Jan 21, 2025 7:54 PM
Southern California Fires Hit the Jazz Community
Roy McCurdy and his wife had just finished eating dinner and were relaxing over coffee in their Altadena home, when he…
“I love the touch, the sound, the harmonic progressions, the groove from beginning to end,” Alfredo Rodríguez said of Hank Jones.
(Photo: Gabriela Gabrielaa)“I’ve looked to be global for a long time,” Alfredo Rodríguez told DownBeat in 2020. “I like to explore music from every part of the world.” The namesake son of, and pianist-arranger for, one of Cuba’s most popular singers, the Miami-based pianist-composer, at 38, has presented his special mixture of studio precision and improvisational intuition on five Mack Avenue albums featuring primarily his original music. His most recent release is Coral Way. This is his first Blindfold Test.
Keith Jarrett
“Answer Me” (Budapest Concert 2016, ECM, 2020) Jarrett, piano.
It sounds similar to nostalgic music for a Cuban film, like Strawberry and Chocolate, where Jose Maria Vitier played beautiful melodies with some influence from classical music and jazz. The harmonic progression sounds a bit like how Pablo Milanés arranged his music. It’s good; I am not delighted about it. Also the piano is a little out of tune. [afterwards] Keith has a lot of cinematic visions and images. At the end of a concert, after he’s played all these storms on piano, he plays something beautiful and mellow — so it makes total sense that it’s out of tune. It happens to me all the time. Keith knows how to play complex and traditional jazz, but can also play so simple. He’s one of my main influences since I heard Köln Concert, which introduced me to piano improvisation. It’s the main reason I discovered the great jazz pianists, like Thelonious Monk or Bud Powell or Lennie Tristano or Bill Evans.
Gonzalo Rubalcaba/Aimee Nuviola
“Besame Mucho” (Live In Marciac, 5Pasion, 2022) Rubalcaba, piano; Nuviola, voice.
Is this Gonzalo and Aimee at Marciac? I haven’t listened to this before, but I was playing in my band with Richard Bona after their show the same night. Gonzalo is my main influence from Cuban piano. This is very rhythmically and harmonically adventurous. Not many people are willing to keep taking risks in today’s music world where everything has become so simple. In Aimee, I hear the influence of Omara Portuendo. Some people like to hear songs exactly as the composer wrote it. It’s completely different to deconstruct the melody and make your own song with the same lyrics.
Sullivan Fortner
“Congolese Children” (Solo Game, Artwork, 2023) Fortner, piano, Randy Weston, composer.
The pianist took lots of risks, with a lot of influence from contemporary classical music. I like the minimalism, starting with all those repetitive notes, and then the counterpoint on top, as though another person is there. It’s something like Bach, where you combine different states of mind that all come together at some point. Some dissonance midway in the improvisation made me think of Thelonious Monk. They maintained the groove from beginning to end, even while moving through different abstract or dissonant ideas. I don’t know who it is. [afterwards] Sullivan is one of my favorite pianists. I’ve been listening to this album, but hadn’t heard that track. He’s extremely creative and has so many influences, from American jazz and pop to classical music and African music. Coming from Cuba, that’s something I try to combine in my music.
Justin Kauflin/Thomas Fonnesbæk
“Cakewalk” (Danish Rain, Storyville, 2023) Kauflin, piano; Fonnesbæk, bass; Oscar Peterson, composer.
I love bebop. The pianist has a really good touch, and both are really good improvisers — virtuoso musicians with good taste. The bassist kills me with the soul and sound and grooving and swinging and improvisation. I don’t recognize them. It’s music I’ve listened to for many years, with a fresh sound, not very adventurous or something I’m not used to. [afterwards] Justin and I are friends from both working with Quincy Jones’ company and playing in the same places. He’s a wonderful person and a great musician.
Hank Jones
“What Did I Do To Be So Black And Blue” (Handful Of Keys, Verve, 1992) Jones, piano; Fats Waller, composer.
I love the touch, the sound, the harmonic progressions, the groove from beginning to end. I can feel the pianist’s powerful technique, the possibilities of what they can do, and also their restraint. Calm inside, and many insights. I’ve heard and played this song, but I don’t remember the title. [afterwards] Hank Jones? I appreciate someone who can adjust to different situations, different feelings, different moments in life. As humans, we tend to get nervous and accelerate: it’s extremely difficult to keep the groove in that calm tempo, playing beautiful melodies and all the harmony, not trying to impress anyone. Incredible.
Robert Glasper/Q-Tip/esperanza spalding
“Why We Speak” (Black Radio III, Loma Vista, 2022) Glasper, keyboards; Q-Tip, esperanza spalding, vocals.
That’s esperanza. Very creative. I guess the other person is a rapper from the States, while she’s singing in French and doing the vocals. Esperanza is spectacular. I remember hearing her before she blew up, doing all those beautiful things with her voice and playing the acoustic bass. Her approach is very personal, and she’s evolved through the years, exploring different sounds and rhythms. I love hearing someone from this new wave of great musicians being brought into the mainstream with — I feel that anyone, anywhere, will dance and groove to this from beginning to end. There are people who want to monetize hip-hop (or Reggaeton in the Latin world) by going the easy, negative way. But Robert Glasper lets you groove and feel and also pays attention to many details. That’s why his career has been so successful. DB
The “Blindfold Test” is a listening test that challenges the featured artist to discuss and identify the music and musicians who performed on selected recordings. The artist is then asked to rate each tune using a 5-star system. No information is given to the artist prior to the test.
Gerald and John Clayton at the family home in Altadena during a photo shoot for the June 2022 cover of DownBeat. The house was lost during the Los Angeles fires.
Jan 21, 2025 7:54 PM
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