A&M-related jazz in NYC

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William

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I was visiting my brother in the Big Apple last week, and I made it a point to try and see as much live jazz as I could. Two gigs of note:

Guitarist Gene Bertoncini plays two nights a week at La Cafe Madeleine, located on 43rd and 10th. A&M'ers may recall Gene from his appearances on the Winter Consort album(s) as well as Summertime and Bridge Over Troubled Water by Paul Desmond. Here he was playing nylon-string acoustic guitar, performing unaccompanied renditions of jazz standards, a few Brazilian tunes, and a little bit of Bach. It was a very intimate setting, with Gene just sitting at a table at the front of the café; I was fortunate enough to be seated at the table next to his. I got a chance to chat with him about his time with Paul Desmond (my hero); I also requested a few tunes, and he said he was impressed with my knowledge of jazz. Late in the third set, George Martin (!) showed up with a friend--Gene introduced me to him, again speaking highly of my taste in music. That was a surprising development, to say the least. Anyway, Gene's repertoire included Jobim's "Wave," "Useless Landscape," and "Double Rainbow"; Baden-Powell's "Canto De Ossanha," "Emily" by Johnny Mandel, "The Duke" by Brubeck, "The More I See You," "Girl Talk," and others. Beautiful player.

Later in the week I caught a soul-jazz gig at a bar called Smoke, which ended up giving me a pleasant, A&M-related surprise. A local magazine advertised the headliners as being Mark LeDonne on organ, Peter Bernstein on guitar, and Eric Alexander on tenor sax. Never heard of LeDonne, but I like Bernstein and Alexander so I decided to go. When I arrived at the venue, I noticed that, seated at the bar, there was a man wearing a large yellow turban. I thought, "Gee, that looks like Dr. Lonnie Smith, one of the all-time greats of the Hammond organ." Sure enough, when showtime rolled around, Dr. Lonnie Smith sat down at the Hammond and proceeded to get down with his funky self for three hours. Soul-jazz fans will recall Lonnie from his many many appearances alongside A&M artist George Benson on such classic soul-jazz albums as It's Uptown, Cookin', Alligator Boogaloo, Midnight Creeper, Live At The Club Mozambique, etc. Wonderfully funky stuff.

(On a non-AM note, Eric Alexander was replaced by another all-time great, George Coleman, on about half of the tunes. Jazz fans will remember George from his association with Miles Davis in the early '60s, and from his appearance on Herbie Hancock's Maiden Voyage LP.)

Now if only Sergio Mendes would play New York...

- William
 
Great visit to NYC!

I have one of Bertoncini's more recent CDs (on Telarc, perhaps?). Very nice!

Very interesting that you ran into The Turbanator too. :D Three hours--man, sweeeeeet. My only experience with Dr. Lonnie Smith has been via his two Jimi Hendrix tribute CDs. (Which, IMHO, should have been a two-CD set, since they're from the same sessions.) Plus, his Coltrane tribute that followed, and the Club Mozambique on Blue Note (which was recorded locally here). I really like how he kicks the Hammond up several notches. Jimmy Smith is cool, as always, but Turbanator really makes it rock. :)

One comment about NYC and Los Angeles in general, though: it seems that the music communities there tend to be much more open and prolific than a tight-@ssed town like Detroit. Around here, you don't get a lot of globally familiar artists popping in for sessions--instead, they're presented with another artists and we're charged a fortune for the privilege. On my last trip to L.A., we had an opportunity (which we had to pass up) to see Kevin Eubanks at a local club, as well as catch the likes of John Pisano and/or Pete Jolly on a given night.

In L.A., music just "happens" seemingly nightly. In Detroit...forget it.

-= N =-
 
Gene usually records for Chiaroscuro. He did a wonderful Jobim tribute (Someone To Light Up My Life) on that label a few years ago.

Regarding the Turbanator, I know the Coltrane & Hendrix albums you're talking about. Lonnie always manages to kick the Hammond into a higher gear than most organists! He was also gigging at the Blue Note (IIRC) while I was in NYC, playing nothing but Hendrix and Coltrane tunes. That I would've loved to see. But alas, the Blue Note being a "name" club, there was a $25 cover plus a $15 table minimum--too rich for my blood.

I know what you mean about living in a lousy town for live music--believe me, Fredericksburg VA doesn't exactly have a reputation for attracting names either. What live music there is, is usually purveyed by local Bluegrass groups. :| <shudder>

- William
 
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