Florida’s Free Monthly Guide for Jazz, Latin & Blues

February 2009HotHouseFlorida.com

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Chris Peet

Isaac Turienzo

Ken Peplowski

Jonny Lang

Melton Mustafa Juan-Carlos Formell

Ron Carter BB King

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WINNING SPINS

IN THE BLACK-AND-WHITE PHOTOthat graces the cover of B.B. King’s One

Kind Favor, the 83-year-old blues icon gazespensively at the waters of the MississippiRiver, Lucille slung low across his back.Similar photos appear in the CD’s booklet,with moodily-lit shots of clouds gatheringabove the river, and a striking image of King— with his back to the camera, in a pose thatsuggests deep reflection — as he peers downa stretch of lonesome railroad iron.

The musical selections on One Kind Favorfurther suggest a summation of King’sremarkable career, as he pays tribute to theartists who inspired him as a boy growing upin Indianola, Miss., and later, as he earnedhis fame as the “Beale Street Blues Boy” inMemphis. But, overall, the feeling here ismore celebratory than funereal. With stripped-down production by T-Bone Walker, and insistentrhythmic backing from bassist Nathan East,as well as drummers Jim Keltner and JayBellerose, One Kind Favor is one of the strongestmusical statements King has made in years.

Set to a menacing New Orleans paradegroove, Blind Lemon Jefferson’s “See That MyGrave is Kept Clean” kicks off the recordingon a dark yet rollicking note. King sings themorbid lyric with great brio and bluster,unwilling to go gently, or at least withoutgood-humored equanimity, into that goodnight. Dr. John perfectly encapsulates the mixof sorrow and celebration for which his nativeCrescent City is renowned, adding a layer ofelegant piano beneath King’s stentorianvocals and the rhythm section’s boiling shuffle.

King honors another touchstone with abright, horn-accented read of Howlin’ Wolf’s“How Many More Years,” ameliorating Wolf’smore cantankerous delivery with bouncy, good-humored swing. Lucille steps lively, as the guitargreat takes her out for another whirl aroundthe dance floor, transporting Wolf’s kiss-off frombackwoods jukehouse to uptown ballroom.King also salutes T-Bone Walker, a major influ-ence, with a superb version of the tear-stained“Waiting for Your Call.” This track illustrateswhy King is revered as one of the best blues

singers of all time: Beneath the gruff growllies the vulnerability of a man who wears hisheart on his pin-striped suit sleeve. RecallingT-Bone, but in his own signature style, Kingunleashes a sizzling guitar solo that finds himeloquently underlining the song’s yearning plea.

As befitting their importance and popularitywhen B.B. was growing up, The MississippiSheiks also receive a couple of nods here,with versions of “The World Gone Wrong”and their more famous “Sitting on Top of theWorld.” King also performs an excellent ver-sion of Leroy Carr’s “Blues Before Sunrise”

By Bob Weinberg

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(credited here to John Lee Hooker), whichbeautifully spotlights Dr. John’s expertcomping behind Lucille.

King has never been shy about expressinghis admiration of Lonnie Johnson, and heshows his love for the jazzy blues great witha few selections. Also associated with BessieSmith, Johnson’s “Backwater Blues” takeson particular poignancy in the wake ofHurricane Katrina and serves as a reminderthat natural hardships are nothing new tothe impoverished residents of the lowlands.“I woke up this morning, and I couldn’t getout of my front door,” King sings, a palpableache in his voice. “It was so much trouble,make a poor man wonder where he want to go.”

Fittingly, King closes out One Kind Favorwith a sublime read of Johnson’s “TomorrowNight,” again calling on Dr. John’s masterful

ministrations on piano, his sole accompani-ment for the first minute and change. Therhythm section and horns then enter the pic-ture, enhancing rather than intruding on theheartfelt proceedings, and the tenor sax workof Charles Owens and Ernie Fields Jr. con-tributes greatly to the moonlit reverie.

In a way, One Kind Favor looks ahead asmuch as it looks back, eschewing the bells andwhistles of unnecessary guest stars or attemptsat updating King’s sound for commercial reasons,all of which become quickly dated. Instead,King has created an album that might, intime, be ranked among his very best.

B.B. King performs on February 5 atthe Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater, andelsewhere in the area.

