CITYFOLK MONTHLY - October 2006

A pretty strong case can be made that piano jazz began with Ferdinand Joseph La Menthe, better known to history as Jelly Roll Morton (ca.1885-1941). Morton made that case as often as he could during his life, always casting himself as the lone genius who single-handedly invented jazz. While very few musical styles have ever been “invented” by a single individual, including jazz, it’s fair to say that Morton played a huge role in the creation of jazz, perhaps the key role. He was certainly the first great jazz pianist (pictured at right).

Morton was a Creole who grew up in New Orleans. He was playing in the brothels of the city’s Storyville district by around 1900, with a repertoire that included ragtime, French quadrilles, light classics and the popular songs and dance tunes of the day. By the time he made his recording debut in the early 1920s, he was exceptionally skilled at both playing and composing. He recorded a number of stunning and popular solo recordings in 1923-1924 in nearby Richmond, Indiana, for the Gennett label, including such influential originals as “Grandpa’s Spells,” “Big Foot Ham,” “King Porter Stomp,” “Kansas City Stomp” and “The Pearls.”

Morton also recorded in a group setting, with his Red Hot Peppers. He was a vital link between all that had gone before—from blues and ragtime to minstrel show tunes and rhythms from the Caribbean—and the small jazz groups that arose in the 1920s and 1930s. Other important pianists from this era were Lil Armstrong (who played in husband Louis Armstrong’s bands); Mary Lou Williams (pictured here, Andy Kirk’s Twelve Clouds of Joy) who would later transform her playing in a modern setting following World War II; James P. Johnson and Willie “The Lion” Smith, the leading exponents of the “stride” style; the boogie-woogie triumvirate of Meade “Lux” Lewis, Albert Ammons and Pete Johnson; and Fats Waller, the incomparable songwriter, singer and all-around entertainer.

Earl “Fatha” Hines, one of the greatest and most influential early jazz pianists, first gained notice as a member of Louis Armstrong’s Hot Five in the late 1920s. More advanced musically and technically than most of his peers, Hines led his own big band in the 1930s and 1940s and inspired countless players in the swing and bebop years.

Duke Ellington and Count Basie are venerated today as legendary bandleaders of the swing era, but both were accomplished pianists and composers who led their bands from the piano bench. Another highly influential pianist, Teddy Wilson, made history when he joined clarinetist Benny Goodman’s band, the first racially integrated band of the swing years. Wilson also toured and recorded with Goodman and drummer Gene Krupa as a trio.

Toledo native Art Tatum (pictured here) first recorded in the early 1930s, and from then until his death in 1956, Tatum has been the standard against which jazz pianists are still measured. He worked in a trio and as a solo for most of his career, a virtuoso whose innovations kept his contemporaries playing catch-up. Tatum had all the tools—amazing technique, brilliant improvisational skills, unbelievable speed and a sense of harmony second to none—and recorded many superb records, including “Tiger Rag,” “I Know That You Know” and “Tatum Pole Boogie.”

Bud Powell was a troubled soul, but an incredible pianist and every bit as influential as Tatum. Powell changed the way that post-swing pianists approached the instrument, practically eliminating the left-hand “stride” that had been considered essential for decades. One of the primary architects of bop, Powell recorded a number of classics during his heyday in the 1940s, including his much-studied originals “Dance of the Infidels,” “Hallucinations,” “Un Poco Loco” and “Bouncing with Bud.”

The end of World War II brought significant changes to jazz. Except for the most popular ensembles (Ellington, Basie, Goodman, etc.), big bands were no longer economically feasible and were replaced by smaller groups, usually quartets and quintets. A new style of jazz called bop or bebop—in which the players’ improvising was based on harmonic structures rather than melody—came to the fore in the mid to late 1940s. There were several pianists who played important roles in the development of this style, including Thelonious Monk (equally important as a composer), Al Haig, Oscar Peterson (pictured here), Erroll Garner, John Lewis, Hank Jones and Duke Jordan.

In the wake of bebop, “hard bop” developed in the 1950s and 1960s as an extension of the style colored by elements from soul, blues and gospel. Leading players in the hard bop style included Horace Silver (the style’s premier composer), Red Garland, Kenny Drew, Wynton Kelly and a trove of gifted pianists from Detroit, including Barry Harris and Tommy Flanagan.

