Jazz doesn't have to be fast - but it's fun when it is

A friend of mine once told me somewhat dismissively that I liked all that fusiony guitar stuff. Well, yeah. Guilty. Return to Forever, Brand X, more recently the Rippingtons or Steve Smith's Vital Information. No, you can't dance to it, but you can't to Yes either, and how long has that band been No. 1 on my list? So discovering Casiopea was a treat. They live somewhere between RTF and the Ripps, with a side helping of Allan Holdsworth and Craig Chaquico.

If you're not familiar with those artists, well, shame on you, but you're forgiven, as long as you check them out. All brilliant. And Chaquico and Russ Freeman of the Rippingtons are as nice as they are talented. But that's for another time.

If you prefer your jazz less fusion guitary and more acoustic singingy, here's the place to go. The Tierney Sutton Band is performing at the City Opera House in Traverse City Sept. 30. You should love it. Not sure if I will be able to attend, as we return from another visit to my wife's oncologist at UM the night before, and then Friday I'm at Eastwood then off to MSU for the second Circus Circus reunion at the Wisconsin game (and not doubt other locales Friday night). Last year was a blast, seeing guys I hadn't seen in 30 years. Amazing how much older most of them looked.

Anyway, hope you forgive or better yet enjoy all the links. Of all the fusion groups - Mahavishnu, RTF, Weather Report, Lifetime - the best was Brand X. RIP Morris Pert.

The Tierney Sutton Band, coming to the Traverse City Opera House

Jazz vocalist supreme Tierney Sutton had to suffer through eight interviews today. Fortunately for her, I was one of them, and her favorite. Look, she said so. Mostly cuz I let her go early and sent her salutations from our mutual friend Joanie Bartels.

Sutton is simply one of the best female jazz singers out there. Together with her trio - make sure you call it the Tierney Sutton Band - she covers all the bases. Gorgeous voice, great arrangements, interesting material. She promises surprises at her show here on Sept. 30th. For one thing, they make up the set list the day of the show. For another, she trusts her band innately, so much so that they operate as equals. "It's not a singer and a backup band," she insisted when we spoke today.

More details in the coming days, but suffice to say if you're in the area you won't want to miss this show.

In a more artsy vein, Stories Yet To Tell, the new ECM disc by Norma Winstone (voice), Klaus Gesing (bass clarinet and soprano saxophone) and Glauco Venier (piano) promises much as well. I'll be reviewing it for Jazziz Magazine. This same trio recorded Distances in 2008 for ECM, one of the year's best. Jazziz reviews editor Bob Weinberg said he saw the group on tour last year and they were fabulous. So this could be great.

Rundgren Redux

As the body recuperates from that late-night three-hour trip back from Toddville, a.k.a. Muskegon, some additional reflections on the concert Wednesday.

Todd's best music has always been at its core emotionally compelling. That's true as far back as "We Gotta Get You A Woman" (with its plaintive conclusion, "and when we're through with you, we'll get me one too") through "Real Man" and "Can't Stop Running," "The Waiting Game" and "Hawking" from the brilliant Nearly Human, the righteous anger of Liars, or the bossa nova With A Twist. Whether it's his soulful vocals,  passionate guitar playing, or insightful lyrics, his music strikes a chord with the involved listener. Even the heavy prog/fusion pieces like "The Ikon,""Another Life" or his contribution to the Thelonious Monk tribute, "Four In One," can hit the listener hard with their soul.

With that in mind, it's no surprise that the second half of Wednesday's show was better received by the audience. Healing is one of the most emotional of all Rundgren's albums. With the exception of the silly "Golden Goose," the entire album shines (pun intended) with melody and compassion (pun again intended). Todd, on the other hand, was Rundgren turned loose in his own studio in '74, when experimentalism was at its zenith and the listening audience was open to try most anything. Todd addresses that in my interview with him in the Muskegon Chronicle.

In my pantheon of Todd/Utopia shows, it was one of the best "shows." While I can lament the fact the format meant that many favorites had no place in the show, I knew that going in. Now I know there really is no need to get a digital copy of Todd, but instead go for live performances of "A Dream Goes On Forever" and "The Last Ride." The concert disc Another Live, which I got from iTunes, contains a scintillating version of "Heavy Metal Kids," so I'm covered there. Now it's time to check out Arena and With A Twist and see what I've missed.

Todd still rocks

So Muskegon is one of only six venues for the Todd/Healing tour. Great good luck for us. The Frauenthal is a wonderful place to see a show, though the sound could have been clearer and punchier. Some idiot near the front thought it could have been louder too. He told Todd that. Several times.

