CITYFOLK MONTHLY - August 2005

The guitar is not an "original" jazz instrument. The early jazz bands of the 1910s and 1920s usually included a tenor banjo as part of the rhythm section. The four-string banjo was strummed with a pick (not picked with the fingers as in bluegrass), providing percussive chordal accompaniment for the soloists. The banjo's main attribute in jazz was its loudness, but as improvements in guitar design and amplification made it possible for guitars to be heard above the din, most jazz banjo players switched over to the guitar by the late 1920s (Eddie Condon and George Van Eps, for example).

The two most important jazz guitarists of the 1920s were Lonnie Johnson (pictured at left), who enjoyed an extraordinarily long and diverse career in both jazz and blues, and Eddie Lang (ne Salvatore Massaro), known primarily for his work with Paul Whiteman's band and violinist Joe Venuti. Johnson and Lang established the guitar as a serious jazz instrument capable of both rhythm and dynamic solo work within a band. The 10 duets Johnson and Lang recorded in 1928 and 1929 are astonishing displays of virtuoso playing even now, and are required listening for any guitarist.

Charlie Christian, the first great electric guitarist in jazz, rose to prominence in the Benny Goodman Orchestra, which he joined in 1939. Recording both with the Orchestra and a sextet alongside such jazz heavyweights as Goodman, Count Basie and Lionel Hampton, Christian established the electric guitar as a central voice in swing on such classic records as Seven Come Eleven, Air Mail Special and Till Tom Special. Christian’s career was tragically cut short by tuberculosis; he died in 1942 at the age of 23.

Christian had a tremendous impact upon other guitarists, influencing virtually everyone who picked up the instrument between 1940 and 1965. His only contemporary competition in that regard was Django Reinhardt, a Belgian Gypsy whose virtuoso playing enchanted musicians and fans alike on both sides of the Atlantic. Though he later came to the U.S. and recorded with several leading jazz musicians, Reinhardt’s towering reputation rests primarily upon the records he cut in the 1930s and 1940s with violinist Stephane Grappelli in the Quintet of the Hot Club of France.

The flowering of the previous decades expanded in the 1960s and 1970s as guitar players moved increasingly into the spotlight. Wes Montgomery, an Indianapolis native, was the most prominent and influential guitarist of the early 1960s. Montgomery’s clean, linear style influenced George Benson (who played with organist Brother Jack McDuff before achieving massive pop success in the 1970s), Earl Klugh and numerous others. Soul-jazz guitarist Grant Green represented a grittier, more groove-oriented style that was also quite popular and influential.

The late 1960s and early 1970s gave birth to a hybrid known as "fusion" (short for jazz-rock fusion) that gave the critics fits but sold millions of records. Fusion was a great showcase for a new generation of electric guitarists who had grown up listening not only to Charlie Christian and Django Reinhardt but also Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck. This was also a time of great sonic exploration for electric guitarists, as they experimented with the capabilities of the instrument to create new sounds and textures. Among the leading guitarists of this style (and the bands they played with) are John McLaughlin (pictured at right) (Mahavishnu Orchestra, Tony Williams' Lifetime), Al DiMeola (Return to Forever) and Ralph Towner (Oregon).

Vibraphonist Gary Burton has a good eye for talented guitarists. Among the now prominent jazz guitarists who worked with Burton’s boundary-stretching groups in the 1960s and 1970s are Larry Coryell, Mick Goodrick, Dayton's own John Scofield (pictured at right), Jerry Hahn and Pat Metheny. Fronting the Pat Metheny Group and working in numerous other contexts, Metheny has become the most successful and influential guitarist of the past 25 years.

While Metheny's influence has been pervasive, original voices continue to develop on the guitar. Ornette Coleman protégé James "Blood" Ulmer has a distinctive, intense sound that is at once primitive and futuristic. The late Sonny Sharrock dominated the avant garde scene with an approach that blended Jimi Hendrix and Pharoah Sanders. Stanley Jordan created a sensation in the 1980s with a startling new way of playing the guitar called "tapping," which allowed the guitarist to play two independent melody lines at once.

Finally, there is Bill Frisell. The native of Baltimore is one of the most creative and unpredictable guitarists on the planet, capable of everything from a sweet country groove to pure noise. He's covered everybody from John Philip Sousa to Muddy Waters to Madonna, and he's done it with an unlikely combination of unbelievable technique and a bizarre sense of humor. As one reviewer said of Frisell's music, it contains "everything from far-out to far-in, and lots in the middle--jazz, rock, blues and pop."

