimate session here is Dexter Payne Quartet + 1 performing Caeteno Veloso's 'Sampa'

The music presented here are great examples of the Brazilian influence on skilled musician like Dexter Payne and his quintet, and the CD is well worth lending your attention for listening and dancing celebrating the new year in a couple of days ahead.

A Happy New Year 2015 to all readers of the blog - and thanks for your support so far!

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Jo

keepitswinging.domain@gmail.com

Retrospect Keep Swinging (old) Oscar Aleman Choro Music Flexible Records Hit of the Week-Durium Friends of the Keep Swinging blog Keep Swinging Contributions

After You've Gone

Sheet music front

'After You've Gone' is a 1918 popular song composed by Turner Layton, with lyrics written by Henry Creamer. It was recorded by Marion Harris on July 22, 1918 and released on Victor 18509. 'After You’ve Gone,' joins 'St. Louis Blues' (1914) and 'Indiana' (1917) as the top three pre-1920s jazz standards. Few compositions of the early 20th century endured the transition to the smooth swing sound of the 1930s and beyond. - Al Jolson introduced 'After You’ve Gone' to the vaudeville audience in 1918. Within a year several other artists had recorded the song, but it was Marion Harris’s rendition that became the most popular.

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In the early 1920s Harris was a popular singer in vaudeville and Broadway shows. One of the first white women to sing blues and jazz songs, she favored songs by African-American writers.

Marion Harris

Marion Harris explained her preference by saying, “You usually do best what comes naturally, so I just naturally started singing Southern dialect songs and the modern blues songs.” Harris recorded 'After You’ve Gone' for the Victor Record label, but in 1920 when that label refused to allow her to record W.C. Handy’s 'St. Louis Blues,' she left the label and moved over to Columbia Records, where she did record 'St. Louis Blues,' which became a hit.

Bessie Smith

Another female singer, Bessie Smith - The Empress of The Blues - recorded 'After You've Gone' in 1927, and this version adds the true blues feeling to the tune, a magnificent example of how a natural talent transforms the lyrics of the song to a personal statement - the core experience of blues as well as jazz, I think

Benny Goodman Trio

As mentioned above, 'After You've Gone' was one of the pre-1920s tunes that endured the transition to the swing sound of the 1930s. Many jazz artists and bands recorded the tune in the 1930s and made it a part of the standard repertoire. One of the recordings since hailed as a classic was made by the Benny Goodman Trio in July 1935. Enjoy this swinging version featuring Benny Goodman (clarinet), Teddy Wilson (piano) and Gene Krupa (drums)

Freddy Taylor

One of the famous European recordings of 'After You've Gone' was made on May 4th 1936 by Django Reinhardt and the Quintette du Hot Club de France featuring Freddy Taylor as vocalist. Personnel featured are: Stéphane Grappelli (v); Django Reinhardt (g solo); Joseph Reinhardt, Pierre "Baro" Ferret (g); Lucien Simoens (b); Freddy Taylor (vo)

Despues de haberte ido ( =After You've Gone)

Oscar Alemán y su Conjunto de Jazz recorded 'After You've Gone' for Odeon on October 29th 1955, and only Alemán's great guitar solo in this recording rescues the tune from the syrupy strings in the accompaniment, - an example of a jazz standard almost being spoiled by the usual expectations of record producers and a public only interested in pop ditties. However, mind Alemán's excellent playing and timing that exposes the tune on the edge of swing jazz and pop

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Jo

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The Entertainer - HAMADA Takasi, Contemporary Ragtime Guitarist

Sheet music front page

Ragtime dawned in the USA in the late 19th Century as a style of popular music influenced by European classical tradition as well as African rhythm. One of the trademarks of ragtime is syncopation, a characteristic 'delay' in the rhythm pattern generating a certain pulse to the melody line, which is a normal feature in African music - and in jazz. Ragtime was primarily composed by piano players, and today ragtime music is best remembered through the works of ragtime composer-pianists like Scott Joplin, James Scott, Arthur Marshall, Joseph Lamb a.o. - pioneers of the classic ragtime repertoire.

At a time before gramophones, records, radio and modern mass media ragtime became popular in the public through published sheet music scores designated for piano players and home entertainment, however, ragtime was also often performed by brass bands performing in street parades, at sport games and other public events. A branch of ragtime performance was offered by virtuosic banjo players, who played classic ragtime pieces on 5-string banjo in concert, and stringbands composed of various string instruments also performed ragtime music in tent shows and at private parties helping to spread the music to a broad audience and making ragtime a hype that put the swing to things in the era before The Jazz Age of the 1920s.

