Performances by big bands are rare in the jazz world these days–despite the recent “swing renaissance”–but it’s exceptionally rare to hear a big band playing original, innovative music.
That’s why it’s such a treat to go to Snug Harbor on Tuesday nights this fall. The John Mahoney Big Band started playing this slot in October, and will continue the weekly gig through November (except for November 21), possibly longer if audience support is sufficient.
I walked in on October 10th, having been tipped off by several musicians (when they smile and shake their heads in a certain way, you know they’re talking about something you shouldn’t miss). It was between sets, and I found the ubiquitous trombonist Rick Trolsen at the bar, talking with fellow bone-man John Touchy. There were lots of new faces milling around also, but the sight of Trolsen and sax-wizards Ed Petersen and Clarence Johnson provided reassurance that there would be no shortage of chops on the bandstand.
It was almost enough just to see the 18 musicians in their black outfits squeezed onto the relatively tiny stage. One wrong move and a trombone slide winds up in someone’s ear. But then Mahoney counted off the tempo and they dove fearlessly into his lush, intricate material, which takes full advantage of the explosive power and textural range offered by five saxes, four trumpets, five trombones, drums, bass, piano and guitar.
Mahoney, who’s been a seminal professor and coordinator of jazz studies at Loyola University’s College of Music since 1978, grew up in northern New York, in a household where he was exposed to Glenn Miller, Stan Kenton and Tommy Dorsey at an early age. “My dad took me to hear Count Basie a couple of times,” he adds. “It was an experience I’ll never forget.”
Later, he majored in jazz writing while pursuing his Masters degree at Eastman School of Music, where big band was still emphasized. Since moving down to teach at Loyola, he has remained professionally active as a performer on both piano and trombone. He’s also been a member of Al Belletto’s Big Jazz Band, a venerable New Orleans institution. Belletto’s 1997 CD, Jazznocracy, features Mahoney as pianist and one of the composer/arrangers.
“The big band is a big, glorious chamber group of amazing colors and strengths,” he says, “and after hearing writers like Ellington, Thad Jones, Bob Brookmeyer or Gil Evans, you can’t help but be seduced by its beauty and magnitude and challenged by its possibilities. That’s why I write for big band.”
Mahoney’s compositions suggest many of the influences stated above, but from what I heard on the 10th, they also possess numerous surprising twists and turns. “Change of Heart,” for example, started out as a gentle ballad, but then shifted to a waltz with a paint-peeling Johnson solo. Then the rhythm section dropped out and the horns wailed in an ecstasy of counterpoint as the song shifted yet again into an enticing samba.
Other standout songs included “Simple Things,” with a mellow ’70s, almost Chuck Mangione feel and Rex Richardson featured on flugelhorn; “Shuffle Bone,” with a hard-driving shuffle rhythm and four smoking trombone solos (Trolsen’s mute work was exceptional); and “Rabbi’s Blues,” an upbeat, cheerful blues with a magnificent sax solo by Petersen–muscular and warm with tons of soul.
Considering the band’s cohesiveness, it seems remarkable that the music was new to several of the musicians that night who were filling in for missing regular players such as drummer Johnny Vidacovich, trombonist Steve Suter and saxophonists Tony Dagradi, Ray Moore and Brice Winston. But this is part of the historical function of big bands, to provide an essential training ground for up-and-comers, and subs like saxophonist Scott Bourgeois and drummer David Mahoney (the bandleader’s son, a Loyola student) more than held their own while benefiting from the experience. That said, the opportunity to see this band at full strength should not be squandered on future Tuesday nights.
Of course, in New Orleans we are culturally blessed in many aspects, and, at least at the moment, original big bands are no exception. We also have the Naked Orchestra, an extraordinary free-jazz big band organized by guitarist Jonathan Freilich and conducted by Jimbo Walsh that continues to break fresh ground.
At the Zeitgeist Arts Center on September 28th, the 16-piece band ventured into several exciting new compositions, among them one by Freilich, which, true to his style, had a long, absurdly poetic, easily forgotten title, but consisted of entirely unforgettable music. It possessed a dark, foreboding groove–augmented by the unusual texture of two acoustic bassists, Jim Singleton and Brady Kish–and built to fiery climax with most of the band improvising simultaneously.
Most people think of free jazz as boring because it lacks drama, except perhaps for teetering on the edge of incoherence, but the music of the Naked Orchestra–whether it be composed by Freilich, Walsh or other members–is designed to arrest the listener with dynamic contrasts in mood, intensity and approach. One moment it’s eerily soft and sweet and the next it’s fiercely thundering; some passages are precisely composed, others are improvisational, allowing the individual players to push into new territory; sometimes it’s all about the groove and sometimes it’s about melodies or harmonies or dueling solos, but it’s almost always surprising and engaging. The unusual instrumentation and all-star musicianship only enhances this effect.
This Month
In November, Zeitgeist continues to provide an outlet for experimentation with Thursday evening concerts curated by Walsh and Mark Fowler of the Improvisational Arts Council. Also, Earl “The African Cowboy” Turbinton, Jr., presents a six week lecture/concert anthology every Wednesday.
Snug Harbor celebrates the release of vocalist Christina Machado’s debut recording, Gone with the Wind, on November 12th. The album was co-produced and arranged by Nicholas Payton, who also plays trumpet on the record, along with fellow young guns Brice Winston (sax), John Ellis (sax), Peter Martin (piano), Adonis Rose (drums), Kenyatta Simon (percussion) and Roland Guerin (bass). Except for one original song, the material consists of “classic” songs and ballads, such as “Dearly Beloved,” “Midnight Sun,” “I’m Old Fashioned” and “I Didn’t Know About You,” which features a superb Payton solo eloquently quoting “If I Only Had a Brain.” The album favorably showcases Machado’s charming voice, which bears the influence of Ella Fitzgerald and other great jazz singers, but exudes a warm sensuality all her own. Rose and Guerin are confirmed for the Snug Harbor date; others will be announced and special guests are expected.
At Loyola University, there’s a new concert series presented by the College of Music called “Jazz Underground.” It features top-notch New Orleans musicians paying tribute to legendary jazz figures. The first installment, a tribute to Horace Silver, occurred on October 5th with saxophonist Tony Dagradi, trombonist Trolsen (you see, he is ubiquitous), pianist Peter Martin, bassist Chris Severin and drummer Vidacovich. The second, on November 2nd, is a tribute to Thelonious Monk with pianists Henry Butler, Ellis Marsalis and Mike Pellera tentatively expected to perform along with bassist Guerin and drummer Rose. The concert takes place at 7:30 p.m. in The Underground, located in the Danna Center beneath the campus student union.
That’s not to take anything away from the longstanding “Jazz at the Sandbar” series, which continues through November 15th at the University of New Orleans on Wednesday evenings from 8 to 11 p.m.. Dagradi and the UNO Big Band are featured on November 1st, and jazz students will have the opportunity to perform with senior guitar-master Mundell Lowe on the 8th and distinguished alto saxophonist Jim Snidero on the 15th.
UNO also hosts the great Cuban jazz pianist Chucho Valdes’ quartet on November 10th. The concert, part of the “Jazz Journey” series sponsored by the Jazz & Heritage Foundation (which means there’s no cover charge), takes place in the Center for the Performing Arts building. The same space houses a concert on the 28th benefiting the UNO jazz studies program; the concert features the UNO Big Band (composed of a mixture of students and faculty) conducted by Ellis Marsalis. Call (504) 280-6039 for more information.