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Jazz on 3 - Ornette Coleman tribute

Jez Nelson — Fri, 19 Jun 2015 16:32:37 +0000

Ornette Coleman

Jez Nelson previews this week’s Jazz on 3, paying tribute to saxophonist and composer Ornette Coleman

Time after time jazz musicians talk about the quest to find their own voice. It seems to me that Ornette Coleman found his at an early age and it was one of the most recognisable in this beautiful music’s history. Ornette's blues-drenched, heart-stopping alto call was as close to the cry of the human soul as any horn player ever got. From the seismic recordings of his late 50s quartet through to his last recorded works (the subject of litigation to his final days) his sound was recognisable within a phrase.

I think that's why he touched so many and is being mourned so deeply. It matters little whether you ever got to grips with his harmolodics theory, because like John Coltrane, James Brown and Aretha Franklin, Ornette Coleman could floor you with a few notes.

On this week’s programme we hear from some of those who were close to Ornette or whose lives and music were touched by him. The singer Neneh Cherry (find clip below) talks movingly about her childhood memories of a dazzlingly dressed man who was a guru to her stepfather Don: and pianist Paul Bley (find clip below), now in his 80s, laughs hysterically as he describes being left irrelevant in his own band by the quartet that would soon record The Shape of Jazz To Come running musical rings around him. And bass player Jamaaladeen Tacuma describes how Ornette bottled the sound of a bustling New York into the super-tight funk of his superb Prime Time band.

'They were very much a unit... brothers...' Singer Neneh Cherry recalls her stepfather Don's relationship with Ornette Coleman

'You got it? Got it? I had never had it..!' Pianist, Paul Bley remembers playing with Ornette Coleman.

My guest, Guardian writer John Fordham, tells us how he nearly walked out of his first Ornette gig in Manchester in the 60s - baffled by Ornette's attack on violin, trumpet and alto. He wasn't alone - the jazz world was shocked and even offended. But John stayed and Ornette won him, and eventually generations of music fans, over. He never changed but we learned to listen and to realise we were hearing something natural and important. The Shape of Jazz to Come indeed.

It would be impossible to get even close to summing up Ornette's 60-year career in 90 minutes but I hope you'll enjoy listening to this week’s Jazz on 3 as much as producer Chris Elcombe and I enjoyed putting it together. There's much love for Ornette and his voice will be with us forever.

Jazz on 3

Ornette Coleman

Jazz on 3 - Piano Stars

Jez Nelson — Thu, 12 Feb 2015 16:34:25 +0000

Jason Moran (l) and Robert Glasper

Jez Nelson introduces a special duo concert from two of America’s biggest piano stars

The Blue Note all-stars that headlined the label’s 75th birthday celebrations at last year’s EFG London Jazz Festival were good, but it was the opening duo who stole the show. Jason Moran and Robert Glasper both hail from Houston, Texas and are Blue Note fixtures, but they have very different approaches to the music. Moran draws inspiration from the visual arts and arguably has a more conceptual, compositional focus, as witnessed by his impactful score for the new Martin Luther King biopic, Selma. Glasper is as lauded in nu-soul, hip hop and R&B as he is for acoustic jazz and has made his name blurring those boundaries whilst honing his art. We’ve featured both, in various settings, many times on Jazz on 3 - but never together.

To explore into these musical influences a little more I put the pair to the MP3 shuffle test before the show, delving at random into the music they take with them on the road – it’s a treat, especially if you’re into your gospel singers. And the importance to both of them of vocalists in general really shone through, Moran saying that he often asks himself, in the middle of a performance, ‘How would Mary J Blige sing this phrase?’.

The prospect of two modern Blue Note heroes, pianos kissing, strolling through the vaults of the great label’s catalogue, was an enticing thought and they didn’t disappoint. Beginning with a tribute to the first piano stars of Blue Note - Albert Ammons and Meade Lux Lewis, they moved from boogie woogie through abstracted sections under-pinned by Moran’s tamperings inside the piano to some timeless Herbie Hancock themes. I never tire of hearing the simple beauty of 'Maiden Voyage' but it was Glasper’s teasing around Hancock’s soul-fusion classic 'Trust Me' that really got me.

The duo have taken this show around the world and you get the sense it’s a fun thing to do every night – you won’t see this on the radio but Robert Glasper even treated us to a few ballet steps. It's a snapshot of two fine modern pianists enjoying their own and each other’s playing whilst revelling in one of the greatest recording legacies in music history.

Also in the programme, staying with the classic albums theme, singer Juliet Kelly visits a new night that involves playing seminal recordings to a paying audience, and we've brand new sounds from another of America’s most heralded piano players Vijay Iyer, with music from his new trio album.

Tune in to hear all of this on Jazz on 3 this Monday 16 February at 11pm or listen online for 30 days after broadcast.

