Lawrence Peryer

Drummer Matt Wilson must surely be in the running for the title of hardest-working man in jazz. Wilson is a composer, bandleader, producer and teacher. As a leader, his projects include the Matt Wilson Quartet, Arts & Crafts, Christmas Tree-O and the Carl Sandburg Project. He has been in bands with luminaries such as Joe Lovano, John Scofield, Charlie Haden, Lee Konitz, Ted Nash and many, many others. As for legends, he’s played with Herbie Hancock, Dewey Redman, Andrew Hill, Bobby Hutcherson, Elvis Costello, Cedar Walton, Kenny Barron, John Zorn, Wynton Marsalis, Michael Brecker, Pat Metheny, Bill Frisell and Hank Jones. With appearances on over 250 albums as a leader, co-leader or sideman, this list barely scratches the surface.

While all of these credits illustrate what life can be like for a working jazz musician in the 21st Century, a striking aspect of Wilson’s resume is his ability to move between scenes. He is comfortable (and, more importantly, welcome) with cats like Wynton Marsalis, often gracing the stage for Jazz at Lincoln Center, and more often than not he can be found downtown in a small club with the likes of Myra Melford, Joan Stiles or Noah Preminger. Regardless of the venue or situation, Wilson brings his knowledge, sensitivity and enthusiasm to the proceedings.

Read my full interview at All About Jazz.

New episode of my podcast at burningdervish.com.

If King Tubby did not invent dub, it hardly matters who did. With hundreds, or even thousands, of sides standing witness to his wizardry, he elevated the form to an exalted level.

Jamaican dub of the roots reggae era is the direct antecedent of modern remix culture, which spans music, the visual arts, and even high technology. For the purposes here, it is dub’s immediate effect on the brain that is most impressive…

For a setlist and details about the music in this episode, visit www.burningdervish.com. Click on “Podcast” and look for the episode, “The Majesty of King Tubby”.

As always, if you dig the music in this podcast, please support the artists by buying their music and where possible, going to see them live. Thanks.

Enjoy. And let me know what you think. And until next time…Peace.

Though two tracks from October 1960 were previously issued under McCoy Tyner’s name, they were outtakes from John Coltrane dates where the saxophonist sat out. Inception marks the pianist’s first proper release as bandleader, with the sessions for Impulse! taking place at Rudy Van Gelder’s studio on January 10 and 11, 1962. Of the set’s six tracks, four are Tyner compositions, with “Effendi” becoming something of a modern jazz standard and embraced, most notably, by pianist Ahmad Jamal.

Read my full review on All About Jazz.

Guitarist Rez Abbasi is part of a generation of jazz musicians who came of age after the conservative backlash of the 1980s. He and his peers are making their mark on America’s art form by contributing their rich and varied cultural backgrounds and with an embrace of popular culture that was heresy in some quarters for far too long.

Rez Abbasi personifies several of the attributes on display in his music. He puts forth a quiet confidence, with a clear point of view on a variety of topics. He is capable of and open to ideas, surprises, and wonder. Though he has a singular vision for his various musical projects and approaches his art with a sense of purpose and seriousness, he is quick to laugh and clearly comfortable in his own skin. In the most striking parallel between the music and the man, conversation with him visits many themes while veering off for varied explorations.

Rez Abbasi is living, breathing proof that jazz music can be as vital and boundary-pushing as ever.

Read my full in-depth interview with Rez at All About Jazz.

“Nheap is the nom de guerre of Italian drummer/composer Massimo Discepoli. The projects he puts out as Nheap are ethereal, mostly mellow electronic excursions accompanied by his own live acoustic drum work. Clouds Under The Table marks his third collection as Nheap.

“Ambient” might begin to describe this music, but the presence of Discepoli’s relatively straightforward drumming gives the compositions more of a rootedness and energy than that to which most typical electronic ambient music lays claim. Certainly “atmospheric” goes a long way as a descriptor. This does not fall into the dance music realm, either. Though slightly beefier, most cuts from this album would not be out of place on a Windham Hill sampler…”

Read my full review on All About Jazz.

Since the jazz realm has contributed so much to the popular music covered in this magazine, it’s important to note one particularly pertinent legacy: the tradition of concert recording. This tape is a 2nd generation audience recorded by a then college student (Brubeck’s typical listener) with an unknown deck.

Brubeck is caught here less than a year after his landmark 1979 Newport appearance. Displaying the dexterity that has made him a perennial favorite, the material featured here is more rockin’ swing than bop or improv. Late in the tape, Brubeck and Co. are joined by an unnamed harmonica player for some hot licks. This tape is not widely circulated, but ask and you shall receive.

Make no mistake, this is not Vintage Miles. Recorded shortly before the trailblazing trumpeter’s death, Miles is just punching the timeclock here. My copy of this is a 3rd generation FM and the sound is flawless. I requested this one not quite knowing what to expect. Backed by an able band, the music Miles makes here is more in a pop vain than jazz. This can be said of most of his ‘80’s output.

While the line-up is a mystery to me, the combo features some fine players. Especially noteworthy are the guitar and sax players. Davis himself only solos on occassion and has a flat tone throughout. The songs that he refrains from are actually the best. Not bad, not great, but worth a 90 minute tape

Annie Haslam is the former vocalist for the prog-rock group Renaissance. Although never meeting the commercial success of Genesis or Yes, Renaissance made some great music and has a loyal following. Trade in their live tapes is very active.

This show is Annie’s first in a while as she spent 1993 battling an unspecified illness. Performing versions of Renaissance songs “Prologue,” “Carpet of the Sun,” “Mother Russia,” and “A Trip to the Fair,” the band showed their technical mastery. On Annie’s new material they perform tight pop songs without sounding like a karaoke machine.

Recorded on a small portable Aiwa deck, this first gen audience has a remarkably stable sound. No doubt the intimacy of the venue helped. Tapes of the bands next two performances, 3/12 and 3/18 from the same source exist. Similar sets, although the new songs improve with each gig.