Artist of the Day: Kurt Elling

Vocalist Kurt Elling is, as they say, the real deal. Long esteemed among jazz cognoscenti, Elling's latest disc, The Gate, is simply brilliant. He takes on a host of pop and rock songs one wouldn't expect, like Joe Jackson's "Steppin' Out" and King Crimson's "Matte Kudesai." In an interview earlier this year, Elling told me he was a King Crimson fan of longstanding and had been contemplating which song of theirs to cover. This was a felicitous choice.

No more so than the rest of the CD, however. He also includes treats by Lennon and McCartney ("Norwegian Wood"), Earth Wind and Fire's "After the Love Is Gone," a couple originals, and the crowning achievement of all, Stevie Wonder's "Golden Lady."

His version of "My Foolish Heart" is a staple of his shows, but he also has performed that classic with the Bob Mintzer Big Band. Mintzer's original featured the mellow tones of Michael Franks in a wonderful treatment, but Elling's version is no less brilliant.

It's hard to believe he's been releasing great music since 1995's Close Your Eyes. But it's true. He performed here in Traverse City at Milliken Auditorium several years ago, replacing Diana Krall. (I think we got the better end of that deal.) This past summer's performance at Kresge Auditorium at Interlochen wasn't near a sellout, which was too bad.

Artist of the Day: ABC

Another day, another blog, starting a new string of Artists of the Day. No particular rhyme or reason to the selections, other than they are recording artists from my collection of the weird, wild, wacky and wonderful. While I'm starting at the front of the alphabet, that won't be a trend. If I did that would mean I had to include Queen and Suzi Quatro, and after Yes and Neil Young, Zappa and ZZ Top, where do you go?

Anyway, here's ABC. The stunning debut album, The Lexicon of Love, held such promise, but sadly the band became a hit and miss operation. After the brilliant highs of "Show Me," "Poison Arrow," "Date Stamp" and of course "The Look of Love," subsequent discs simply could not match up. Equal parts Roxy Music, 40s jazz, funky basslines, Louis Prima, and swirling strings, the band's (and lead singer Martin Fry's) dramatic, romantic stylings still stick.

Several moments from the band's career promised a return to form: "When Smoky Sings" from Alphabet City was its biggest hit stateside, and though pretty much ignored, Abracadabra, featured bracing songs mixing house, funk and the inimitable ABC style.

The band is still around, performing on various 80s-theme tours. Me, I'm still kicking myself 30 years on for missing that initial U.S. tour, which featured a 16-piece orchestra. But I am still playing the music, and that's what really counts. Go to abcmartinfry.com.

The vagaries of real estate

You'd think after ten years as Marketing Director at Coldwell Banker Schmidt Realtors, I'd be immune to the kind of dreamy speculation that real estate buyers and sellers typically engage in. But after putting the house on the market, I almost immediately got interest, an offer and a backup offer. I was cocky enough to think that, as Herbert Hoover said, good times were just around the corner.

That was in June.

Since then, the offers have fallen by the wayside (financing or just plain cold feet), and the week of hundred-degree temperatures didn't help. Now, there's activity again, with a flurry of showings the last couple weeks, but no offers. That's probably because the place looked rather intimidating (read: ugly). In my defense, my plans for redoing the floor, painting upstairs and down and even getting the leaky roof fixed were put on hold as the first offer was "as is." But when that fell through, all subsequent showings were of the ugly house, not the spiffy one I'd intended.

That's being changed now. My neighbor Bill Bolton came over yesterday and helped me install the subfloor.* That included moving the piano. About a foot and a half, when one of the legs fell off. That necessitated a call to another friend, who came and slipped it back into place while Bill and I hoisted it up. Then a few lag bolts later and some dust in Bob Quinn's eye, the piano was rolling across the floor.

*By helping me install the subfloor, what I mean of course is that Bill purchased the subfloor, brought it over along with his pneumatic stapler and all his tools, measured and cut the flooring, while I did the stapling. Yeah, he helped me all right. Did I mention Bill's pushing 75? 

So anyway, the subfloor is now on, the piano is back in its place until it sells - who wants a 5-foot baby grand? I'll make you a great deal! - and painting will come next, then the floor tiles.