Jez

If you have comments about the show, or requests for music you’d like to hear, do get in touch at jazzon3@bbc.co.uk or on twitter at @BBCJazzon3

Jazz Record Requests at 50

Alyn Shipton — Wed, 03 Dec 2014 14:47:23 +0000

When I wrote on this blog about my excitement at taking over this programme from Geoffrey Smith two and a half years ago, I knew that it was coming up to its half century. This makes it, as far as I can tell, the longest running jazz radio programme anywhere in the world. Its actual 50th birthday is on 12 December, so we’re celebrating on the preceding Saturday, 6 December 2014.

I grew up listening to this programme. Saturday lunchtimes, and then teatimes after it moved from midday, meant it was time to tune to the Third Programme for the weekly installment of jazz, just as Sunday lunchtimes were usually the chance to retune to the Light Programme and listen to the Clitheroe Kid or the Navy Lark (though the latter was on one if its 6 monthly breaks when Jazz Record Requests began).

There was a decent collection of jazz records (mainly 78s) in the house when I was a boy, with the likes of Fats Waller, Duke Ellington, Earl Hines and Muggsy Spanier. But it was listening to Humphrey Lyttelton and later Steve Race and Peter Clayton on JRR that broadened my awareness far beyond those sounds, to include everything from Billie Holiday to Stan Kenton, and from Meade Lux Lewis to Bill Evans. Just as teenagers today discuss what’s shown up in terms of new music on YouTube, Soundcloud or other social media, my friends and I would meet on a Monday at school and talk about the music we’d discovered on JRR – often making the trek to the local record shop to sit in a booth and play more discs by the same artist. We even occasionally bought something we’d heard, and I still have the EPs, and some of the LPs I got with my pocket money by artists ranging from Sidney Bechet to Mick Mulligan.

What I have learned from the postcards, letters and emails that come in every week is that I was not alone There were listeners all over the county sharing this sense of discovery, and in the recent feature I have been running on the programme about how people first discovered jazz, many a listener has recalled it being through a track heard for the first time on JRR. I’m also pleased that many of the letters I get nowadays say, “I’ve been listening since the beginning, but this is my first ever request!” It’s great that more and more people are being drawn into sharing their experiences of jazz and of the programme.

But not all listeners have shared their last half century with Jazz Record Requests. Among those who write in, there are plenty of younger newcomers to the music, who either want to tell other fans about a fresh sound heard at a local club, or who want to know more about the great names of the past. So I’ve had letters from listeners as young as nine or ten asking for tracks by Louis Armstrong and Miles Davis, but also plenty of twenty-somethings, who’ve just heard a club session by Phil Meadows, or Paul Edis, or Ivo Neame, or Cath Roberts — or indeed any of the dazzling array of younger musicians who are keeping jazz alive and reinventing the genre. (I certainly don’t fear for jazz’s future, with such a rich roster of new home-grown talent.)

Occasionally we’ll get the question “Where is the jazz we know and love?” If those letters come with a request included, more often than not I’ll manage to play it, but for those who don’t request, I normally drop them a line and politely remind them that the programme really does belong to its listeners. If they’d care to request what they think is missing, I’ll attempt to include it. But I can’t if nobody asks for it!

For the fiftieth birthday edition, I’ve had great fun (with the help of Paul Wilson, the curator of Radio at the National Sound Archive at the British Library) listening to many old episodes of the programme. Because JRR usually went out live in the old days, it was seldom recorded. But fortunately the BL has copies recorded off air by enthusiasts and collectors, notably the late Carlo Krahmer, drummer and founder of the Esquire record label. Thanks to Carlo and others like him, on this special anniversary programme, we can once again hear the voices of all my predecessors (including Geoffrey Smith, who popped into the JRR studio to read a current request). It’s great to celebrate what has always been an entirely audience-driven programme with memories of the past that have been preserved by that very audience itself.

A Soho Symphony

Graeme Kay — Mon, 17 Nov 2014 14:51:56 +0000

Tomorrow night (Tuesday 18 November), the BBC Concert Orchestra and conductor Clark Rundell are appearing at the EFG London Jazz Festival with two new BBC commissions. The BBC CO's Associate Composer Guy Barker has used a scenario by Robert Ryan to paint a portrait in music of London's Soho, and BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist Trish Clowes appears with her own quintet with tracks from her new album and 'The Fox, the Parakeet and the Chestnut', also written specially for this concert.

You can hear the concert at 7.30pm live on BBC Radio 3, introduced by Sara Mohr-Pietsch. Guy Barker’s collaborator, Robert Ryan, says: ‘Earlier this year, I received a phone call from Guy Barker, saying he had a hankering to write a new orchestral piece for the BBC CO; however, he was staring at a blank page and needed a framework. We have done this before, with dZf, a re-working of The Magic Flute, and last year That Obscure Hurt, a Henry James/Britten-inspired piece. I give Guy a narrative: he builds his music around it. This time all he had was “Soho” as a theme…’

Rob gives a fascinating and detailed explanation of the narrative he devised for Guy in this recommended personal blog post.

The concert will be available for 30 days on the BBC iPlayer.