WINNING SPINS

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JUAN-CARLOS FORMELLCOLONY THEATER/FEBRUARY 14Guitarist, bassist and singer-songwriter Juan-CarlosFormell is a fourth-generation Cuban musician whowas born in Havana in 1964. He fled the dictatorshipin 1993, settling in New York City, but he’s sincefound an honorary second United States home inNew Orleans. He recorded a haunting 2005 solo guitaralbum there, Cemeteries & Desire (Narada), andreturned to record again last year. Formell enteredthe Piety Street Studios recording facility with Cubanmusicians Elio Villafranca (piano) and Jorge Leyva

(percussion); Argentinianbassist Pedro Giraudo;New York trombonist/violinist Lewis Khan; andNew Orleans clarinetistMichael White. Johnny’sDream Club, named for aHavana nightclub andalso inspired by Jelly RollMorton, is the CrescentCity-approved result. BM

SPOTLIGHTCHRIS PEETMULTIPLE DATES/SEE LISTINGSChris Peet earns a living as one of South Florida'smost-requested drummers. Growing up in a familythat includes generations of musicians as well asmusic lovers, Chris learned to respect music of all eras,genres, and styles. He cites this early groundwork tobe the main reason he appreciates and plays manydifferent styles of music. As he says “My family neverput a bad record on the turntable… and I think thatmade me a better musician before I ever picked up thesticks.” He has played and recorded with numerous

local bands throughoutSouth and Central Florida,and has done festivals andtoured with such regionaland national acts as TerryHanck, Calvin Newborn,L.A. Jones and Danny Morris.The most recent highlightof Peet’s career occurredwhile joining the legendaryMatt “Guitar” Murphy(an original Blues Brother)in a recording session ofMurphy’s favorites. BM

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ISAAC TURIENZO TRIOMANUEL ARTIME THEATER/FEBRUARY 26The Cultural Center of Spain presents one of themost prominent Spanish jazz musicians since the1990s, pianist Isaac Turienzo, with trio membersMiguel Ángel Chastang on bass and Tino Di Geraldoon drums. Turienzo’s “Jazz de Raíz” (translated as“rooted jazz”) project involves the three musicianscreatively blending flamenco, traditional songs, ballads,waltzes, fados (Portuguese blues) and traditional jazzinto their own rhythmic melting pot. The trio’s worldlydialects stem from having played halls and festivals

throughout Europe, Russiaand the United States. Itsstop in Miami is only oneof three U.S. dates on itscurrent tour. BM

SPOTLIGHTMELTON MUSTAFAJAZZ FESTIVAL FINALE CONCERTJULIUS LITTMAN THEATER/FEBRUARY 7Trumpeter, composer, arranger, bandleader, educator:Melton Mustafa throws himself into each of these roleswith great verve and dedication. The Miami-born jazzartist toured with the Count Basie Orchestra in the ’80sand honed his craft as a writer and player alongsidegiants such as Thad Jones, Frank Foster and MercerEllington. In 1996, he began his association with FloridaMemorial University, where he currently helms the JazzStudies Program. Each year since, Mustafa has hosted

the jazz festival and work-shop that bear his name.This year, the event has adecidedly local orientationand will feature such long-time Mustafa associatesas Ira Sullivan, CharlesAustin, Bobby Thomas Jr.,Nicole Henry and Mustafa’sbig brother, Jesse JonesJr. For more information,call (305) 626-3150 or visitMeltonmustafa.com. BW

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KEN PEPLOWSKIHARRIET HIMMEL THEATER/FEBRUARY 24Likened to the late Benny Goodman for his hot clarinetlicks, Ken Peplowski also wields a mean saxophone.He’s delighted audiences for over 30 years, playinghis first pro engagement in elementary school, andthen making the rounds of the wedding and Polishpolka band circuit. Leaving his native Cleveland, hejoined the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra. He moved toNew York City in 1980, and was soon playing gigsranging from Dixieland to avant-garde jazz. In 1984,Goodman came out of retirement and formed a new

band, and hired him toplay tenor sax. Peplowskiwound up signing withConcord Records, andrecorded close to 20albums, including TheNatural Touch which wonBest Jazz Record of theYear in 1992. His next CD,which will be a ballad col-lection for Venus Records,is due soon. CL

SPOTLIGHTJONNY LANGPARKER PLAYHOUSE/FEBRUARY 17Born in 1981, this Grammy-nominated, former prodigyinstrumentalist, who topped the Billboard new artistchart with his first album at the age of 15 now standsas a mature creative force, made more sensitive, yetalso brightened by life’s adventures. He released hisfirst album, Smokin’ at the age of 13, and his debutsolo album, Lie to Me, the following year. He’s knownfor his deep blues and searing rock & roll (he’s beencompared to a blues veteran of 40 years), and he’stoured with the Rolling Stones, Buddy Guy,

Aerosmith, B.B. King,and Sting, and has playedfor President and Mrs.Clinton. Lang won aGrammy Award for BestRock or Rap Gospel Albumwith the 2006 Christian-oriented Turn Around,which he considers thepivotal album of hiscareer to date. CL

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RON CARTER: THE PRINCIPAL PULSEby Bob Weinberg

IN ANY RHYTHM SECTION, HE’S THEprincipal pulse, the very model of steadi-

ness. What’s more, Ron Carter may well bethe most-recorded bassist in jazz history,with literally hundreds of albums to his cred-it. He’s been a key member of numerouspace-setting ensembles ever since heemerged onto the scene in the early ’60s. Inaddition, Carter has also led many notewor-thy groups of his own. The quartet he’sbringing to the South Florida Jazz Societyconcert on Valentine’s Day includes three tal-ented younger players (pianist Stephen Scott,drummer Payton Crossley and percussionistOrlando Morales-Matos) he’s handpicked foruse on several of his recent record dates.

“Yes, those are the guys,” confirmedCarter on the phone from his New Yorkapartment. “Stephen and Payton also playedon my Dear Miles CD. But gee, you caughtme at a bad moment! I’m rushing off to arehearsal with [pianist] Helen Sung. We’redoing a duo concert at a museum in just a fewdays and we have to run down some materialtogether.” And he’s gone. Although he recentlybacked gracefully out of his responsibilitieson the faculty at City University of New Yorkafter 18 years, he’s still a Distinguished ProfessorEmeritus there — and continues to maintainwhat appears to be a killer schedule of liveappearances and recording sessions in boththe U.S. and Europe. (He also records regu-larly for Japanese companies, who thenrelease those albums only in Japan.)

Carter’s website suggests that he’s playedon something like 2,000 recordings over theyears. They’re not listed on the site, of course,but any longtime jazz enthusiast can easilycite some of this bassist’s most significantsideman work, most famously with MilesDavis’ second great quintet, the one that alsoboasted saxophonist Wayne Shorter, pianistHerbie Hancock and drummer Tony Williams.Yes, this is the fivesome that cut such classicLPs as Miles Smiles, E.S.P., Sorcerer, Nefertiti,Miles In The Sky and Filles De Kilimanjaro,all discs that helped reshape the musicallandscape to a surprising degree.

Carter’s five-year stint with Davis in themid-’60s was preceded by several stellarrecordings issued under his own name.

Where, his 1961 debut and a listener favoriteever since, featured his cello playing (he’dbegun on that instrument as a kid beforeswitching to upright bass) alongside that ofsaxist-flautist Eric Dolphy, with whom hewas working at the time in Chico Hamilton’spopular group. Later on, he toured Europewith Cannonball Adderley; played with DonEllis, Thelonious Monk, Art Farmer, Jaki Byardand Bobby Timmons, among numerous others;

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and somehow found time to earn an M.A.from Manhattan School of Music. (He’d gottenhis undergraduate degree from Rochester’sEastman School two years earlier.)

There’ve been many other highly diverseRon Carter recordings over the years. Onestandout was a 1977 album entitled Peg Leg,on which his piccolo bass is spotlighted infront of a woodwind ensemble. Piccolo bass?It’s a half-size instrument resembling a celloand equally capable of playing in the cello’sbaritone range; Carter utilizes it to executedarting solo lines while a more conventionalbass simultaneously walks a four-to-the-barpulse underneath everything.

During the ’70s, he also toured with an adhoc quintet known as V.S.O.P (the old Davisquintet lineup with Freddie Hubbard fillingthe Miles role); recorded with a unit billed asThe Great Jazz Trio (Carter and TonyWilliams plus Hank Jones on piano); and cuta pair of witty and highly inventive duoalbums in partnership with guitarist JimHall. By the way, all the albums cited hereare still readily available.

And hey, there’s loads of Ron Carter to beseen on YouTube. While you’re online, visit

roncarter.net, where you can enjoy a varietyof audio tracks while you browse.

What’s Ron Carter been up to morerecently? We can heartily recommendStardust, a 2002 effort on which he pays anartful tribute to bassist Oscar Pettiford, one ofthe first jazzmen to utilize the cello as a solovehicle; The Golden Striker (2003), on whichhe heads up a drummerless trio includingguitarist Russell Malone and pianist MulgrewMiller; Dear Miles, remarkable because it’s aMiles Davis tribute album that doesn’tinclude a trumpeter in its personnel; andJazz And Bossa (2008), a truly invigoratingadventure in Brazilian music.

Ron Carter’s quartet appears onFebruary 14 at the Miniaci PerformingArts Center.

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