Tom Wetmore:The Desired Effect

I've always had a thing for the Fender Rhodes electric piano. Ever since I found Herbie Hancock's "Headhunters" at the library, I've been a fan of this primitive yet enchanting keyboard. It's so different in many ways than an acoustic piano; the tone, the tines, the sustain, the built in-amplification. My first real gig as a pianist was actually on a Fender Rhodes. I had a Rhodes in my dorm room at Peabody for a while. I once carried my suitcase Rhodes from Reade Street to Chambers Street in Baltimore after my car wouldn't start. Yes, I know the joy and the pain(back pain) of the Fender Rhodes.

This is why I'm enjoying Tom Wetmore's new album. "The Desired Effect" is a Rhodes lover's CD. Wetmore has some great compositions and has assembled a formidable cast of characters to embellish these compositions. This cast includes not one but two alto saxophonists: Jaleel Shaw and Eric Neveloff. Furthermore, there are two guitarists: Brad Williams and Justin Sabaj. The rhythm section is electric bassist Michael League, and drummer Garrett Brown.

Jaleel Shaw

"Red Lights" begins with Ab minor. The opening groove has a mellow, funky lope using a tricky meter which could be divided into 9/8,6/8,9/8/,8/8, although drummer Brown seems to treat it more like 7/4, 2/8, 8/4, 2/8(basically 7.5 and 8.5). The later makes it sound more relaxed, like a slightly skewed back beat. The melody uses the presence of 4 melodic instruments to it's advantage, twisting around the beat with an intertwined counterpoint. The bridge goes to D minor, stays in 9/8, and develops the first melody, with even more interesting counterpoint. They return to Ab minor idea, then back to the D minor, but this time, there is an extension, which functions almost like a solo send-off. Jaleel Shaw is always killing, but here he is pulling out most of the stops. it's a very exciting solo, and Wetmore comps for Shaw well. I first listened to this CD in my car, but when I put in on again with my headphones, I swear that I hear Rhodes comping on the left channel, and then again on the right, as if there were two Rhodes. It's a cool effect. (I thought maybe it was guitar but I'm pretty sure after re-listening that it's two channels of Rhodes.)

Lost Tribe

"Wild Card" is a calm, contemporary waltz, with a much more easily digested melody than the previous tune. The Rhodes combined with guitar create a smooth wall of sound. Shaw is again featured. Wetmore also solos, in an extended, unaccompanied improvisation. Wetmore plays it cool, going for an introspective mood rather than pyrotechniques. "Good and Plenty", is another more mellow, grungy groove, which outs the guitarists Williams and Sabaj to good use. This one reminds me of a band from the 90's called Lost Tribe(which also featured two guitarists; David Gilmore and Adam Rogers, as well as alto saxophonist Dave Binney). Bassist League takes a great effect pedal driven bass solo. The piece builds with Willams and Sabaj soloing in tandem. It's cool how they compare and contrast each other's ideas.

"A Blessing" is a creepy tune, starting with a very mysterious bass line. Others enter in F minor with a major 7(minor with a major 7 always has a mysterious sound to it), but then surprise, back to minor chords with a flat 7; it's very striking. Wetmore finally gives himself another solo. I personally think that Wetmore could have featured himself more as a soloist, but on the other hand, it's kind of refreshing that the bandleader can let go of his ego and focus more on the overall vibe and let the compositions and group efforts speak for themselves.

"The Desired Effect" is a cousin of the opening tune, except the meter is 6/8,8/8,6/8,6/8. There's a nice guitar solo(I'm not sure which guitarist.) Wetmore tells a nice unaccompanied story to open the pensive "With Woven Wings". We hear more intensity from altoist Shaw, and another nice solo from Wetmore. Wetmore is a good example of someone who improvises phrases that are jazzy but not cliche. Some pianists(I'm probably included) tend to overplay the Rhodes; but Wetmore has the right touch to make it sing.