When that is done, it truly will be up to my Realtors to sell my house. No excuses, Doug and Judy. ;-)

Chicago stokes the Interlochen crowd

So the Reliving My Youth Tour continues, from Elvis Costello and Steely Dan to Return to Forever. Wednesday it was Chicago and my high school pal Vince motored up from Newaygo to take in the show. What a great time, and a great band. Vince had seen them twice before, but said this was the most energetic he'd seen them. Certainly the Interlochen crowd had something to do with that, roaring thunderous approval for the hits.

The band started with the suite "Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon," including "Make Me Smile" and "Colour My World." Surprisingly, on the latter trumpet player Lee Loughnane took the lead vocal. Keyboardist Lou Pardini sang lead on the rest. That versatility was one of the strengths of the band. When the group first started out it had three lead vocalists. Now it has five, including guitarist Keith Howland, bassist Jason Scheff, and founding member and keyboardist Robert Lamm.

And don't forget all the hits. The audience was treated to "Dialogue," "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?" "You're the Inspiration," "Saturday in the Park," "Beginnings" and a host more. The band was dynamic and in great form, and everybody seemed to be enjoying themselves. Scheff was a highlight, singing Peter Cetera's features as if they were created for him, and holding down the bottom end. The horns - trombonist James Pankow, saxophonist Ray Hermann (subbing for Walter Parazaider) and Loughnane - were almost always in sync, no matter where they were prowling the stage.

Maybe they prowled a little too much. The advent of wireless mics for not only the vocalists but the horns allowed, nay, encouraged everyone to wander about the stage. It's great to have stage presence and all, but after a while, all the traipsing around gets a bit distracting. Pankow, creator of many of the band's arrangements as well as writing "Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon" and other songs, was bouncing around stage so much it appeared as if he nearly missed some cues. When Robert Lamm introduced him, he suggested that for any trombonist to be successful, it helped to be inhibited. He said it in jest, but I've gotta confess, a little inhibition would have been welcome. I found Pankow's antics borderline obnoxious.

Final complaint was the sound. It lacked the definition of earlier shows, such as Elvis Costello or Steely Dan. It seemed as if there was a huge cacophony at a certain frequency, from the upper register of the trombone to the cymbals and even some of the vocals. And the booming bass drum sounds were really unnecessary. I'm wondering if the amplification of the drums and percussion could have simply been taken down a few levels, as the nature of the instrument cuts through everything anyway, and if that wouldn't have improved the sonics throughout.

Despite these criticisms, however, the show was thoroughly enjoyable. Having not seen the band previously, it was a joy to finally hear such classic tracks as "Beginnings" and "Free." I would have loved to hear classic earlier material like "Introduction" and "Questions 67 and 68," though I knew that wouldn't happen, as Loughnane had warned me in an interview a couple weeks ago that that wouldn't be happening. Like Steely Dan, Chicago was a band I listened to incessantly from high school through college, though the sappy Cetera ballads left me cold. Hearing the group live - finally - was a treat.

Return to Forever returns again

Chick Corea. Lenny White. Stanley Clarke. The core of the legendary Return to Forever, now joined by Jean-Luc Ponty and Frank Gambale as Return to Forever IV, played Meadowbrook Friday. What a band, and what a show. I was a big Weather Report fan and a huge Jaco fan, but RTF was BURNING. They wowed the crowd. Great tunes like Chick Corea's "Spain" and Stanley Clarke's magnum opus "School Days" alongside RTF classics like "Romantic Warrior" and "The Sorceress" - it don't get no better.

Jean-Luc Ponty was a great addition to the band. Having played with Clarke and former RTF guitarist Al Di Meola on The Rite of Strings and in Mahavishnu Orchestra, he's familiar with a role of featured soloist as well as leading his own fusion groups. He effortlessly switched back and forth from electric violin to amplified acoustic.

And make no mistake, this is one wicked fusion band. Corea was dynamic and affable, Clarke was on fire, and drummer White was pounding the skins like there was no tomorrow. The newcomers, Ponty and guitarist Gambale, were perfect in their roles, though Gambale could have been more prominent in the mix.