The public taste gradually changed after WW 1 with the emergence of jazz and other popular genres, however, ragtime never disappeared, but was rediscovered from time to time during the 20th Century. In the 1970s, a very popular movie, 'The Sting', used music by Scott Joplin in the soundtrack and generated a renewed interest for Joplin and ragtime. This time guitar players were also attracted to the music and a selection of the classic rags by Joplin and other ragtime composers were transcribed for solo guitar and mostly performed in the folk club circuit and released on LP records. Ragtime played on solo guitar is a challenging experience and demands great technical skills  - a contemporary master of ragtime guitar shows off the needed dexterity in a performance of Scott Joplin's popular rag, 'The Entertainer'


The featured guitarist in the video is HAMADA Takasi, a Japanese guitar player (b.1964) from Otaru City, Hokkaido Island, Japan. He has specialized in ragtime and ragtime influenced music, and he has transcribed both classic ragtime compositions by Scott Joplin and others for solo guitar and furthermore contributed with several of his own compositions in the ragtime genre. His guitar style is quite unique. He can play in standard tuning, but more often he plays in a special "Otarunay-Tuning" (EbAbCFCEb : 6 to 1) that fits well for arranging piano rags for solo guitar. More info on HAMADA Takasi at his website in English, here

HAMADA Takasi (source: YouTube)

HAMADA Takasi has released several CDs since 1992 featuring both own compositions and compositions by well known American ragtime artists, a selection of his CDs are available for purchase here . - Below I'll insert more examples of his magnificent playing from the videos he has uploaded at YouTube. 

Here is first HAMADA Takasi playing a popular, modern ragtime piece composed by David Thomas Roberts - 'Roberto Clemente'

Last year HAMADA Takasi released his latest CD, Tanne Nay, containing sixteen compositions of solo guitar pieces, from original ragtime to tango, blues, ballad, caprice, including 2 rag-medleys by Blind Boone.

CD front: Tanne Nay (Otarunay Records, OTR-033)

One of the featured original ragtime compositions on the Tanne Nay CD is 'Merry's Fish Market', here performed live in a video recording

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If you like contemporary solo guitar playing of high standard, I recommend HAMADA Takasi's recordings, his skills both as a composer and as a musician are unique. To end this small presentation, I'll insert the uploaded audio track of the title composition from 'Tanne Nay' - a modern classic rag by HAMADA Takasi   

The Tanne Nay CD is available for purchase here

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Jo

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Louis Vola Del Quinteto Del Hot Club De Francia (1944-46)

Louis Vola

Louis Vola (1902-1990) was a French double-bassist famous for his work with the Quintette du Hot Club de France featuring the star soloists Django Reinhardt (g) and Stéphane Grappelli (violin). According to some sources, Louis Vola discovered Django and his brother Joseph in Toulon, France early 1930s at the time he led his own orchestra in Cannes. Vola invited them to sit in with his band, however, the co-work with Dango and his brother was not a big success, as the brothers had troubles keeping up with appointments. Then another co-work with Django in 1934 was more successful. At that time Vola led his orchestra in a distinguished hotel in Paris, and members of the band comprised both Django Reinhardt (g) and Stéphane Grappelli (violin). During intermission of performance in the hotel Django and Grappelli had fun in a stage room playing together for themselves, later bandleader and bassist Vola joined them together with guitarist Roger Chaput and encouraged the quartet to work out arrangements for an all-strings jazz ensemble. Django demanded that his brother Joseph, who was used to accompany him, joined the group and this was the birth and original formation of the Quintette du Hot Club de France, which had this name thanks to Charles Delaunay, who engaged the quintet as the house orchestra of the Hot Club de France organisation and later arranged numerous recording sessions, performances and tours promoting the first ever European string swing jazz ensemble.

The original Quintette du Hot Club de France

The original Quintette du Hot Club de France (- including changing members of the rhythm section from time to time) had success all over Europe until the outbreak of WW2 in 1939, when the group dissolved and the members of the ensemble went for a career in other combinations. Louis Vola had been a stable member of the group most of its time, but he had also participated in various other bands featuring both French and foreign musicians on the Parisian music scene. You can read more about his engagements outside the QHCF in a previous article by Georg Lankester, here.