Two of the best guitarists in Jazz will be performing on the Cityfolk Jazz Series this fall: NEA Jazz Master Jim Hall (pictured at left) on September 17 and Pat Metheny (pictured at right) on October 7. Both men have enjoyed long, prolific careers and legions of avid fans. They talk about their influences and inspirations, read the interviews below:

This year's Festival material culture exhibit, Threads and Yarns, was a great success! For two days, the basement of Memorial Hall was buzzing with activity. Howard Blosser and Mike Hall fascinated visitors while making rope after rope from twine, the old-fashioned way. Navajo weaver DY Begay brought a small loom on which she wove a few inches of a traditional rug. Visitors of all ages tried on Sam Winston's elaborate hats. Several workshops were held each day, during whch facilitators Judy Sacks and Marjorie McClellan led our artists through discussions on a variety of subjects. As these photos show, the area was in high gear all weekend!

Margaret Fischer of Greentree Weaving set up her loom and demonstrated weaving through the weekend. Photo by Tom Underwood.

Ladies from Mount Calvary Baptist Church model hats that were made for them by Sam Winston. Photo by Tom Underwood.

DY Begay set up a small tabletop loom and continued to work on a rug in the tradtitional Navajo style.

PROFILE: BEHIND THE SCENES

Board Member Al Turnbull has been nominated as President of the Board for the 2006 Fiscal Year. Read on, and you'll see how perfectly he's suited for the job!

"After graduating from UD in 1969, I have spent a career in human resource management and employee relations consulting, the past 10 years as vice president of human resources for CompuNet Clinical Laboratories in Dayton.

"My wife Ceal and I have been Cityfolk supporters for many years, 20+ I suppose. I have been with my pals the Corndrinkers [pictured at righ] for 30 years. We met at the living arts center on Dayton's east side in the mid 1970's. During those days, WYSO broadcasted a weekly live radio show from the living arts center called the Country Jamboree. It was originally hosted by Dave Edmundson and Rick Good (the Hot Mud Family) for a year or so, them Tom Duffee and I began MC-ing and putting the show together for another year or two every week. All the musicians and artists played for free; there was no money and interestingly enough aside from all the great local talent we showcased, other more well known artists would come to the live show to perform: Red Allen, Larry Sparks, Del McCoury, David Holt, Katie Lauer, Hot Mud Family and many more I am sure.

"I created and hosted a 2 hours country music program called "Walkin' in the Parlor", broadcast on WYSO on Sunday mornings at 10:00 am for a couple of years then moved it to Wednesday evening from 8:00 to 10:00 pm for another couple of years. I think it was about 5 or 6 years total. Dave's jazz show followed mine at 10:00 pm for a number of years. I think that is how we first met.

"The Corndrinkers, with Ceal as our caller, have done the barn dance at Carriage Hill Metro Park every summer for 30 years, including this summer. We have played one of Cityfolk's contra dances pretty much every year since the dance series started.

"Ceal and I have three great kids, Patrick a civil engineer in Springboro, Ohio, Kate, a science teacher in New Orleans and Sallyann, a junior at WSU majoring in stage management [who assistant stage managed the Family Stage at the 2004 Cityfolk Festival]; and now four grandchildren: Caroline age 2, twins Evelyn and Gwendolyn born July 25th and grandson Owen born, July 7th."

RECORDING I'M LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW: Banjo master John Hartford, Cajun music from the Magnolia Sisters, and roots-country musician Buddy Miller.

LAST THREE BOOKS I'VE READ: Will you Miss Me When I am Gone?: The Carter Family and their Legacy in American Music by Mark Zwonitzer and Charles Hirshberg; Joe Nuxhall's biography Joe: Rounding Third and Heading for Home by Greg Hoard; and The Tipping Point: How Small Things Make a Difference by Malcom Gladwell.

FAVORITE CITYFOLK EXPERIENCE: I like all of it; great festival, great concerts, like working as a Board member.

FAVORITE LIVE MUSIC EXPERIENCE: I have many but a couple of my favorites were helping with a WYSO concert that featured Tommy Jarrell, Mike Seeger and Blanton Owen in the mid 70's. Tommy, Mike Seeger and Alice Gerrard stayed with Ceal and I in our little rented farm house. I can still remember Alice playing on the living room floor with our son Patrick; he was about 1 year old; Tommy Jarrell left a $10.00 bill under his pillow when he left as a thank you to Ceal because we would not take any money previously from his room and board.

Playing with the Corndrinkers, Bill Lowe and the dance group, Fiddlepuppets at the Carter Family Fold in Virginia was wonderful as well. On that same trip, we played music with Clint Howard and Fred Price (Doc Watson's buddies) on Clint's front porch.

FAVORITE COMFORT FOOD: I have too many comfort foods (and drinks) to mention. I like to eat! and cook out on the grill.

FAVORITE PASTIMES: family get togethers with my kids and now grandkids; attending Cityfolk events; making music with the Corndrinkers, baseball games, and playing in the dirt on my few acres in the country.

DREAM VACATION: Ireland with Ceal

STAFF PICKS by Holly Underwood

Several years ago, I went to the Vancouver Folk Music Festival which takes place each July in a huge lakeside park that overlooks downtown Vancouver. The setting is gorgeous, the music and dance ranges from a broad diversity of traditional music to singer/songwriters, and the crowds are dedicated and enthusiastic. I saw and heard some truly amazing performances that were unlike anything I'd seen before, such as Ongo Tragode, a group of African bushmen who played antelope horns and tree roots that had been hollowed out by termites, whose compelling music was completely unique; and Ugarte Anaiak, a pair of Spanish Basques who beat out startlingly harmonic and complex rhythms with two sticks on what looked like a long 2x4 suspended on two sawhorses. Both groups left me open-mouthed, and marveling again at the creativity people use to make music from whatever resources they have.

The woman whose music left the deepest impression--and whose CD I promptly bought for my collection--is Indian singer Kiran Ahluwalia. Ahluwalia's family moved from India to Toronto in the 1970s. She first heard her people's music in house concerts that were considered beyond the grasp of a child, but she was immediately fascinated. She studied Indian music on the side before deciding in 1990 to immerse herself in it full time. She returned to India and studied from aged masters and from traditional singers in villages across the Punjabi region, soaking up their nuances.

The forms of music that Ahluwalia sings are ghazals and Punjabi folk songs. Ghazals are poems about love and the human condition. They are a challenging mix of structure and improvisation, accompanied by tabla, guitar and harmonium. Punjabi folk songs celebrate the human condition and are generally more upbeat than ghazals. Both styles--which frankly, I cannot tell apart--are exotic and intriguing. The Indian music I had heard before was very long (20-40 minutes is not uncommon), complicated, and only partly melodic to my ear. But Ahluwalia's songs are far shorter, very rhythmic and upbeat. Her voice is unusual to my western ear in a very pleasant way. She is a physically expressive singer, which make her performances entertaining to watch.

Ahluwalia is not just relying on ancient texts as sources for her songs; she is writing some herself and collaborating with other poets from South Asia. On her newest self-titled release, she pushes the envelope, collaborating with musicians from many traditions, including Natalie MacMaster!

CITYFOLK is proud to be a part of the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters on Tour program this season for the second year in a row. The program enabled us to present singer Jon Hendricks at the 2004 CITYFOLK Festival and saxophonist James Moody on the Jazz Series in October, 2004; this season we will present guitarist Jim Hall on September 17, 2005 and pianist Randy Weston on April 15, 2006. The performances by these three NEA Jazz Masters are part of a series of presentations taking place in all 50 states featuring the musicians who have received this prestigious award.

As the offical arts agency of the United States the National Endowment for the Arts has supported jazz artists and organizations since 1970, providing millions of dollars in grants and awards. NEA Jazz Masters on Tour is part of the NEA Jazz Masters Initiative, a comprehensive program of support for jazz artists, audiences, presenters and students which was started in 1972. The centerpiece of the initiative is the NEA Jazz Masters Award, the nation's highest honor in jazz. The award recognizes living artists or advocates who have made exceptional contributions to the advancement of jazz with a one-time award of $25,000 and the venerated title, NEA Jazz Master. The NEA works to connect these artists with a broad audience through through television and radio programming, educational resources, musical recordings and through NEA Jazz Masters on Tour.

For the second year in a row, CITYFOLK is a host presenter selected to participate in NEA Jazz Masters on Tour. This series of presentations features NEA Jazz Masters in performances, educational activities and/or speaking engagements for audiences in all 50 states.

NEA Jazz Masters on Tour is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts sponsored by Verizon in partnership with Arts Midwest. Additional support is provided by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation through a grant to Chamber Music America.

In the fall of 2005, as a compliment to the expanding touring program, educational resources are being developed with Jazz at Lincoln Center for NEA Jazz in the Schools. CITYFOLK has presented jazz since 1986 and has offered jazz-related educational opportunities throughout its twenty years of presenting the music.

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