Jez Nelson previews the 2014 London Jazz Festival

Jez Nelson — Mon, 10 Nov 2014 18:19:38 +0000

I love the EFG London Jazz Festival. I honestly think it’s the best jazz festival in the world. It might not have the sun of Nice or the wine of Monterey but what it boasts is an extraordinary range of music across a huge number of performances. Londoners are spoilt anyway because there’s always a handful of excellent jazz gigs happening most nights of the year. But somehow the festival takes things to another level, bringing together as it does the biggest stars and the hottest new names from the UK, Europe and beyond.

Jez Nelson

Jazz on 3’s opening night show which comes live from Ronnie Scott's likes to reflect the range of the festival and pick up some of the themes that it will be celebrating. So I’m delighted we’ll be hosting South African drummer Louis Moholo-Moholo with a quartet drawn from his Dedication Orchestra. The festival is marking 20 years of South African democracy with a series of special concerts and Louis is one of the most important jazz sons of that nation. Also on the bill is one of the most influential British saxophonists of all time, John Surman, who celebrates his 70th birthday this year. Completing the lineup are two US stars who I can’t believe we’ll have in the same room! Slap bass fans get set, as Stanley Clarke takes to the Ronnie's stage with his new quartet and we’ll close the night with singing star Dee Dee Bridgewater. Deep fusion aficionados will know Stanley and Dee Dee’s 1973 collaboration “Unexpected Days” – who knows, maybe they’ll reprise it 40 years on! You can join us for all of the action live on BBC Radio 3 this Friday 14 November at 11pm.

The opening night will be busy for me because there’s no way I’m missing Branford Marsalis’ quartet who have sold out two shows down at the Queen Elizabeth Hall. They don’t make it here that often but whenever they do I’m reminded by just how serious this man is about his music. The band is tight! His young drummer Justin Faulkner is a force of nature and I can’t wait to hear him again. You can do on Jazz on 3 on Monday 17^th November.

The following night I’ll be nipping down to The Vortex in East London for a double bill of Berlin bands both featuring drummer Christian Lillinger – one of them, Hyperactive Kid, I caught playing an excellent set in Germany a few years back.

I haven’t seen The Bad Plus play live for a few years so I’m looking forward to catching them play a no doubt explosive set at the excellent Village Underground club - the venue has an incredible sound system so it should be a great place to hear them. And you can hear that show on the programme early next year too.

Robert Glasper

It’s a big year for jazz anniversaries and amongst the biggest is the 75th birthday of the peerless Blue Note record label. To celebrate, the Royal Festival Hall is holding a special night featuring a quintet of modern Blue Note stars including keyboard player Robert Glasper and trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire. Equally exciting is the opening set, a duet from Robert and fellow pianist Jason Moran. I’ve heard that this duel is great fun, featuring a string of references and 'samples' from the Blue Note archives.

Finally to close the festival off I’ll be bringing my Jazz In The Round night to the brilliant Clore Ballroom at the South Bank Centre on the afternoon of Sunday 23rd. We have four acts lined up including US clarinetist Oran Etkin and the return of the mighty Roller Trio. It runs from 2 till 6pm and is free.

All of the gigs I’ve mentioned here will be broadcast on Jazz on 3 over the next few months so fear not if you can’t make it to London. I’m off for a long sleep before the festival begins!!

Jez

If you have comments about the show, or would like to share your own festival highlights, do get in touch at jazzon3@bbc.co.uk or on twitter at @BBCJazzon3.

Broadcast dates:

2014 London Jazz Festival Launch – Friday 14 November
Branford Marsalis Quartet – Monday 17 November
Hyperactive Kid and Starlight – Monday 24 November
Jazz in the Round – Monday 8 December
Blue Note 75th Anniversary Celebration – Monday 15 December

All broadcast at 11pm on BBC Radio 3 and available to listen again for 30 days after broadcast.

Jazz on 3: Live from the Edinburgh Festivals

Kevin Le Gendre — Fri, 15 Aug 2014 11:03:44 +0000

This Monday, Jazz on 3 makes its first trip to the Edinburgh Festivals and I’m delighted to be presenting a live broadcast from the BBC’s big, blue tent in the heart of the city.

On the bill are three local bands featuring the cream of the Edinburgh scene, plus a special festival guest who you might not associate with jazz.

Trio HSK

Kicking the night off are Trio HSK, one of the most exciting young ensembles to have emerged in the last year. They’ve captured the imagination with their twister-like rhythmic lines and crunchy harmonies, combining unusual versions of familiar tunes with original material.

Coming in from left-field are the avant-garde Edimpro collective. Tonight they materialise in quintet form, freely improvising with an array of reed instruments and electronics. All I can say is that the soundscapes they produce are anything but conventional and may leave you thinking that they sneaked some more members in to the band when nobody was looking!

Playtime Trio

We end with something of a supergroup - three of the leading lights on the Scottish scene have decided to pool their talents in new band Playtime Trio. Actually there will be four musicians on stage as saxophonist Martin Kershaw, drummer Tom Bancroft and guitarist Graeme Stephen are joined in this performance by guest trombonist Chris Greive.

Tune in to BBC Radio 3 at 11pm on Monday 18 August to enjoy the music and find out who our mystery guest is!