In 1940, Vola had joined Ray Ventura's orchestra and went with the band in exile on its tour of South America the next year. Recently Georg Lankester has given an account of the career of Ray Ventura in two published articles, the second has info on Ventura's tour of South America and is accessible here.

Ray Ventura and band members with guitarist Henri Salvador ( Buenos Aires) ( 1943)

Ray Ventura's orchestra had success in Rio de Janeiro, the first destination of the South American tour, and when the band arrived in Buenos Aires in July 1942, the sucess continued with both live performance and recordings for the Odeon label. In between contracted performances with the Ventura orchestra members of the band were free to establish contacts with other musicians and the local music scene to support expenses of living in exile. On these conditions Louis Vola formated a group similar to the Quintette du Hot Club de France late 1942 or early 1943.

Hernán Oliva

Among others, the ensemble comprised guitarist Henri Salvador, who also was a member of the Ventura orchestra, and the Chilean violinist Hernán Oliva, who had been a member of Oscar Alemán's first Quinteto de Swing 1941-42, but by then had abandoned further cooperation with Alemán due to an incompatibility of tempers. Together with two local rhythm guitarists this group named Louis Vola del Quinteto del Hot Club de Francia recorded four (test-)sides for the small, local Sincopa y Ritmo label, which never were issued (- according to discographical info by Tom Lord, the four recorded titles  were 'Viper's Dream', 'Mabel', 'Stardust' and 'Rosetta' with the mx-numbers from BAVE2720-BAVE2723, all well known tunes from the repertoire of the original QHCF).

Excerpt of Tom Lord's discographical info (click to enlarge)

As the stay in Buenos Aires was extended because of WW2 that prevented the Ray Ventura orchestra to return to Europe, Louis Vola continued his own musical project with a new formation of the quintet, which had a recording contract with the Argentine division of Victor records. The first session recorded for Victor was made in October 1943 accompanying a vocal ensemble named The Blackbirds and resulted in two sides. According to Tom Lord's discography, the two titles recorded were 'For Me And My Gal' and 'I'm Old Fashioned' (issued on Vic 60-0282). The quintet now comprised Hernán Oliva (violin), Luis Silva, Musco Milton, Hector Condro (guitar) and Louis Vola (ldr, bass).

The Victor recordings 1944-46 (source: VirgilJazz CD 111)

Louis Vola stayed in Argentina until 1948 and thus did not leave the country together with Ventura, who headed for the U.S.A. in 1945 after WW2 had ended and then returned to France to continue his career. From September 1944 to April/May 1946 Vola continued recording with his quintet in Buenos Aires. Twenty four sides were cut for the Victor label during this period as shown in the listing above. There was some changes of personnel in the quintet from time to time, however, Hernán Oliva had a leading instrumental voice in the ensemble and he is featured on all listed sides. As the quintet emulated the sound of the original QHCF, the choice of a lead guitarist to perform the 

guitar solos also was crucial. The first eight sides as shown feature Luis Silva as lead guitarist in the ensemble with remaining personnel as listed in Tom Lords discography for the October 1943 session.

Luis Silva

Luis Silva (1915-1987) was a Chilean guitarist, who had started his career playing jazz in his homeland in the 1930s and further had founded the QUINTETO SWING HOT DE CHILE after discovering Django Reinhardt. He made some records with this combination in Chile 1943-44, and according to the scarce discografical info the 1943 sides also comprised Hernán Oliva on violin. Silva might have come to Buenos Aires in 1944 at the request of Hernán Oliva, but info on the circumstances of his involvment with Vola's quintet is not available. Fact is, however, that Silva had the  guitar solo part in the eight sides with Vola's quintet for Victor recorded from September to December 1944. 

Silva's technique is well developed and he has some great solo spots (- very different from Django) as well as competent interplay with Oliva and the rhythm section on the eight sides with Vola's quintet. Here is an example of Silva's fretwork in the recording of 'The Sheik of Araby' from September 1944.

After Luis Silva left Vola, he returned to Chile and gave up playing jazz continueing his career in Chilean folk music. You have the opportunity to read more about Luis Silva in an article in Spanish published here.

Henri Salvador

 The March-April 1945 sessions have changes in personnel, another lead guitarist named A.Rivera of whom no info is available takes over Luis Silva's chair, and there is added vocal by a female singer named Alice Burton, who contributes the lyrics in English on 'Undecided'. Alice Burton may be a stage name for a local artist, again no info is to be found, however, she also contributes with her vocal on a few more sides of the remaining Victor recordings by Louis Vola's quintet. 

