We were saddened to read…

Chicago jazz sax legend Fred Anderson dead at 81
June 24, 2010
BY JOHN LITWEILER
Tenor saxophonist Fred Anderson, a father figure to Chicago free-jazz musicians and audiences, bandleader, musician, founding member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) and owner of a leading Chicago jazz club, the Velvet Lounge, died Thursday at 81 after suffering a heart attack on June 14.

Anderson, nominated for prizes in several Down Beat and Jazz Journalists Association polls, was widely praised for his big, bold tenor saxophone sound and his flair for melodic improvisation. Since the 1960s, when he was one of Chicago’s earliest free-jazz artists, he began nurturing younger musicians. Drummer Hamid Drake, saxophonists Joseph Jarman and Douglas Ewart and trombonist George Lewis are among the leading musicians who grew to musical maturity as members of Anderson’s combos.

In 1981 he began operating the Velvet Lounge, a neighborhood tavern at Indiana Avenue and 21st Street. Gradually Anderson transformed it into a full-time music venue where young musicians and veterans, from the black free-jazz scene and the white, north-side free-jazz players, joined in cross-cultural adventures. As a world-famous jazz venue, it now also frequently presents major American and European improvisers and composers.

Read the full article at SunTimes >>>

Dave and Keystone hit the Toronto JazzFest (and the Montreal Fest for that matter) next week in support of the Spark releases. Can’t wait for this band to come through Chicago — it’s been awhile since I’ve seen them.

Dug this question and answer from the recent interview with TheStar…

Q How should [Spark Of Being] rank in your catalogue?

A I think in the larger scheme of things, people who are aware of my work will know that I’ve been pursuing this avenue of mixing acoustic improvisation with electronic sound for a long time and I think at this point in my career this is sort of a culmination of what can be done with that. I would hope that that would be the contribution. As in any musical endeavour, one also hopes that the melodies are wonderful, and I’m working with harmony and rhythm and timbre, all the other standard elements of music as well.

Read the full article here >>>

A few final remarks about the Banff Workshop. Next year there will be another edition of this event, from May 23 to June 11. If you have even the slightest curiosity about this workshop I urge you to apply and join us. Everyone learns from everyone up there. The more creative minds come together, the more we all expand. Here’s the link to the Centre with application process, etc. Banff Centre is also receptive to requests for more specific information, so please write with any questions. All forms of jazz and creative improvised music are welcome.

In the 2010 season there was an in-depth section on collaboratively conducted improvising ensembles. Myra Melford brought a spotlight to that work. Among many other things, Myra led multiple, increasingly detailed sessions on John Zorn’s COBRA. About thirty musicians were involved, and they got really proficient at all the twists and turns in the rules for that piece.

In addition, we were fortunate to have the Italian-Canadian composer and improviser Giorgio Magnanensi on campus. In one of his lectures he showed us the score to this piece:

Manuel Zurria flute/piccolo, Antonio Politano recorders, Claudia Antonelli harp

Giorgio works closely with improvising musicians, sometimes recording their improvisations and using their techniques and sonic ideas in constructing the piece. He says the players are often surprised at the complexity and the level of difficulty of what they played. Many initially see the piece and say it simply is not possible. For that reason, Giorgio also builds a set of instructions so the player can find his or her way back into the sound:

A lot of composers talk about recording, or simply remembering, their own improvisations and then isolating bits to use as a basis for composition. For a classical composer to be so open to the world of improvising performers is rare. Giorgio’s desire to deal quite personally with the language of the musician is one of the things that make his works so surprising and constantly inventive. The pieces are clearly his own works in his own language, but they are also a deep tribute to the voices of the players he is writing for.

On the final day of our workshop, Giorgio led 12 musicians in a performance of his works, including conducted improvisations, for the rest of us. Each ensemble then played for the others in turn: Mary Halvorson’s group (”Mary Had A Little Band”) played her works brilliantly; Ravi Coltrane’s group played their own compositions; Drew Gress’ ensemble learned several of his pieces; David Gilmore’s group nailed a few of his tunes; E.J. Strickland’s group played his twisted (in a good way) arrangement of Lazy Bird. I led two groups that week: one group absolutely killed on some Quintet tunes (Invocation, Earmarks, and, yes, War Room). The other group played Brass Ecstasy music: Orujo, Fats, Spirit Moves, and, amazingly, Bowie. We had a lot of fun.

It was an incredible afternoon of music that brought to a close another inspiring year at the Banff Centre. Thanks so much to everyone up there for providing such a wonderful space. Until soon.

Taylor Ho Bynum writes warmly of the late Mr. Dixon.

Congrats to Nicole Mitchell for winning the JJA for Flutist of the Year.

The full list of noms and winners here.

Family and friends of critically ill Fred Anderson ask for patience and prayers
via Chicago Jazz Music Examiner

Following the U.S. Soccer team began for me some months ago when they drew England for their first match. They famously upset England at their last World Cup meet-up in 1950. That game became known as the Miracle in the Grass, and I can’t blame England for licking their chops for revenge this time around.

But the U.S. emerged with a respectable tie in that first appearance, with unfortunate assistance from English goalkeeping (”Here’s one spill the Yanks won’t complain about,” quipped London’s Sunday Times).

So Friday they meet Slovenia, who also host the great Ljubljana Jazz Festival, and provided a common family name for accordionist extraordinaire Guy Klucevsek. England plays Algeria the same day, rounding out the second round of matches for our group.

Those plastic horns everyone is blowing at the Cup? Vuvuzelas. The Wikipedia entry starts innocently enough, but then seems to have been recently edited…

The instrument is played using a simple brass instrument technique of blowing through compressed lips to create a buzz, and emits a loud monotone (B♭3). A similar instrument (known as corneta in Brazil and other Latin American countries) is used by football fans in South America.

Vuvuzelas have been controversial. They have been associated with permanent noise-induced hearing loss, cited as a possible safety risk when spectators cannot hear evacuation announcements, and potentially spread colds and flu viruses on a greater scale than coughing or shouting… Commentators have described the sound as “annoying” and “satanic” and compared it with “a stampede of noisy elephants”, “a deafening swarm of locusts”, “a goat on the way to slaughter”, and “a giant hive full of very angry bees.”

Indeed. I know a few trumpeters who would wear that as a badge of honor.

Photo by Simon C.F. Yu

Dave Douglas with Keystone: Adam Benjamin, Marcus Strickland, Brad Jones, Gene Lake.

Thanks to Brice Rosenboom and Adam Shatz for organizing this festival. It was a thrill to be a part of it and to see so many of you out there.