I'm looking forward to more from Mr. Wetmore. "The Desired Effect" is available on Itunes. Check out Wetmore's website at http://www.tomwetmore.com/. Also, keep in mind that Jaleel Shaw will be joining me at The Jazz Standard on April 24th in New York City. Hope to see you there!

GEORGE COLLIGAN QUARTET plus special guest Jaleel Shaw

This what Portlanders think all East Coasters are like

I have 2 very important gigs coming up soon and I'm using my inside connections here at jazztruth.blogspot.com to promote it. It's April 24th at the Jazz Standard in New York, and April 25th at An Die Musik in Baltimore. Yes, I'm flying from Portland, Oregon to the legendary East Coast of the United States just to play for YOU, dear reader! (It's funny how people in Portland talk about the East Coast, like it is so exotic, it must only exist in movies or television; as if you are from anywhere on the East Coast, then you must be some kind of overly-aggressive ruffian, or a former cast member of Jersey Shore, or The Sopranos. "Hey, how you DOIN?".....Many of us, while we might have strange accents, are actually quite normal, and occasionally even polite and considerate.)

Debbie Deane

The first gig is April 24th at the Jazz Standard(116 East 27th Street, New York, NY,(212) 576-2232). Sets are at 7:30 and 9:30. The band will feature the great Lonnie Plaxico on bass, the great Clarence Penn on drums, the great Jaleel Shaw on saxophone, and vocalist Debbie Deane, who you should be somewhat familiar with if you have been following some of my earlier blogs about my December tour of Japan. We will be performing my original music:a handful of instrumentals, but more importantly, music which I wrote lyrics for, or music which I combined with poetry written by my sister, Dana Colligan. It's a bit of a departure for me, and I hope this will pique your interest enough to come check it out. I would hope that the other cats in the band would make you want to check it out!

Jaleel Shaw

April 25th will be in Baltimore at An Die Musik(409 North Charles Street  Baltimore, MD ,(410) 385-2638), which is right down the street from my alma mater, Peabody Conservatory of Music. This is a cool venue; its got a really great, well maintained Steinway piano, and it has a historic feel to it. This performance will be just duo with Debbie Deane. So if you didn't see us in Japan, which is more than likely, you'll get to see us in Baltimore! Sets are 8 and 9:30.

I'm working on a recording with many of these original songs. I'll be playing all of the instrumental tracks on the recording, while Deane will be covering the vocals. Most of these songs I wrote during my 2 year stint in Winnipeg, Manitoba. And no, there are no lyrics about -40 C or curling.

Hope you see you there!

Ted Nash at Ivories

Ted Nash

I made it down to Ivories on Monday night to hear the great Ted Nash and his quartet at Ivories in Northwest Portland. Nash and I were adjunct colleagues at the Juilliard school years ago, although we only had spoken once after a faculty meeting. Nash is known as a virtuoso saxophonist, and has played with many of the greats. He plays all the saxophones equally well, and knows the jazz tradition from then until now. He has spent many years with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra. I was excited to hear his music live in Portland.

Ron Horton

Nash had a great team of collaborators to share the bandstand: Ron Horton is a very unique and tragically under-rated trumpeter, whom I have had the pleasure of working with on a number of occasions. Horton plays the instrument effortlessly from low range to high, and has a gorgeous, rich, centered tone. His ideas can seem traditional, but then he can surprise you in the next phrase. Drummer Ulysses Owens, whom I have also had the fortune to work with in the past, is highly in demand as a sideman. Owens currently plays with several groups led by bassist Christian McBride. He's the epitome of tasteful drumming. He played on the quiet side, which balanced with the chord-less quartet very well. (By chord-less, I mean no piano or guitar.....or vibes, I guess if you want to get technical...)