The crowd helped launch them into the stratosphere. The all-but-sold-out crowd was on its feet from the start, and with good reason. Corea hasn't slowed down a lick, despite pushing 70 around. The maestro, as Clarke referred to him, kept things rolling along. The acoustic numbers were just as energetic as the electric ones. Gambale was especially brilliant here.

The band is ostensibly touring behind Forever, the 2-CD set comprised mostly of acoustic trio performances along with contributions from guests Ponty, Chaka Khan and original RTF guitarist Bill Connors. This tour was originally supposed to include Connors, but Gambale was a felicitous choice in his stead. Forever is a fabulous disc, but how about a new Return to Forever CD? Hopefully the band goes into the studio to cut some new material. And if that's the case, how 'bout including a bonus disc from this tour? I know RTF released Returns two years ago, a two-disc concert performance of the quartet tour from 2008 with Di Meola, but adding some of this fabulous, flashy set would be a highlight. If your doubt, check Youtube.

Opener Zappa Plays Zappa was fine and the Zappa fans in the audience were enthused. I was, well, less so as it reminded me of why I wasn't a Zappa fan. Too little melody, and the vocals were contrived rather than musical. But there was no doubting the mettle of the players, especially Frank's little boy Dweezil. It would be great to hear him ripping away on originals, but he's dedicated to preserving Frank's legacy. So be it.

Best concert in history?

When Kurt Elling gave a bravura performance earlier this summer at Corson Auditorium, I was sure it would be the concert of the summer. No matter what else was coming (quite a bit, as it turned out, from Return to Forever IV to the Tubes to Barrage), his performance was so warm, ingratiating, and spectacular it couldn't be topped.

Elling is almost without question today's premiere male jazz vocalist. His voice has warmed over the years, and he's now so comfortable performing that it reminds one of a professional athlete who is so good he just makes it look easy. Am I dating myself if I think of Tigers centerfielder Mickey Stanley? Elling is that effortless, yet he and his band played magnificently. Pianist Laurence Hobgood was brilliant, and his substitute rhythm section of Erik Privert on bass and especially the brilliant Pete Van Nostrand on drums was fantastic.

But with apologies to Kurt, his show is now only second best. The Steely Dan show Monday may be this veteran concert-goer's #1 show EVER. It was that good. As a 50-something, the sounds of the Dan were a soundtrack to my life in high school and college, generally the most formative years of anyone's life. Add to that the fact they stopped touring in '74, before they produced such brilliant albums as The Royal Scam and Aja, and then broke up after Gaucho. Probably never to return.

But ah, they did, and finally, 15 years later, here they were in northern Michigan. The crowd was electric as the band took the stage, with Becker and Fagen finally joining them. I don't even remember what the first couple tunes were, but when they played the opening notes of "Aja," the crowd went berserk. Or maybe it was just me. Nah, it was pretty much everybody. Walt Weiskopf took the saxophone spotlight, and Keith Carlock nailed the drums with all the passion and precision Steve Gadd brought to the original. It was a highlight, one of many.

Like, so many it was hard to keep track. "Black Cow" and "Peg" from Aja, a trio of tracks from Gaucho, a killer arrangement of "Reelin' in the Years" that melded the original guitar-heavy version from their debut disc Can't Buy a Thrill and the latter-day piano-filled one from Alive in America. Perhaps most surprising was the inclusion of "Dirty Work" from Thrill, replacing original vocalist David Palmer (remember him?) with the Embassy Brats, the backing trio of Cindy Mizelle, Catherine Russell, and my pal Carolyn Leonhart Escoffery (more on that momentarily).

By the end of the concert, the auditorium was a quarter empty - as the fans rushed the stage to bob and dance. "Kid Charlemagne," "Bodhisattva," "Peg," all joyfully embraced by a crowd that was as loud as any I've ever heard at Interlochen. The band was magnificent, Becker and Jon Herrington sharing stinging lead guitar work. Carlock was a wiz, fiery and dynamic. Fagen's voice isn't as elastic as when he was in his 20s and 30s, and could/should have been a little more prominent in the mix, but it was the unmistakable sound that graced the turntables and radios of my youth and that of and the rest of the crowd. The horns and singers, bass and keyboards all added just the right amount of sass and brass.