Kevin Le Gendre

Jazz on 3, Monday nights at 11pm on BBC Radio 3: www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/jazzon3

Find out more about the BBC at the Edinburgh Festivals: www.bbc.co.uk/edinburghfestivals

BBC Introducing at the 2014 Manchester Jazz Festival

Jez Nelson — Thu, 24 Jul 2014 09:41:29 +0000

Trio HSK

Playtime Trio

A centenary celebration for Sun Ra

Joby Waldman — Mon, 30 Jun 2014 15:14:13 +0000

Recorded in session for Jazz on 3 at Livingston Studios, London on 18 June 2014

About a year ago Jez Nelson handed me an interview he had done with Sun Ra in 1990. I still remember where I was when I listened to it, and the sheer inspiration I felt afterwards. I had been aware of Sun Ra's music and his strange sci-fi persona, but didn't quite get how the two fitted together. But on closer listening, and subsequent reading the penny dropped – here was a true visionary with a complete view of music as a force for social change.

Jez Nelson reflects on his interview with the jazz musician and composer Sun Ra in 1990.

That interview forms the central spine of the documentary "Travelling the Spaceways; the Cult of Sun Ra”, broadcast earlier this month on Radio 4 (available to listen again here). In it we discover Ra the visionary bandleader and hear how he drew on Egyptology, Theosophy and other occult texts to lay the foundations for what has become known as Afro-futurism: an artistic movement spanning literature, music and visual art.

But by focusing on Ra the myth-maker, we risk missing his most important legacy: the music itself. He is rightly seen as a pioneer of free jazz, yet no matter how far out his music got, he never lost sight of swing. The dance tradition which grew out of the Chicago big band era which Ra was part of, and which continues to power his band, The Arkestra.

That interview forms the central spine of the documentary 'Travelling the Spaceways; the Cult of Sun Ra', broadcast earlier this month on Radio 4 (listen to the programmehere). In it we discover Ra the visionary bandleader and hear how he drew on Egyptology, Theosophy and other occult texts to lay the foundations for what has become known as Afro-futurism: an artistic movement spanning literature, music and visual art.

We wanted to record The Arkestra for Jazz on 3, and initially considered capturing them live in concert. After all they’d be touring prolifically in this centenary year and it’s a live setting in which the band are at their most potent, combining visuals, dancing, poetry and costume to transport the audience and induce what I can best describe as a collective trance.

However I discovered that while there have been plenty of live recordings of the band, including many low-fi or bootleg tapes, there’s been very little in the way of high quality studio recordings since Sun Ra’s passing in 1993. So with the radio audience in mind we decided to invite The Arkestra into the studio. And in keeping with their collaborative spirit, to introduce them to one of the UK’s finest improvising saxophonists: Shabaka Hutchings. He has written an account of his experience here.

Shabaka rehearsing with the Arkestra

In the course of making these programmes I’ve met lots of people who did everything they could to share the music of Sun Ra: promoters who drove thousands of miles to get the Arkestra to concerts, musicians who gave up far more lucrative gigs to be in the band. None more so than alto saxophonist Marshall Allen, now 90, who has played this music for 50 years and now leads the band. I’ve also discovered a wealth of music and ideas which I shall continue to savour – and share – for some time.

I hope you enjoy the music.

Hear the full broadcast of the Sun Ra Arkestra in session for Jazz on 3 on Monday 30 June at 11pm, or listen again for 7 days after broadcast on the Radio 3 web site. You can also listen to Travelling the Spaceways: the Cult of Sun Ra on the Radio 4 web site.

A meditation on my experience with the Sun Ra Arkestra

Shabaka Hutchings — Mon, 30 Jun 2014 13:28:53 +0000

Jazz on 3 invited UK reeds player Shabaka Hutchings to sit in with the Arkestra for their Sun Ra centenary session. On 17th June 2014 Shabaka joined the band for a rehearsal followed by a concert and the subsequent day went into the studio with the band.

I've always been attracted to the rebels. Not the Hollywood types donning a leather jacket, a balaclava, a Molotov aimed at the gates of authority. These characters, necessary as they are, have never been ones I could relate to. I resonate with those who perceive the totality of the zeitgeist we inhabit (or which has come before). Characters who suggest alternate orthodoxies which challenge us to sculpt the future rather than wade through a tide of inevitability.

When I first encountered Sun Ra's work, his philosophies regarding our connection to the cosmos and the importance of myth in decoding and interpreting reality hit me. It hit me like no jazz musician's words had before. Maybe no-one before him was lucid enough to articulate such a complex value system or willing to tell it to a world governed by scepticism and squareness. Ra wasn't content to let critics second guess and misinterpret his eccentricities - he let the world know that he meant everything. No halfsteppin'.

Ra expounded the intricacies of his inner world fully appreciating his placement in the lineage of ancient systems of thought. These weren't loony theories propelled at an oppressive society in hopes of disassociating from it. They were ways of seeing, interacting with and accepting reality which had roots in many ancient mystic schools of thought (notably from ancient Egypt/kemet ). This was a timeless way of being, at once looking forward into a future ridiculed by those caught up in accepted patterns of living, yet seeing far back into a past they chose to forget or discredit. And such is the music of Sun Ra, stretching towards sonic futurism while laying its foundations within the jazz tradition.

A word of advice from an Arkestra member the day before I sit in - 'Marshall will want your all. Whatever you do, don't hold back. This will change your life.'

We rehearse. The attention to detail is staggering. Exact chord changes are negotiated, precise phrasing and articulations explained. All roads lead to Marshall Allen. He signs off on the musical decisions with a level of insight and frankness allowed only to a 90-year-old veteran. Moments of personal interpretation are granted, framed with precision when needed. But this isn't the stiff, dry big band machine one finds churning out correct interpretations of a bygone era.

The band functions as an organism, a living entity breathing life through every phrase. Each tune summons a microcosmic world exploding with manic, magical energy.

We perform at Cafe Oto. Awe. Marshall Allen solos on 'Dancing Shadows'. I am left gasping for words. Words charged enough to give life to pure feeling. I struggle to give structure to thoughts so discombobulated by this spectacle of joy that I can merely laugh at the audacity of what emerges from his horn. This is how you play avant garde saxophone. You immense yourself in the energy of the ensemble and you expand it from within, pushing against the wall of a vortex created by each band member's creative contribution.

Marshall created a sheet of sound. An actual physical mass of sonic stuff. Stuff so powerful it was almost tangible. Well, in terms of the way I perceived it, it was tangible. But where i stood in relation to this animated mass wasn't within the realms of my senses - my heart, soul, spirit, whatever esoteric terms one would describe the inner self with - this was what was touched, assaulted by this most physical of music. By the end of the solo, I felt I'd drifted from this world. This world of explanations, priorities, logic and reason. All those things that root us in the belief that we inhabit objective reality... that reality's borders cannot be breached to perceive other worlds.

A word of advice from Marshall after the first set: 'You don't have to know what you're doing. If you don't know you've got to just feel, and the feeling is the important thing. There are no mistakes.'

The band swung. It swung so hard the walls holding the music together started to rattle. Initially listeners encounter fear of collapse but the band stormed ahead, destroying and rebuilding. And once the fear subsided, all acknowledged this fearless bunch in praise. These individuals who build their houses in the leaves of trees bearing deep roots. Those free to move within and throughout history, sculpting a path glistening with imagination.

There are times when a love of the instrument I play comes to me in stark sonic bliss. Chances to hear old masters of the tenor saxophone are becoming fewer and further between as the older generation steadily passes. I'm sharing tenor sax duties with Charles Davis. This man is the real deal, wielding a sound at once heartbreaking and serene. It contains the spirit of the players I love - Dexter Gordon, Lester Young, John Coltrane.

The sound of their intentions. A sound which resonates with the same stuff that as a teenager first grabbed me and shook my mind, revealing the beauty of jazz. Awestruck, I ask him some mundane, college-boy question about his equipment. He replies in a monotone characteristic of his general demeanour - 'I play whatever works'. Full stop. I worry about mouthpieces and reeds; he just deals with the music.

A moment of enlightenment during our recording session. Marshall Allen plays 'Wish upon a Star'. He chooses fragments of the melody which he carefully caresses and deforms. The unnerving paradox of nurturing the thing you love then letting it go, free to grow into an entity of its own choosing. I see the purpose of those sax cries, celestial squeals and shouts: drama. His playing contains real drama. Mystery and shadows inhabit the foundation of his musical conception. His music is poetic.

The thoughts I am left with revolve around the concept of tradition. Questions emerge forcing me to confront its elasticity. The flexible fibre of this construct which enables us to redefine what we perceive to be the present, the terms by which we choose to live.

Defining the old and the new, realising the irrelevance of these terms, pondering meaning implicit in concepts which force us to negate infinity - this is a precarious dance. A dance which tempts us to dare define the age we inhabit and the possibilities at our disposal. In the words of the great Sun Ra himself - 'there are other worlds....space is the place'.

More about this landmark radio recording from producer Joby Waldman. Listen to the performance in full in Jazz on 3 at 11pm on Monday 30 June.

Loose Tubes - the composers speak

Jez Nelson — Mon, 09 Jun 2014 15:47:56 +0000

This week’s Jazz on 3 features British big band Loose Tubes, back together after 24 years. BBC Radio 3 commissioned new music as part of the performance and here three of the band’s composers - Chris Batchelor, Steve Berry and Eddie Parker - reflect on their new commissions.

Chris Batchelor – Creeper (listen here from 00:24:40, later this evening)

After a break of 25 years, writing a new Loose Tubes chart was an intriguing prospect. On the one hand the band had established a very distinctive ensemble sound and approach, but in the intervening years members have matured and developed as players, so there were other elusive and imagined dimensions in the mix. Another factor was the great variety of compositions in the existing Loose Tubes repertoire; I rejected many early ideas as being too similar in style or character to other pieces, in a way that probably would not occur if the band had played all swing charts, or fusion material.
When I had finished writing I realised that I had revisited some characteristics of my previous Loose Tubes compositions; the tempo and feel of one chart, the texture of a second, the melodic arc of another, but combined in new ways. (I also realised that I had borrowed an idea from pianist Liam Noble, having unwittingly acquired it while playing his absorbing music on tour last autumn.) Another pervasive influence was the baritone saxophone playing of Julian Argüelles. I imagined his sound and phrasing when improvising, and then wrote some material in this vein for him to play in the early stages of his solo, which subsequently becomes purely improvised.