The May-June and August 1945 sessions reunite Henri Salvador with the quintet, he is now featured as the lead solo guitarist and contributes with some noteworthy solo spots, i.e. in the recording of 'Django Blue(s)'

Henri Salvador (1917-2008) was a member of Ray Ventrua's orchestra like Louis Vola and had embarked on the tour of South America with the band, where he both had vocal spots and played the guitar. The career of Henri Salvador is too extensive to refer here, enough to tell that he had learned guitar from his brother, Tony Salvador, and that he knew Django and had recorded with him in France before the war in the orchestra of Fred Adison. 

His style of playing the guitar is more modern than Luis Silva's and he is said to have prefered chord solo contributions instead of single string. However, his playing on the shown 'Django Blue(s)' has fine examples of single string playing, and the same technique is used in one of the highlights of the Victor recordings by the Louis Vola's quintet - 'Tiger Rag' - a show piece for Hernán Oliva's violin

The last four recordings for Victor April-May 1946 again have a change of personnel. Henri Salvador had left Buenos Aires at the end of the war in August '45 together with Ventura, as replacement Salvador López sat in with the quintet in three of the sides as a piano player. Further, Oscar Alemán's rhythm guitarist of his first quintet, Dario 'Johnny' Quaglia, also is featured and female vocalist Alice Burton again contributes with lyrics in English. The last recording, 'You Never Say Yes...', replaces Salvador López with Jorge Curutchet on el-guitar.

Private issue (Virgil Jazz, CD 111)

The Victor recordings by Louis Vola's quintet (1944-46) have never been reissued by an ordinary company, however, private collectors in Argentina of the original discs have released  the 24 sides on a CD, which may be hard to find outside Argentina. The shown CD from Virgil Jazz (CD 111) is an example of such a collection. A similar collection was also issued by the Buenos Aires Tango Club (CD Jazz 8004). 

Nevertheless, these recordings are of historic importance and document the direct influence of the original QHCF in 

Argentina by one of its founding members, double-bassist Louis Vola.

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Jo

keepitswinging.domain@gmail.com

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Apanhei-te Cavaquinho

Cavaquinho

The title of this entry refers to a famous choro tune composed by Ernesto Nazareth in 1914, since then a standard tune among choro musicians and recorded by numerous artists. However, the title of Apanhei-te Cavaquinho (- which in English means 'I got you, cavaquinho', refering to the friendly 'cutting contests' among choro musicians in rodas de choro meetings) is also the title of a four part filmed documentary of the story of the cavaquinho.

Cavaquinho ace and historian Henrique Cazes and producer Ivan Dias produced a documentary in four parts on the origins and circulation of the cavaquinho recorded on location in Portugal, Rio de Janeiro, Cabo Verde and Hawaii to cast some light upon the story of this fascinating instrument. The film was shown on TV in Brazil and has now been uploaded on YouTube, more than four hours documentation featuring Henrique Cazes as the guide interviewing key persons at the mentioned locations. As may be expected, the speak is in Portuguese most of the time (- except through some of the interviews recorded in Hawaii) and there are not added English subtitles in the YouTube version. However, even though you do not speak or understand the Portuguese language, this filmed documentary is entertaining and moreover has great photography by Carlos Mendes Pereira creating an authentic atmosphere of the locations and supporting the interviews well. You have the opportunity to watch all four parts following this link

CD front: Uma História do Cavaquinho Brasileiro (independent, 2012)