Ulysses Owens

Bassist Paul Sikivie was a real surprise to me, because he was actually one of my students at Julliard; he was in my piano class. He didn't impress me as a pianist(most of my students didn't, at least not in Piano for Non-Pianists, since it isn't their main instrument...), but he really wowed me as a bassist; he plays really in tune, and has a great swinging drive, and takes musical solos. Obviously, he has a lot of responsibility in this group with the absence of a "chordal" instrument. I was happy to see that he is having some career success.

Paul Sikivie

Nash and company were playing some music from a suite which Nash referred to as "Portrait in Seven Shades". The pieces were dedicated to various painters, like Dali, or Monet, for example. This was apparently a scaled-down version of these pieces, since the original commissioned work was for the JLCO, which is a full big band. I'll have to go back and check out the original work, because I could imagine a huge difference in the textures of each piece with a vastly different instrumentation. Regardless, Nash's solos stood out to me as scarily perfect; an improviser who makes no mistakes, and has impressive ideas and also the maturity to know when to quit. His alto playing was focused and smooth, always in tune, and never overbearing.

Nash, Horton, Sikivie, and Owens basically gave a clinic on their respective instruments. I was somewhat disappointed that there were not more people in the audience. I suppose it's hard anywhere to get people to come out on a Monday night. The show was more pricey than most of the shows at Ivories, but shows like these are worth it, especially to students, in that you are getting to hear the masters live. And if you really pay attention, it's almost as good as, or even better, than getting a lesson, and for a fraction of what a lesson costs! Plus, you are helping to keep the music and the venues alive. I hope that at some point, Nash and his men will be able to return to Portland and we'll be able to get more folks to come out and see what they missed the first time......

http://www.tednash.com/
http://www.ronhorton.net/
http://usojazzy.com/
http://www.paulsikivie.com/

Tom Guarna Pacific Northwest Tour

Tom Guarna

I'm thrilled that New York based guitarist Tom Guarna is coming out to Portland this week. Guarna is a well-respected yet highly underrated musician; he's been really busy in New York lately, playing with E.J. Strickland, Lenny White, Richie Goods, Helen Sung, and his own bands. Guarna can play straight ahead, fusion, blues, rock, classical, you name it. He's a wiz with effects, but can play convincingly with a clean sound as well. We have a number of activities planned while he is out here.

First off, we have a gig at Egan's Ballard Jam House in Seattle, featuring Matt Jorgensen on drums and Phil Sparks on bass. I've never played at this venue, but I've heard great things. Egan's is located at:
1707 NW Market Street
Seattle, WA 98107

On Wednesday, the Sets are at 7:00 & 9:00pm. You can buy advance tickets: $12/set or both sets for $20(Day of pricing: $15/set or both sets for $25).

Next, we return to Portland for a busy Friday: we have an open rehearsal at Portland State University with bassist Damian Erskine and drummer Reinhardt Melz. We are preparing for a gig at Jimmy Mak's that night, which will be a double bill with the Mike Prigodich and MPEG. The music is heavy fusion off of my Cd entitled "Pride And Joy".

The open rehearsal will be in Lincoln Hall 47 and open to students. Then Tom and I will be appearing on KMHD around 2:30 to promote the gig. I'm going to whisk Tom back to PSU for a masterclass in LH47 from 3:30 to 5. Then soundcheck at Jimmy Mak's and then hopefully dinner before the show.....


Here's what you need to know:


April 6 at Jimmy Mak's 
221 Northwest 10th Avenue
Mike Prigodich & MPEG
with the George Colligan Group
and special guest, Tom Guarna
$15 Cover

Melz/Prigodich/Erskine Group (MPEG) -- Mike Prigodich (keys), Damian Erskine (bass), Reinhardt Melz (drums), John Nastos (sax)

George Colligan Quartet -- George Colligan (keys), Tom Guarna (guitar), Damian Erksine (bass), Reinhardt Melz (drums)