The bell-like sound that comes in halfway through the piece is an A flat bass chime bar, which I recognised to be an essential element fairly early on in the writing process. I then set about finding an instrument, which I bought online for the bargain price of £21. I recorded the chime bar part and spent some time playing other parts with and against it, and as a by-product I now have perfect pitch in A flat, which is moderately useful. By strange coincidence, at the same time Steve Berry was sourcing a desk bell pitched at A flat for the final note of Smoke and Daffodils, albeit 6 octaves and 200 miles north of mine (see below).

I was also happy to find the word ‘Creeper’ on my list of potential titles, collected from here and there over time and filed away, in anticipation of the difficulty of naming compositions. It has a slight association with the slow but insistent climbing lines of the main part of the piece, but mostly I just like the sound and feel of the word.

Steve Berry – Smoke and Daffodils (listen here from 00:33:15, later this evening)

On the cover of my score I have put the following paragraph of creative writing. It was done by a Year 3 pupil and family friend of Andy Williamson (musician and long-time friend of mine). The subject was ‘The Big Bang’.

"Once there was nothing, then swirling light. It was every colour. It made atoms electrons, life, trees, but also stars, supernovas, Mars and the amazing Moon. It made oxygen and H20, us, bacteria, germs, smells, monkeys that morphed into humans, gravity, light, glass and fire. The universe when it was creating was courageous and imaginative. When it exploded it made tons of things it had never thought of before. Gases that smelt like smoke and daffodils. It looked like blues, yellows and reds whooshing to join up. It made the first animal eyes. Those eyes might have seen the sun and life on the world for the first time."

The phrase ‘smoke and daffodils’ leapt out at me, declaring itself in an instant to be the title of my piece.

As usual, up until that moment the title had been vexing me. It always does. The hardest part of the composing process for me, every time.

To understand the title requires only a little explanation. John Ellis formed a large Mancunian ensemble in the '90s, calling it ‘John Ellis's Big Bang’, the play on words being at once very obvious. That association was immediate for me as I read these words, and the freshness and sheer inventive imagination he manifested was very striking.
Freshness, inventiveness, imagination - all things that motivated those of us who wrote for Loose Tubes, right from the beginning. London then (and to a lesser extent, now) was awash with rehearsal bands, chock full of great players all mining the 'tradition' of Count Basie, Stan Kenton and Glenn Miller, so much so in fact that we were keen to differentiate ourselves from that, wanting to reference less established, less mainstream inspirations. This indeed was part of Graham Collier's thinking at the outset, to start an anti-matter alternative to NYJO I suppose. Between us we had ears full of Kenny Wheeler, Carla Bley, Stravinsky, Terry Riley, Berio, Hermeto Pascoal, Gil Evans, Don Ellis, Brotherhood Of Breath and Weather Report, to name but a very few. Neil Hefti, Billy May & co were well enough represented out there already. We wanted to be different.
‘Smoke and Daffodils’ as a title therefore alludes to all of the above, somehow (in my mind at least...).

For direct references I can identify, the fanfare intro harks back a little to Django's own opening for ‘Accepting Suites...’, though mine being somewhat less plangent, using it to catch the attention and lay out the underlying chordal structure used at various times in my new piece.

Immediately after that I put my heart on my sleeve with a direct nod to Kenny Wheeler, whose harmonic and lyrical concepts have long entranced me. Hence the lone flugel melody entrusted to Noel Langley. This soon unfolds with more and more instruments joining in, the whole tune being revealed in more detail and colour across the band.
Repeating the harmonic form, I tried to allow ideas to develop and grow from within the original melody, all heading on towards a moment where the feel mutates into a 9/8, 'bembe'-type groove, an African reference beloved by so many of us, John Parricelli and Django having a history of being beautifully adept at comping in and around each other in a constantly evolving dialogue.The horns simply lay down lush and full chords on top of the bubbling and chattering rhythm section. The chord sequence at this point is derived from the main theme's sequence, but modified slightly to suit the solo from Julian Arguelles, taking care to try and construct a form that breathes in a more natural way for improvised ideas to flourish.

Tempted to orchestrate this solo with backgrounds, I decided nonetheless to stay my hand. I've long been bothered by written backgrounds, feeling that they can sometimes dictate the shape and trajectory of a solo. Instead I elected to leave Julian and the (by the way, I do hate this phrase) 'rhythm section' free rein to pursue whatever story occurs to them. They have one conundrum to consider - how to finish the solo as it segues into the soli that follow it. Solving that conundrum can always be an open question, their approach able to be different every time, should they wish.
Whatever happens, the soli burst onto the scene in a 'no prisoners' way, being a last tour through the solo changes, my pen seeking to capture and orchestrate a hint of the inventive possibilities it affords improvisationally. This eventually calms into a restatement of the original theme, then on into a coda that has a looped section where mass improvisation is encouraged to develop from within an already busy brew.
For the broadcast the looped section is restricted to four repeats for reasons of time allowed (each composer required to generate 7 minutes per commissioned piece). It is my hope that should the band get more opportunities to explore the piece beyond this premiering week - and if they like the piece enough - the end section might be allowed to catch fire with an open-ended repeating of the loop, more and more improvisation erupting jubilantly from within (and eclipsing) the written material heard there.
The coda ends with two huge, full-voiced chords by the whole band, then whimsically capped off with a simple A flat, played in octaves with Django's right hand. It's somehow like a microwave 'ding', letting you know it's finished cooking, though that thought occurred to me after the event and wasn't really my intention.

Post-script:Originally I thought the performance at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival was going to be the one recorded by Radio 3, and so to capitalise on the sense of occasion, I hatched a plan to inject a final, surprise element into the mix.

I decided it might be fun to suddenly appear on stage and play that A flat in unison with Django, dinging it on a service (or 'counter') bell. Only he and I would know, so it would surprise band and audience alike.

Soon I discovered how difficult it is to find service bells for sale. Worse still, even when I found 'em, a bewildering array of pitches cropped up, but no bell I ever found was pitched to A flat. This wild goose chase ground to a halt after a week or so and I reluctantly gave up, but...

Driving home one day an impulse caused me to check out the charity shops in Chorley. The third one had a petite service bell on the sales counter, with a hand written notice taped on - "NOT for sale".

You guessed - it was A flat.

Staff responded negatively to my request, prompting me to elaborate further, explaining to them about why I needed it. Thankfully they mellowed, enough to agree that I could have the bell if I sourced an adequate replacement.Trouble is, experience had already taught me that buying one (whatever it's musical pitch) usually means trekking to out-of-the-way antique dealers. You can't just pop into yer average town centre and buy one.

Chorley ain't yer average town centre... Wilcock & Sons (est 1878) ain't yer average hardware store. Yep - there it was, for £4. A bigger and better bell, giving off a resounding F natural (not that anyone in the charity shop will care about that). Seconds later the swap was effected, together with a donation to the charity. As I turned to leave with my new prized possession, I noticed the staff eagerly re-applying their "NOT for sale" notice to theirs.
Rock 'n' roll, baby.

Eddie Parker - Bright Smoke, Cold Fire (listen here from 00:52:00, later this evening)

The piece started as a bag of disparate elements and ideas about the kind of thing I wanted it to be – lots of changes of tempo and texture, something in the Mahavishnu Orchestra/arpeggiated-chord vein, something beguine-ish with rhythmic brass, a swooping tune, a busy, unpredictable tune, a rising sax soli gesture; these jotted down in the summer of 2013 when the idea of a reunion commission first came up. Then I let it go to sleep.

When the project was confirmed I began to work on the piece in earnest. I still had the idea of music which changes abruptly from one area to another and I set to work on fleshing out the different kinds of material. As I went on, it became evident that these different areas were related - they were transformations or translations of each other. I also became fascinated by the idea of how seemingly angular, atonal melodies could become tonal, and vice versa. There is a jagged, abrupt melody in the opening half-minute, which comes back a little later in a more harmonically focused context. Motifs from the opening melody are harmonically refocused later on, and extrapolated contrapuntally towards the end.

The harmony is the real foundation of the piece. The sequence of 9 harmonic areas, expressed in chord symbols, goes:

F maj7+5, B11, Bb maj7#11, Bb11, E maj7#11, E min11, Ab maj7+5, C7alt, F# maj7+5
This is quite a rich sequence. Looking at the chord scales, you find that an A major triad belongs to the first two chords, and that the 7th and 11th of the second chord become the major 7th and sharp 11th of the third, and so on. In arranging and voicing these chords you can also express them in ‘close’ form, with the 13th a semitone below the 7th, or in expanded form emphasising minor 9th intervals. This is a bit of a technical explanation, but it means that the sound of the harmony can go through different transformations. The music can sound sometimes ‘jazzy’ and sometimes ‘contemporary’.
After the opening rising sax figure, the first version of the harmony, a tribute and reference to John McLaughlin’s Mahavishnu Orchestra, is a filtered version of the sequence, with fewer notes to give a more gutsy sound. When it returns at the end in fuller orchestration the bare intervals remain – I didn’t fill the sound out with other extensions etc. I like this ‘white hot’ sound – it expresses the shock of revelation in Mahavishnu's music, and here something hopefully similar: wake up!

Next comes the keyboard arpeggiated chords – another Mahavishnu trademark – and then the band comes in with parts that trace the keyboard and an angular phrase over the top at odds with the harmony, from which a lot of the later melodic material is derived. A sound that suggests a complex woven thread.