As a follow-up to the mentioned film, Henrique Cazes recorded and produced the shown CD in 2012 featuring fourteen tracks of compositions documentating the importance of the cavaquinho in popular Brazilian instrumental music, in particular choro. Of course,  Ernesto Nazareth's 'Apanhei-te Cavaquinho' is featured on the CD in a new arrangement also used in the soundtrack of the film mentioned above, and there are more tunes by choro pioneers like 'Cruzes, Minha Prima!' by Joaquin Callado, 'Roceira' by Mário Álvares da Conceição (- an early master of the cavaquinho known as Mário Cavaquinho) and 'Não Pode Ser!' by Nelson Alves (- another pioneer of the cavaquinho known as Nelson Cavaquinho). Late 1940s, Waldir Azevedo made the cavaquinho popular as a solo voice in choro and related genres, and four of his compositions are featured in new arrangements by Henrique Cazes and Beto Cazes - besides the smash hits 'Brasileirinho' and 'Delicado' you have new versions of 'Brincando Com O Cavaquinho' and the beautiful 'Eterna Melodia'. From the same period there is also a new arrangement of Garoto's 'Meu Cavaquinho', further a version of 'Gingando' (- a popular tune composed by Dino 7 Cordas while being a stable member of cavaquinista Canhoto e seu Regional, the ensemble which later became the backing ensemble of Jacob do Bandolim). Modern tradition of the cavaquinho is represented by an arrangement of Radamés Gnattali's 'Variações Sem Tema', here performed in a duet interplay with pianist Cliff Korman, and further there is a version of Paulinho da Viola's melodious 'Beliscando'. Finally, two contemporary compositions by Henrique Cazes, 'Real Grandeza' (- a choro dedicated to Paulinho da Viola and his farther, Cesar Faria, violanista and founder of the famous Epoca de Ouro choro ensemble) and the double tune 'Dois Estudos Nº 6 E Nº 7' (- dedicated to bandolinista Joel de Nasciemento and Hamilton de Holanda respectively). - Henrique Cazes plays the cavaquinho in all fourteen tracks (- and doubles on violão tenor in some tunes), and he is accompanied by a backing ensemble consisting of 7 string acoustic guitar, double bass, percussion and in some tracks an accordion is also added. More info on participating musicians and tracks available here 

Henrique Cazes

Henrique Cazes is a modern master and virtuoso of the cavaquinho as a solo voice in Brazilian popular music, and the shown CD is a marvelous example of his mastery of the instrument in a repertoire of delightful compositions reflecting the story of the cavaquinho and its importance in choro and related instrumental genres. The CD is highly recommended, if you like Brazilian instrumental popular music of high quality and further are keen on exploring the cavaquinho as played by a modern master. The CD is available at Itunes and various streaming audio services, and a mp3 download version is available for purchase at Amazon, here. 

The CD was presented in a TV program by TV Cultura in Brazil, and I'll insert a couple of fragments from the program below uploaded at YouTube. - Here's is first Henrique Cazes playing his arrangement of Waldir Azevedo's 'Brincando com o Cavaquinho'

To end this small review, here's is Henrique Cazes in his own composition 'Real Grandeza'

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Jo

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Philip Catherine & Martin Wind - A New CD And Live Performance in Porgy en Bess, October 2014

Philip Catherine (photo by Hans Koert)

Regular readers of this blog will already know that Hans Koert - the originator, founder and main editor of the Keep Swinging website including underwebs and blogs - appreciated the Belgian jazz guitarist Philip Catherine  - both as a musician and as a person. You can still read Hans Koert's devoted and affecionate reviews of some of Philip Catherine's previous recordings and live performances by following the links collected at this page, and you also have the opportunity to enjoy some of Hans' great photos featuring Philip Catherine by clicking here.

The last review by Hans Koert of a Philip Catherine album and a live performance by Catherine and his quartet was published last year, here, a follow-up to the celebration of Catherine's 70 years with the release of the CD titled Côté Jardin and the presentation in a concert at Porgy en Bess (Terneuzen). On October 19th this year, Philip Catherine again performed in Porgy en Bess, this time in a duo setting, and the current background of this performance was part of the presentaion tour of a new CD featuring Catherine and bassist Martin Wind, New Folks, released earlier this year by the German ACT label.

CD front: New Folks, ACT 9621-2 (Cover Art by Philip Taaffe)

The CD was recorded in April last year and features thirteen tracks including four compositions by Catherine, among them 'Hello George (for George Shearing)' and 'L'Eternel Désir', two by Martin Wind: 'Song For D' and 'Standing At The Window Wawing Goodbye', the remaining titles are modern jazz standards and there are further  new arrangements of Willard Robinson's 'Old Folks', Paul McCartney's 'Jenny Wren', Irving Berlin's 'How Deep Is The Ocean' and Carmichael's 'Winter Moon' - more info including tracklist and audio clips available here 

Philip Catherine & Martin Wind (photo courtesy by Dean Bennici/ACT music)