 Our last gig will be at Ivories; this is billed as the Tom Guarna/Matt Jorgensen Trio featuring George Colligan on Organ. If you don't know Matt Jorgensen, you should; he's one of the best drummers in Seattle, and is really involved on the Pacific Northwest Jazz scene. He even started his own label, Origin Records, and has been very successful with that endeavor.  This gig will be 8-12 on Saturday. Cover charge is 12 bucks. Come down and hear the great guitarist Tom Guarna! Here's a video of Guarna on tour with the great Lenny White:

 

Hal Galper at Ivories Part 2

Hal Galper

I made the second set of Hal Galper's trio at Ivories on Sunday(I was on baby duty before that. Liam wanted to "go to a Chuggington Store", so jazz was not on his agenda for that day...). From the first note, I felt the New York vibe in the music (although the bassist and drummer were from Seattle...go figure.) The first tune was a 4/4 uptempo(very fast) version of "Alice In Wonderland". I couldn't help thinking that this fast yet floaty approach was similar to Brad Mehldau's approach to playing standards. Unfortunately, Galper is not as young and pretty as Mehldau, so he's not showered with constant accolades, but what else is new....

It was interesting to watch Galper; like many trained pianists, he didn't need to look at his hands often. Instead, he kept visual contact with the bassist and drummer. Galper has a strong touch, but can be sensitive when needed. He seemed to have endlessly inventive lines, and rhythmically, it was very "loose", yet the trio always seemed to come back around. Bassist Jeff Johnson, whom I've had the pleasure of playing with a number of times, followed Galper well, and was able to roll with the musical punches, always smiling. Drummer John Bishop's playing reminded me of New York drummer Jeff Hirschfield, or maybe even a more free Joe Chambers; the ride cymbal was very focused, insistent, but always tasteful, and the drums never overpowered the music. An interesting version of the ballad "I Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry" was somewhat challenging to follow, because as the trio played the set, the time seemed to get looser and looser by the minute(but in a good way). It was a nice contrast to some of the more aggressive numbers, like a free blowing tune called "Get Up And Go". The set culminated with another barn burner surprise; the great Mario Lanza would have been shocked to hear Galper's light speed version of "Be My Love."

Galper is a great example of why musicians who have "paid dues" are more interesting to listen to than the not-yet-seasoned; they KNOW a million hip tunes, they KNOW what to do on the bandstand, they KNOW how to pace a set, and they KNOW how to play changes and not be predictable, because they have years of experience doing it. They have WISDOM. They are comfortable on the bandstand. It's as easy for them to play great jazz as it is for us to drink a glass of water. I lamented that more folks weren't there to learn from this master, but what else is new.......

Hal Galper at Ivories Sunday April 1st.

Pianist Hal Galper

In case you weren't aware, the great pianist and educator Hal Galper is going to be at Ivories this Sunday(which is today, actually). Galper, although under-recognized in the modern jazz world, is a legend; many know him from his tenure with the Phil Woods Quintet. ( I saw him with Woods in the late 80's and was blown away...) Galper also had some classic records with the Brecker Brothers as the front line("Speak With A Single Voice" was my favorite; it features Wayne Dockery on bass, Bob Moses on drums, and some ferocious pentatonic work from Galper. That CD has been re-released on Itunes as "Children Of The Night" with some bonus tracks.)

Galper has written some very informative books. One which I enjoyed is called "Jazz Piano Voicings". It's a lot of written out voicings, but also some good philosophy. Here are some pearls of wisdom from Galper:

"....I have always considered the piano to be a superfluous instrument in a jazz group. It is just not needed. The other instruments are already fulfilling the melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic roles. Because of it's ability to be so interruptive, the pianist's role in a group is then very sensitive, and must be used with restraint...."

Another book authored by Galper is "The Touring Musician". I found a lot of real world advice from Galper in this book. Some musicians have no idea what's involved with "booking your own band". Galper gives a great and brutally honest perspective about taking your music on the road.

The gig is from 4:30 to 7:30 PM. I urge you not to miss it! I leave you with a clip from youtube: