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The Class of 2010 Jazz Masters includes composer Muhal
Richard Abrams, record producer George Avakian,
pianist Kenny Barron, arranger Bill Holman,
vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, reed multi-instrumentalist
Yusef Lateef, vocalist Annie Ross and pianist
Cedar Walton. On Tuesday night, January 12th, Barron,
Lateef , Ross and Walton all performed their own music .
Abrams, Holman and Hutcherson had their compositions ably
performed by the Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra With Wynton
Marsalis. In many ways, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Frederick
P. Rose Hall is the “house that Wynton built.” But, on Tuesday
night, he appeared genuinely honored to simply play trumpet
in the orchestra and announce the honorees. The music they
shared , again, gleamed with genius. From Abrams’ careening
orchestral free jazz to Cedar Walton’s gentle homage to
his late mother who inspired him to play piano, the sheer
artistry enraptured all who attended.
The
NEA established the Jazz Masters award in 1982. It can
only be given to living artists. In addition to the
recognition, each artist receives a $25,000 cash award.
New honorees are generally named in the Spring, with
the actual induction ceremony occurring in the following
January or February. In the 28 years since the establishment
of the Jazz Masters , the NEA has chosen 114 individuals
for the honor, including the 2010 class. |
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As a
music reporter for 90.5-FM WCBE (central Ohio’s most-listened-to
NPR station), it was my distinct privilege to be invited
to this year’s event. WCBE’s station manager, Dan Mushalko,
has somehow earned the favor of the NEA’s Victoria Hutter
in Washington, D.C. She asked if WCBE, which is gaining
a reputation for being serious about the music because of
its jazz programs on Sundays, wanted to cover the NEA 2010
Jazz Masters ceremony at the Lincoln Center in New York
City. Dan asked would I cover the ceremony for our station.
If you loved jazz as much as I do, how would you
respond?
Pre-Show
Graciousness from Jazz at Lincoln Center
I arrived
in New York late morning January 11th and found myself treated
very hospitably by the Jazz at Lincoln Center’s public relations
liaison Bridget Wilson. She graciously set up interviews
for me that same afternoon with Kenny Barron and
Annie Ross on their breaks between rehearsals for
the January 12th concert. I sat in an acoustically perfect
piano recital room and waited, but not for long.
| Kenny
Barron
looks great for his age (66) and attributes it to following
his wife’s lead in cutting red meat, white sugar, cheese
and white bread out of his diet. Mr. Barron said he’s
not a vegetarian , but he’s definitely moved on from
his “bad” eating habits. As to his musical output, particularly
his last album, The Traveler, Barron says he “now feels
freer in expressing himself.” Perhaps, one of the reasons
Kenny Barron looks and acts young for his age is that
he is a great believer in mentoring young artists and
students. That’s one of the reasons he recruits young
musicians for bands. “I feed off their energy,” said
the former Rutgers music professor. |
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Annie
Ross,
she of the vocalese pioneers, Lambert, Hendricks & Ross,
is a loveable diva, out of the mold of Carol Channing and
the millennial generation’s Beyonce Knowles. When she sat
down for her interview, Ms. Ross was at first a bit harried,
because she was due back at rehearsal in 10 minutes. But,
when I showed her WCBE Jazz Sunday’s January 10, 2010 playlist,
which included three Lambert, Hendricks & Ross standards
and her own solo version of “Let Me Entertain You,” from
the Broadway show, Gypsy, she smiled warmly and told me
to close the door. She said she didn’t want the hallway
noise to muddy my recording of our conversation. Jazz is
still a true love for Ms. Ross. Her family brought her to
America from Surrey, England, with hopes of little Annie
becoming the “Scottish Shirley Temple.” But, in Los Angeles,
she heard an Ella Fitzgerald record and said “I want to
sing like THAT.” She fell hard for jazz and remained in
love with it. When I asked her what, over her storied career,
was her best gig, she didn’t hesitate one instance in saying:
“
Singing in front of the Count Basie Band. All that swinging
power behind me… I’ll never forget it.”
After
I wrapped up my interview with Annie Ross, Bridget Wilson
poked her head in the door and asked how it went. I said,
“wonderfully,” of course. Bridget smiled and then offered
me an opportunity to participate in a pre-concert photo
shoot of the assembled Jazz Masters an hour before the awards
ceremony. Who says New Yorkers are nasty to out-of-towners?
Brother
Hold Your Light
The
following night I arrived early for the photo shoot. They
invited the photographers and videographers into the room
around 6:45pm. . . less than an hour before the concert
was supposed to begin. So, we were under pressure to get
in, take the photos and get out. Everyone clamored in with
their impressive equipment and I sheepishly made sure my
little 35mm digital camera was on. I turned the corner and
was stunned. It wasn’t just the 2010 honorees who had assembled,
there were over 30 of the 50 or so living Jazz Masters all
posed for a literal “class photo”. Jon Hendricks was there,
Jimmy Heath, Billy Taylor, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Candido Camero,
Paquito D’Rivera, Frank Foster, Gerald Wilson, Lee Konitz,
Buddy DeFranco, James Moody. . . I lost count. I snapped
a couple of shots and stepped back out into the hallway
to catch my breath. I saw one of Bridget’s assistants watching
me. I asked how many Jazz Masters were in the room. “I think
the count was 34,” she said. “Priceless,” I marveled.
There
were still a lot of camera flashes going off in the room,
so I went back in. The Jazz Masters had scattered about
the room, some of them sitting alone, a few of them being
interviewed, but most of them chatting happily with each
other. I spotted Annie Ross talking to Jon Hendricks in
the far corner of the room. Oddly enough, many greats and
their family members were standing in a high school cafeteria
style buffet line to quick grab a meal before the concert.
Even jazz greats never really escape high school.
| Then,
I caught sight of Yusef Lateef. The regal octogenarian
sat patiently while a twenty-something female reporter
held a microphone close to his face and her assistant
recorded the interview on his digital video camera.
A few minutes on, Mr. Lateef gently but firmly signaled
the interview was “over” by standing up and saying he
had to prepare for the concert. He has a powerful but
serene presence, akin to that of a truly holy man. I
chanced to quickly greet him. I told him I reported
for WCBE and that the Kirk family shared with me that
Columbus- born reed multi-instrumentalist Rahsaan Roland
Kirk admired him greatly. Mr. Lateef smiled softly when
I mentioned Rahsaan’s name. I said it was a blessing
to meet him. He responded that it’s a blessing to be
here. |
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Later
that night, Yusef Lateef enthralled the audience, with just
himself and a single accompanist, both playing a host of
Eastern percussion instruments and flutes. Yusef also played
his tenor saxophone, but he moved the audience most when
he sang in a strong voice the lyric to” Brother Hold Your
Light,” words that hark back to the days when African Americans
fled slavery on the Underground Railroad. The song has a
deeper spiritual meaning, too. “Brother, hold your light…help
me see how to get ‘cross the river …to the other side.”
Yusef
Lateef’s light beamed brilliantly on a night full of “bright
moments,” to use a phrase coined by his Columbus-born protégé.
Article
and Photography by Jack Marchbanks ©2010
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