I've seen favorite artists like Yes and Todd Rundgren over a dozen times each, but it's the single times I've seen some artists that still stand out: Squeeze in Grand Rapids, Ronnie Montrose at a disco in East Lansing, Jeff Beck at DeVos Hall. This one tops them all.

And I finally got to meet my friend Carolyn Leonhart-Escoffery. The daughter of legendary jazz bassist Jay Leonhart, and sister to the Dan's trumpet player Michael, she and her husband Wayne Escoffery released If Dreams Come True in 2007. I reviewed the disc (positively) for Jazziz. Must have been a very good one indeed, as three years later, they asked me to write the liner notes to their then-upcoming release, Tides of Yesterday. I of course said yes (I'm nothing if not magnanimous), and began a correspondence with the two of them that culminated in a meeting after the show. Carolyn is as lovely a person as she is brilliant a singer. So now we just have to get Wayne to perform here, or better yet both of them. Whaddya think?

Progressive Rock? It Still Lives

A host of recent releases makes the point that decades after its heyday, prog is very much alive and well, thank you. Discs by two of the genre's progenitors makes the point.

Yes's Fly From Here reunites the core band - Steve Howe, Alan White, and de facto leader Chris Squire - with Drama-era keyboardist Geoffrey Downes (also the main man for the post-Drama all-star group Asia with Howe, John Wetton and Carl Palmer). Also on board is vocalist Benoit David. Originally assumed to be a short-term sub for a then-ailing Jon Anderson, David is now the band's official lead vocalist.

That's a change many fans have had a difficult time grappling with. As when Trevor Horn replaced Anderson for the Drama album and tour, a large percentage of Yesaholics won't stand for anyone standing in. That's too bad, as both Horne and David have their strengths.

David's are evident on Fly From Here. He sounds comfortable with the material, and less like Anderson than onstage. That's good and bad. There's less strain and less direct comparison. But there's also less Yesness. In fact, you could easily make an argument that this is among the least Yes-ish albums ever. Drama, 90125, Union - all sounded like a different Yes, and Fly From Here continues in that vein.

But is it any good? Well, yes (lowercase y). The title suite is all grandiose and properly dramatic, with sweeping keyboards, heavy bass from Squire, and the requisite three-part harmonies. The lyrics are less cosmic than Anderson's, and many are comparing the disc favorably with Drama. If you can get past David's vocals, Fly From Here casts Yes as the reigning prog heavyweight once again.

Another of the original era's heavyweights was King Crimson. And if Yes switched personnel regularly, the comings and goings from Crimson were a dizzying procession of bassists, vocalists, keyboard players, and percussionists. Somehow the band survived, emerging after long hiatuses with new players and new sounds. That's the case with A Scarcity of Miracles by Jakszyk, Fripp and Collins. Though it's dubbed a King Crimson ProjeKct - a fraKctalization, as Fripp likes to put it - this is Crimson in everything but name. Fripp, bassist Tony Levin, and percussionist Gavin Harrison of Porcupine Tree are all current Crims.  Saxophonist Mel Collins was a member of the band in the early 70s, and Jakko Jakszyk (guitar & vocals) is the son-in-law of original Crimson drummer Mike Giles. Moreover, both Jakszyk and Collins were charter members of the 21st Century Schizoid Band, the Crimson alumni group that performed music the current aggregation had abandoned.

The music here is more melodic and less aggressive than that of the last couple decades of Crimson. It harkens back to Lark's Tongue- and Starless and Bible Black-era KC, with a healthy helping of Frippertronics. Jakszyk's vocals are easier on the ear than those of current Crim vocalist Adrian Belew, and the music is moody, melodic and mysterious. Bravo!

Also noted: Ben Craven's Great & Terrible Potions, slightly metallic prog with lots of guitar and a grooving Roger Dean cover; Pendragon's Passion, still resisting my attempts to like it; and Wobbler's Rites at Dawn, all dreamy soundscapes and woodwinds before the retro keys and guitars chime in. More fun to come!