So, on to the show. Great 70s style. Check out Youtube for a look at Utopia back then, with Kevin Ellman wearing a kimono. Not quite that last night, but lots of colors and patterns on all the band, with Todd front and center. Musically, I guess people were a lot more indulgent in the 70s (Todd was released in 1974), as a lot of the music just doesn't stand up today. That made "The Last Ride" and "A Dream Goes On Forever" even more enjoyable. Talk about your heart-wrenching ballads. Todd does them better than anybody. Bobby Strickland lit up the night with a wild, mournful sax solo on "Ride." Todd rocked hard on "Heavy Metal Kids" but didn't really play enough guitar. And when he wanted to, he couldn't find the stagehand who had it. He mentioned afterward there were a few missteps.

After a half-hour intermission, the band reconvened, resplendent in tunic coats, Todd all in white. My all-time concert cohort Joey, a.k.a. Triathlon Man, said it reminded him what a great album Healing was. He's right. Every song was enjoyable. The secret weapon was a gospel choir from Detroit that sang backups. "Tiny Demons" showed previously unrealized depth (I'd never heard Todd perform it live before), "Compassion" was sterling, and "Time Heals" was outstanding as always.

The encore was one of my all-time favorite Rundgren songs, one I'd thought I would never hear live, "Sons of 1984." It lacked the horns of the original recording, but was moving, and the audience sang along. Even after the curtain went down. It was well-nigh magical.

Todd's voice was in great shape. He was emotive, passionate, hit the notes - I don't know what more you could have asked for vocally. The choir could have been miked a little more, and it could have used more from Kaz and the band for backgrounds, but that comes with that lack of general punchiness.

The band. Oh, the band. Jesse Gress didn't wail enough, but was masterful on acoustic guitar. Kasim Sulton ruled the bottom end, and sang his heart out as always. Prairie Prince wasn't as thunderous as usual, but seeing him seated atop his drumkit as the stagehands rolled it out was a treat. Greg Hawkes looked ancient, with his mop of white hair. Strickland played everything from soprano to alto to pennywhistle, unless it was uilleann pipes. And he played keyboards alongside Hawkes. So did Kaz. And so did Jesse. And Todd. A lot of money wrapped up in keyboards on this tour.

And big bucks in lights as well. This was the best lightshow from Todd in recent memory, at least dating back to Adventures in Utopia. Lasers, spots, just a bit of smoke to show them off.

All told, it was a very good show, though as it was done more as a revue than a concert there was less interaction between Todd and the audience than usual. I miss staples like "Real Man," "Just One Victory," or anything from Nearly Human, and this band could have killed on "Initiation" or "The Ikon." I had spoken with David Sanborn the same week I interviewed Todd, and told Sanborn his solo on "Initiation" was one of my favorites. It would have been way cool to hear Strickland tear into it. Oh well, just like the Tigers, wait till next year.

A few more photos here.

NEWSFLASH: On the Kasim Sulton blog site, someone posted this comment:

"I'm a fan and I had a good time and I'll go to the Faithful/Initiation show next year."

Hope it's true, and Todd returns to Western Michigan. Or maybe Northern Michigan, so I don't have to drive three hours and get home at 2 a.m.

Todd met with the audience afterwards, at least those who hung around. Hopefully he'll enjoy his taste of northern Michigan, courtesy of Way North Foods and Cherry Republic. He was charming and totally down to earth, good-naturedly putting up with fans asking for autographs and photos. And Michelle, his wife, is lovely and even more petite in person.

So I'm left with just one question: Todd, did you like the okra?

ECM and other tunes

A passel of recent releases on ECM find a couple surprises among the expected genteel chamber jazz offerings. Ketil Bjornstad's disc-long "Remembrance" features the composer on piano, Jon Christensen on drums and tenor saxophonist Tore Brunberg. Bjornstad plays prettily throughout the disc, and Brunberg's occasionally Garbarek-like sax is more often reserved than icy. The gentle melodies roll though the 11 movements, with the third movement among the standouts. The two melodists echo or complement one another, and occasionally embrace the same lines, while Christensen keeps the pulse in the background, never intruding.

Paul Motian's Lost in a Dream offers the same setup, with drums, piano and tenor saxophone. The leader composed all the music for this live date at the venerable Village Vanguard in New York City, with the exception of Irving Berlin's "Be Careful Its My Heart." Chris Potter's sax is spotlighted on the opening "Mode VI," while pianist Jason Moran manages to play in a stand-out manner without really standing out. Motian remains one of the most sensitive drummers in jazz, always empathetic to his band members, but it would be nice to hear him wail a little bit more sometimes. His cymbal work on the title track is crisp and incisive.

Francois Couturier goes the solo piano route on Un jour si blanc, more chamber-y and less jazzy than, say, Keith Jarrett or Steve Kuhn. Much of the disc could be described as ambient, based on Brian Eno's original definition of the term, "music that must be as ignorable as it is listenable." It's no less beautiful for that.

Most surprising is Manu Katche's Third Round. It was surprising enough to find out that Peter Gabriel's longtime drummer possessed the ECM esthetic, but now - he swings! His band features Brunborg on sax, and here he sounds almost jaunty at times. The surprises continue, as Katche' features another horn player on two cuts, Kami Lyle, who doubles on vocals! But wait, there's more - the bass player is the always formidable Pino Palladino. If you're not familiar with the name, he's graced numerous (mostly British) rock records over the years, including the brilliant North of a Miracle by Nick Heyward. He's also a member of John Mayer's trio. And, oh yeah, he happens to be the bassist in the Who since John Entwhistle's death. He swings, he swoops, he's perfectly at home with Katche's compositions. Great, great stuff.

There's still a boatload of ECM to get to, but the rest have to wait till another day. Move on to the groove of Soulive, one of the hottest acts out there. They've embraced the Beatles on Rubber Soulive, consisting exclusively of tracks from the Fab Four. "Drive My Car" is fat and funky, heavy on Neal Evans's organ, and "Eleanor Rigby" is all right angles, courtesy of Eric Krasno's guitar. Drummer Al Evans conjures up images of what Ringo might have sounded like if he'd been influenced by Art Blakey. If you remember and love Booker T and the MGs, this is for you. 

Keep pushing on Memphis Blues by - Cyndi Lauper. Sounds outre, right? You have no idea. The opening "Just Your Fool" features Charlie Musselwhite; Allen Toussaint guests on "Shattered Dreams;" Toussaint and B.B. King join in on "Early in the Mornin';"and Jonny Lang guests on "Crossroads." This is slooooow blues, with mournful horns, wailing guitars, and Lauper doing her best to sound like someone who's lived the blues her whole life. One problem: She hasn't. Kudos for trying something new, but it just doesn't work.

Gaelic Storm's Cabbage is what it would sound like if the cast of Riverdance took last call at the pub with the Rovers. The opening "Raised on Black and Tans" celebrates the band's Irish heritage with harmonica, fiddle and more. "Space Race" questions why there aren't any Irish astronauts, while "Green Eyes, Red Hair" also celebrates her long legs, but notes "devil inside her." Ladies and gentlemen, here's your St. Patrick's Day soundtrack.

Catching Up With Music

Ah yes, so many tunes, so little time. Still trying to come to grips with Yoso's Elements. This Yes/Toto hybrid is more rock than either prog or pop. Two discs' worth to get to. So far, just through most of one. Engaging, though not as hooky as I might have thought. Yes/Badger/Bowie keyboardist Tony Kaye, Toto singer Bobby Kimball, and one-time Yesman Billy on bass, guitar, drums, and backing vocals. Can't give it a rating yet.

TP & Company, Steppe Forward: Engaging, contemporary jazz focused on leader Ted Piltzecker's vibes. The sextet creates a goodtime vibe (oops, sorry). Other than one Horace Silver track ("Nica's Dream"), the tunes are all Piltzecker originals. Fun stuff.

The big surprise: Toulouse Engelhardt's Perpendicular Worlds. An acoustic guitar tour de force, reminiscent at times of Billy McLaughlin, John Fahey or (dare I say it) Michael Hedges. Shimmering chords, blazing riffs, from the likes of Hendrix and Ye Olde English hymns. Amazing.

Coming soon, reports on a bevy of ECM discs, some proggy things, a couple world music discs, and one I'm really looking forward to, Blue After Hours, by Dan Jacobs. Dan gave me my first-ever horn lesson last week, and I can now play five notes on my flute. Woo hoo! He keeps telling me it's easy. OK, right. Then it was on to the trumpet, and he showed me a blues scale. Good thing I recorded it on my iPhone, cuz I was way overwhelmed. Stood me in good stead for the return of NMC Jazz Band last Monday. Nothing happening this Monday because of the holiday, so Tuesday it's on to the NMC Vocal Jazz Ensemble. That will be - interesting.

Wednesday it's time for more music, but this time I'll be in the audience. Todd and Healing, courtesy of the master, Todd Rundgren. The Joe (Sorden) and I will be hooting and hollering. Plus I'll be taking Todd a taste of the north in the form of biscotti and beer brittle, courtesy of Way North Foods. The company is the subject of an upcoming story (by moi, of course) in the Grand Traverse Insider, and proprietor Chef Perry Harmon is a big Todd fan. He's making up a treat basket, which I'll top off with some pickled okra. Don't ask.

Thursday is Business After Hours at Glen Lake Marina, and hopefully a couple of the stalwarts from Imageworks will be on scene. So next week is already mostly over! But more fun guaranteed to come.