While Garland became the first in a line of great pianists that were showcased in the bands of Miles Davis, Bill Evans and Herbie Hancock—who followed Garland in the late 50s and 1960s—have been vastly influential for nearly a half century. Hancock, Chick Corea (pictured here), Joe Zawinul and Keith Jarrett incorporated electronics into his sound with electric pianos, organs and synthesizers. Some of them took to it—Hancock, Corea and Zawinul were among the creators and stars of what was originally called jazz-rock fusion, at the helm of the Headhunters, Return To Forever and Weather Report, respectively. And some didn’t—Keith Jarrett swore off electric keyboards forever.

There are a number of great piano players who don’t really fit into any stylistic categories, even ones as imprecise and flexible as these. These keyboard artists include Monk, whose singular style was forged from elements from the stride masters, Randy Weston (featured this past April on the Jazz Series) who blends bebop, blues, the influence of Ellington and Monk with music from Africa; the late Jaki Byard, whose playing incorporated everything from stride to free jazz and the sweep of classical music; Cecil Taylor, a leading light of the free jazz avant garde who once taught at Antioch College; and McCoy Tyner, arguably the most influential pianist of the last forty years.

In the past two decades, Cityfolk has presented a magnificent array of great Jazz keyboardists and this year’s series extends the line. Ahmad Jamal, who will perform on November 25 at the Victoria Theatre, has been making records (and waves) since the early 1950s. Jamal was a big influence on Miles Davis and while he never played in Davis’ band, Jamal’s sound inspired many A-list keyboardists who have arrived in his wake including singer/pianist Shirley Horn and Keith Jarrett. A recipient of a Jazz Master Award from the National Endowment for the Arts, Jamal is justly renowned for his virtuoso playing, touch and innovative arrangements for trio. The current edition of his trio features bassist James Cammack and drummer Idris Muhammad.

The Jazz Series will also include the return of the gifted singer/pianist Andy Bey, who will perform on February 3, and pianist Bill Mays who will perform with his trio on March 10. Mays will also be featured in workshops with local piano and rhythm section students on March 9. In addition, Cityfolk's FREE Music on Film Series will present a Jazz Piano Double Bill on February 8: Abdullah Ibrahim: A Struggle for Love and Jaki Byard: Anything for Jazz.

Jean Paul Samputu was born in Rwanda in the early 60s, and was singing in his church choir by the time he was fifteen. He had an eclectic taste in music, soaking up not only traditional African music, but also the sounds of contemporary musicians including Stevie Wonder, Bob Marley, and Lionel Richie. As a result, Samputu sings in six languages and in styles ranging from soukous, and rhumbato to traditional Rwandan 5/8, Afrobeat, pygmy, and gospel.

But sharing his take on traditional African singing, dancing, and drumming is only one part of his role as a Rwandan cultural ambassador. As a survivor of the genocide in Rwanda in the 1990s, he is driven to share a message of peace and reconciliation with audiences around the world. Samputu takes us to the most positive place of humanity through his spirit and graciousness.

Samputu and his group Ingeli will be in Dayton during the week of January 29 for a residency including musical workshops, discussions about human rights and a public performance on Feburary 1.

WHAT I ENJOY MOST ABOUT MAKING MY LIVING AS A PERFORMER: Through performance I can bring the message of peace. The world needs peace. Not just music and joy but also the message of peace and hope.

TOUGHEST CROWD I'VE FACED: I've never had a bad time-people are always so wonderful. I can not think of a bad time with people.

WHAT I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT RWANDA: Rwanda is a country that is healing. The people are forgiving and in a few years Rwanda will be a united country. People need to discover and know about the unique culture of Rwanda.

RECORDING(S) I'M LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW: Collections of Rwandan pygmies, Stevie Wonder's Innervisions and The Definitive Collection, and CeCe Winans' Everlasting Love and Throne Room

LAST THREE BOOKS I'VE READ: The Bible, The Growing Leader by Graig Jupima and The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren

FAVORITE LIVE MUSIC EXPERIENCE: Bob Marley -- the first time I saw Bob Marley I was in Rwanda and saw a live concert on TV -- I was inspired by his message of peace and how powerful his message was. People heard him.

FAVORITE COMFORT FOOD: Beans from Africa and traditional Rwandan food like fufu.

FAVORITE PASSTIMES: To spend time with music and reading the word of God.

DREAM VACATION: To travel to a beautiful ocean. There is an island named Lamu off the coast of Kenya. I have been there many times and would like to go back and eat lobster. It is the best lobster in the world!

MATERIAL CULTURE: Introducing Key Ingredients

Ever wonder how to make tamales, find wild berries, or grill trout? How Ukrainians celebrate Christmas or how Muslims break their Ramadan fast? Explore the connections between Americans and the foods they produce, prepare, preserve, and present at table this summer with Cityfolk and the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery.

The material culture area at the 2007 Cityfolk Festival will feature Ohio foods: from farms stands and Mom and Pop diners to holidays, festivals and fairs. Then learn more about it at Dayton’s Boonshoft Museum of Discovery, which will host the Smithsonian Institution’s traveling exhibit, “Key Ingredients: America by Food” developed by folklorist Charlie Camp. The Ohio Humanities Council is bringing the exhibit to tour Ohio in 2007 and 2008. Public History graduate students at Wright State University working with Boonshoft Curator Lynn Simonelli will launch a companion exhibit exploring “Ohio by Food.”

The United States is a global cafeteria offering up opportunities to explore world cuisines in our neighborhoods, towns, and cities. At home, both the resiliency and adaptability of family customs are evident in holiday celebrations, summer barbeques, and family dinners. Americans consume the bounty of our own fields, forests and waterways while importing flavors and dishes from around the world. The clashes and collisions of Native peoples and Europeans, the forced migration and enslavement of Africans, the expansion into the American Southwest, along with the emergence of new technologies and industries are all inscribed in American “foodways” – the term that folklore scholars use for their favorite kind of fieldwork, eating. America is a nation of nations and a vast geography of regions. Each region’s unique environment and mix of peoples has produced distinctive foods and those too have migrated and mixed as people pursued new opportunities in new places. (Photo by Andy Snow).

Want a taste of things to come?

PROFILE: STUDENTS RESPOND TO MIGUEL ZENON RESIDENCY

“You can’t succeed if you don’t try,” Miguel Zenón told jazz students at Lincoln School for the Arts, an elementary school in Dayton. The bands at Lincoln and Stivers School for the Arts, a Dayton high school, both hosted professional saxophonist Miguel Zenón and pianist Luis Perdomo this past February as part of Cityfolk’s Artist-in-Residence program.

Through the Artist-in-Residence programs, professional artists visit local arts schools and universities to share their knowledge of music with young musicians, and the students at Lincoln were definitely excited to learn from an experienced musician. “It’s really nice for them to come in once a year. When I start a new song it’s easier to play,” said Devin Harris, a 5th grade trumpet player in the jazz ensemble at Lincoln.

“I was nervous at first, until he did his solo,” said Anna Renfro, an alto saxophonist, also in the 5th grade. As a professional musician, Miguel could have been somewhat intimidating to the young students. But with his friendly personality and supportive suggestions, he soon dismissed any reservations the nineteen 4th-7th graders might have had. “He made us feel more comfortable,” said Sara Triplett, a 7th grade alto sax player. “He wasn’t strict. He was smiling a lot,” said Anna. “We got used to him.”

Joy Jones, the Lincoln band director, thinks Miguel’s ability to work with elementary students made a difference. “He really understood the level they were playing at,” said Jones. “He didn’t try to change everything around. He tried to make it sound better,” said Sara. Miguel worked with the band to hear their strengths and weaknesses. “He taught us how to get on beat by having the trumpets play with the drums,” said Nichole Duehart, a 7th grade trombone player. With Miguel’s experience, he was also able to give the students a new approach to their music. “He showed us different styles,” said Sara.

The jazz students at Stivers were also excited to host Miguel and Luis. “The group as a whole gets a lot out of [the residencies]. They really connect,” one Stivers student said. The students get to make connections with these artists that open up paths for their future in music, George Balog, the jazz history teacher at Stivers, told us.

Both jazz bands are well on their way to success. The Stivers jazz band won the national championship at Berklee School of Music in Boston. And the Lincoln Jazz Ensemble was among 40 groups--selected from 175--to perform for the 2006 Ohio Music Education Association.

In late October, Rhythm in Shoes and Santiago Jimenez, Jr. and his band were in residency in the East End community as part of the Culture Builds Community program. You can see why we and our partners, the East End Community Services Corporation, were delighted with the results. Photos by Andy Snow.

There are an incredible number of traditional music festivals happening around the world on nearly every day of the year. Luckily, you don’t need to travel to the farthest corners of the globe to discover new music: there are many options within a few hours drive of Dayton. My husband and I have been to many of them, and it seems we never fail to leave without falling for a new artist or rediscovering why we love a familiar one.

Last month, we went to Chicago for the Chicago World Music Festival and Celtic Fest Chicago, which take place at the same time. The World Music Festival happens at several venues around the city, both indoors and out, over a span of a week. One cool component is live interviews/performances that take place in a small theater and are simulcast on the radio. We were in the audience for Rob Curto's Forro for All, which plays lively Brazilian forro and other rhythms from the region, and Slonovski Bal, an energetic brass band from the Balkan region of eastern Europe. Both bands blew us away with their energy, and their ability to talk about the history and importance of the music they play. It was impossible not to want to get up and dance your cares away.

Celtic Fest Chicago—which takes place on closed streets in Grant Park—featured some familiar performers, like Natalie MacMaster and La Bottine Souriante. The standouts to us, though, were groups from farther-flung Celtic lands. Kornog blends Breton and Scottish influences and features Christian LeMaitre, who has been to Dayton with the Celtic Fiddle Festival. They don't tour much on our side of the pond, which is a pity because they're a very talented bunch. King Chiaullee is a quintet of young men from the Isle of Man who’ve been playing together for over a decade. Their music was mostly from slightly off the beaten track—the Isle of Man, Cornwall, and Wales, for example—and the enthusiasm they brought to it made the music jump to life. Beolach (pictured here) is a group of young people from Cape Breton (including a member of the Rankin family) with great energy and greater talent. At one point they were all up dancing at once, impressing us again with the rich talent from that corner of the world.

Speaking of Celtic music, the Dublin Irish Festival and Cincinnati Celtic Festival (which will hopefully be back next year) always bring in a wide range of great talent. Both are outdoor festivals that happen in large public parks. Dublin is where I fell in love with Niamh Parsons' earthy voice, and Cincinnati is where I first was carried away by the amazing sounds of Llan de Cubel, whose Asturian Celtic music was at once familiar and exotic.

One of our favorite regional festivals is Lotus World Music and Arts Festival in Bloomington, Indiana. Lotus takes place in several venues within walking distance of each other. Organizers bring in an amazing variety of music, from Asian to Tex-Mex, Middle Eastern to South American, all in one year. Lotus first introduced me to the amazing voices of Cristina Branco (Portuguese fado) and Lila Downs (Mexican folk song, pictured here), the nyckleharpa as played by Vasen, and the old-time singing and fiddling of Bruce Molsky.

Occasionally, we get to travel to more distant festivals. The Vancouver Folk Music Festival features several stages, and performances ranging from singer songwriters to obscure music played by small minorities. For example, in addition to the more familiar sounds of Susan McKeown (Irish song) and Boubacar Traore (African blues), I enjoyed Ugarte Anaiak, who made traditional 'work' music by hitting boards on sawhorses with sticks (pictured here). Sounds lame, but it was definitely not: the range of sound and rhythms that they got from such simple tools was impressive. Listen to the MP3s on their website and you'll see what I mean. Probably most memorable was Ongo Tragode, a group of African men who only played animal horns and roots that had been naturally hollowed out by termites. Their haunting sounds were completely unlike anything else I’ve ever heard, and had me mesmerized.

From time to time, stories on NPR, in the New York Times and in other places catch the eye (or ear) of the Cityfolk staff. These are stories about traditional music, handicrafts, ways of life...stories that deepen our understanding and appreciation for the folkways of the world. We will keep bringing as much of this to Dayton as we can; in the meantime, take a listen to this:

If you find a story that you'd like to share with other Cityfolk ENews readers, please send us the link and we'll put it the hopper for possible inclusion.

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	Santiago Jimenez Jr and his band played Tex-Mex music for the students at East End Community School.
Santiago Jimenez, Jr. gave the children a closer view of how his accordion works.
	A couple of lucky students even got to try the instrument for themselves!
Rhythm in Shoes demonstrated old-time music and clogging.
	Members of Rhythm in Shoes got some of the students to try partner dancing.
All of the kids got involved in a big circle dance.
	On Thursday night, the community was invited to a potluck and performance. The table was laden with a delicious variety of Mexican and Appalachian foods.
Both Rhythm in Shoes and Santiago Jimenez Jr. performed that night. Here, Sharon Leahy of Rhythm in Shoes calls a circle dance.