All tracks of the CD are splendid examples of Philip Catherine's mature and lyrical guitar work, and bassist Martin Wind contributes with solid support and excellent solo spots throughout. Martin Wind is a young, German bassist with a career in  the USA and also leading his own ensembles besides contributing his skills both as a bassist and composer in various other settings, learn more at his official web, here. -  The duo was brought together by producer Siggi Loch of the ACT label, and judging from the music at the New Folks CD, the co-work between Catherine and Martin Wind has been fruitful and the benefits of their interplay outstanding. - From a live-performance in Dortmund, Germany earlier this year was recorded a short fragment in rather bad footage and uploaded at YouTube, however, I'll insert it here to give you an impression of the interplay between Catherine and Martin Wind

As mentioned above, on Sunday October 19th this year the Catherine-Wind duo performed in Porgy en Bess presenting music from the New Folks CD. The concert was attended by members of Hans Koert's family and friends a.o., and Peter Koert, Hans' younger brother, sent me his impressions from the concert, which I'll insert below.

Philip Catherine and Martin Wind in Porgy en Bess

by

Peter Koert  

Last Sunday 19th October 2014 there was a great concert of the fabulous duo Philip Catherine (guitar) and Martin Wind (bass) at the great Jazz stage Porgy en Bess in Terneuzen, The Netherlands.

Caterine/Wind in Porgy en Bess (photo by Jaap Sonnevijlle)

The relaxed duo played a number of their own tunes of the superb new album "New Folks", for instance "Hello George", written by Philip Catherine and "Song for D" written by Martin Wind.

The modest and tuneful  played "Old Folks" was personally dedicated with affection by Philip Catherine to Hans Koert who passed away last month and wrote so many passionated reviews in this blog.

Dedication to Hans Koert

Thank you Philip, Martin and friends of Porgy en Bess for this touching moment!

Philip Catherine (photo by Jaap Sonnevijlle)

Peter Koert

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Thank you, Peter, for sharing these impressions from a special live-performance featuring Philip Catherine and Martin Wind.

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Jo

keepitswinging.domain@gmail.com 

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Mike Marshall & Choro Famoso - Segunda Vez

Mike Marshall

Mike Marshall (b.1957) is an American mandolin player and multi-instrumentalist. He has performed and recorded with
many musicians in a variety of styles, including bluegrass, classical, jazz and Brazilian music. In addition to several instruments within the mandolin family, Marshall also plays the guitar and violin. - Mike Marshall is also a partner in the music label, Adventure Music, which is dedicated to releasing music from Brazil.  Adventure Music has released Serenata, a duet recording  with pianist Jovino Santos Neto featuring the compositions of Hermeto Pascoal (2003), Brazil Duets (2005) featuring various musicians, New Words (Novas Palavras) (2006) a co-work with Hamilton de Holanda and further the debut recording by Mike Marshall & Choro Famoso (2004). Recently the second CD by Marshall and Choro Famoso also was released by Adventure Music, Segunda Vez, which is shown below.

CD front: Segunda Vez, Adventure Music, AM 1090 2 (2014)

Choro Famoso is: Mike Marshall( mandolin), Andy Connell (clarinet, soprano sax), Colin Walker (7-string guitar) and Brian Rice (pandeiro). 

Choro Famoso

The new CD has seventeen tracks and the repertoire consists of both classic and modern choro compositions. There is classic pieces by famous Brazilian chorões such as Ernesto Nazareth, Pixinguinha, Nelson Alves, Luiz Americano, Jacob do Bandolim, Waldir Azevedo, Heitor Avena de Castro, Orlando Silveira, Esmeraldinho Salles and K-Ximbinho. The more contemporary choro repertoire is represented by music composed by Moacir Santos, Mauricio Carrilho, and Guinga. The performance by the Choro Famoso quartet is excellent, well balanced and with a convincing and deep understanding of the spirit of choro in both the classic and modern examples of choro featured at the disc. Highly recommended! - The CD has extensive notes about the music and is available for purchase here 

Choro Famoso in live performance

To give you an impression of Mike Marshall and Choro Famoso in live performance, I'll insert two uploaded video fragments from a concert recorded in 2010. Here is first the quartet's version of a choro titled 'Luis Americano Na Pre 3'

To end this small review, here's Choro Famoso's rendition of 'Evocação de Jacob' by H.Avena de Castro

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Jo

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Seger Ellis - A Forgotten Pianist And Vocalist

Retrieval, RTR 79074

While listening to one of the CDs in Retrieval's excellent series of 'Unissued on 78s' (RTR 79074 - more info available here) I was amazed to find out that Seger Ellis, a male vocalist star of the 1920s, actually started his career as a piano player, moreover a decent one. The Retrieval CD has four (unissued) piano solos by Ellis, three of them recorded in August 1925 and one untitled in 1928, and he is further featured as a piano player with Lloyd Finlay and his Orchestra in seven recordings from March 1925, his debut as a recording artist. - A YouTube video has the audio of one of the 1925 unissued piano solos as featured on the mentioned CD - 'Freight Yard Blues', recorded August 10, 1925

Seger Ellis (1904-1995)

Seger Ellis (1904-1995)  was a pianist and vocalist from Houston, Texas. He began his career in 1921 when a radio station in Houston hired him to broadcast a weekly show of solo piano music. In 1925, Victor Records came to Houston to record the Lloyd Finlay Orchestra. They wanted to record eight sides, however, Finlay had only four original songs. The Victor representative had brought two new songs with him and to fill in the remaining sides, Finlay suggested Seger Ellis to be brought in to record with the band. His two songs so impressed the Victor management that they brought him to their Camden recording studios in August 1925 to record fourteen piano solos, which were among the first Victor recordings made using an electric microphone. Although only four sides were released, two became hit records, 'Prairie Blues' and 'Sentimental Blues'.

Prairie Blues, piano solo by Seger Ellis

Shortly after returning to Texas, Columbia asked Ellis to make his first vocal recording for the company's OKeh label. He moved to New York and eventually became OKeh records most popular male vocalist in second half of the 1920s, in fact so much so that OKeh gave him his own silver and black picture label, a rare honor.

The special label used by OKeh  for Seger Ellis records

Many of his OKeh recordings feature jazz arrangements with studio groups that included Eddie Lang, Mugsy Spanier, Tommy Dorsey, Mannie Klein, Joe Venuti and even Louis Armstrong a.o.. - Below I'll insert some examples of Ellis' popular vocal recordings from the OKeh/Columbia period.

From May 1928, here's Seger Ellis' version of 'Sweet Sue, Just You'

Next a 1929 recording of 'Ain't Misbehavin' featuring Louis Armstrong on trumpet

From December 1930, here's Seeger Ellis' version of 'Cheerful Little Earful'

In 1928, Ellis toured England as a soloist and following a meeting with the popular vocal group the Mills Brothers in Cincinatti in 1930, he became the manager of this group for a few years while continuing to perform as a soloist through the '30s. His vocal contributions were in high demand and he had guest appearance with the Paul Whiteman orchestra, recorded with Frankie Trumbauer and further participated in a 1934 Hollywood film, 'One Rainy Afternoon'. Beginning in 1935, Seger spent nearly a year creating music with a group he called the Brass Choir, then assembled something of a more normal instrumental big-band line-up for another group under his leadership in 1939. - Here's an example of Ellis' big band from this period

Ellis disbanded in 1941 and enlisted in the Army-Air Force in 1942 for some time. After moving back to Texas he began to be less active as a performer and more involved in songwriting. Among his many compositions are "My Beloved Is Rugged" and "11:60PM" (both recorded by Harry James), "Gene's Boogie" (recorded by Gene Krupa), and "Little Jack Frost, Get Lost" and "You're All I Want For Christmas" (both recorded by Bing Crosby). "December" was recorded by Count Basie with a Mills Brothers vocal. The Seger Ellis songwriting catalog also includes "No Baby, Nobody But You" and "You Be You but Let Me Be Me". - Seger Ellis gradually retired and took up residence in Houston where he died in a retirement home on September 29, 1995.

CD front: Jazz in a Sentimental Mood (The Old Masters)

The above info is excerpted from a couple of articles collected here,  a more detailed career profile is available here and an extensive collection of Ellis' recordings made between 1925-1935 is free available in streaming audio and mp3 format here. The shown CD from the Old Masters with extensive notes by Allan Dodge released 2001 is still available and contains 26 tracks recorded late 1920s and early 1930s, for purchase here .

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Jo

keepitswinging.domain@gmail.com

Seger Ellis is an almost forgotten vocalist, who started his career as a solo pianist and was later hired by Columbia records as a vocalist. He was featured on Columbia's OKeh label and had success with his small band recordings featuring the cream of New York's musicians of the time. Later he formed his own big band and then concentrated on songwriting before retiring to his home town, Houston, where he died in September 1995. The above entry gives a short review of his career.

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