The next version of the harmony is in beguine tempo, with close voicings arranged for the brass. The large-interval melody which appeared earlier is on the guitar, doubled below on bass and bass clarinet. Also in this section is a little melody for alto and trumpet harmonised in fourths. This is lighter in mood, with a dancing rhythm.
Now comes another harmonic sequence, unrelated to the central one and providing a release from it; the time signature settles to a regular three in the bar. Now the atonal angular phrase is recontextualised in tonal harmony. There follows a flute solo on the sequence, followed by a recapitulation of the melody with high woodwind trills – suggesting a Debussian delirium. The fourthsy melody has now acquired a little countermelody.

An abrupt change leads to the second half of the piece, a percussion-heavy groove in six with accented bass notes. A saxophone solo weaves in between until the horns begin their contrapuntal explorations of the intervallic and melodic material. There is an urgency in this section - the high woodwind trills sound like a phone ringing (must take this call!), the chromatic lines propel the music forward with increasing complexity, like a polemic. The grand brass chords which stand monumentally over the music from time to time are another iteration of the original harmonic sequence, this time arranged in expanded intervals to give a more plangent contemporary sound. In fact the bass notes spell out the roots of the original sequence, and the rhythmic accents have been in the piece from the beginning. So the abrupt change to something seemingly unrelated is in fact a change to the same thing as before!

The contrapuntal section leads headlong into the opening Mahavishnu-style music with cataclysmic force; then comes a final reiteration of the beguine tempo section with yet more dancing counterlines. And finally another abrupt change: the mood becomes more forgiving, more wistful, thinner in texture, and gently waltzes to a close that feels unresolved, a dot-dot-dot ending. The harmony in this section is in fact a re-spelling of the original chord sequence – each chord has the same parent scale as the original, F maj+5 becomes A maj +5, B11 becomes F# min11, and so on. The voicings are similar to things that happen in the late Pete Saberton’s music, and this section is a fond tribute to his memory.

So what, finally, is the meaning of the title ‘Bright Smoke, Cold Fire’? In the original Shakespeare, Romeo uses the phrase to illustrate what it feels like when he doubts Juliet’s love for him – a world turned upside-down. But here I intend other, broader meanings. The world is not as it should be: there is still, even now in the 21st century, war, children starving to death – that’s Bright Smoke, Cold Fire; greed, fear and power are still abroad both in the wider world and in the interactions of daily life – that’s Bright Smoke, Cold Fire; music is still used by many as acoustic wallpaper while doing something else, or as mere entertainment, or as social badge, or as a means of manipulating opinions and buying habits, instead of as the supreme medium of transformation and healing – that’s Bright Smoke, Cold Fire; music history is a list of officially approved figures rather than a universal legacy of generosity, free to all – that’s Bright Smoke, Cold Fire… and more… I think, or I hope, the urgent need for these revelations is there in the sound of this music.

Jazz on 3: Loose Tubes

Jez Nelson — Mon, 09 Jun 2014 14:56:49 +0000

Loose Tubes (Credit: Mark Allan)

I first saw Loose Tubes at Portsmouth Pavilion in 1988. I interviewed keyboardist and composer Django Bates backstage as I was a reporter on the local radio station and I have a feeling it was the first ‘professional’ jazz interview I ever did.

At that time jazz was enjoying a brief moment of mainstream interest. At the centre of that were two new British big bands causing a stir – The Jazz Warriors and Loose Tubes. I liked both, although to be honest at that point I probably didn’t fully get some of the stuff Loose Tubes were doing. I saw them a few times after that but really it was as I followed Django and other ‘Tubers’ subsequent projects, I began to become a big retrospective fan.

When Jazz on 3 heard there was a reunion in the offing we jumped at the chance to record one of the nights from their week-long run at Ronnie Scott's in Soho. We also began talking about commissioning new music and Django insisted from the off that four original members would write a piece. It proved to be an inspired idea. Flautist Eddie Parker, trumpeter Chris Batchelor and the band's original bassist Steve Berry all joined Django in bringing compositions to the table, and Eddie, Steve and Chris have written some illuminating and incredibly detailed notes on their pieces for us, which you can read here.

Seeing the band back in action at Ronnie Scott’s was amazing, an event in the genuine sense. The old music sounded vibrant and still fresh and the new compositions, while progressive, slotted right in. One thing that really stood out for me was the link to another big band I really love – Chris McGregor’s Brotherhood of Breath – there’s the South African influence but also a sense that you can have really free, chaotic moments and then hit a big, swinging groove.

The band's MC, trombonist Ashley Slater, is a funny guy and always brought another element to the band’s shows. I have got to know him well over the years and was even once in a band with him - we released a terrible record (a house version of Milestones if you must ask). So I forgive him for mercilessly taking the mickey out of me on the night Jazz on 3 were at Ronnies.

But more importantly, the whole atmosphere inside the club was incredible - what a place to hear a big band. And it made me think about how great bands break down that barrier between them and the audience: the fact that the musicians had to walk through tables to play their solos; the banter back and forth. It was a joyful evening, and if you can’t wait until tonight’s programme, here’s a sneak preview from the gig:

Tune in to hear the full performance on Jazz on 3 this Monday 09 June at 11pm or listen online for seven days after broadcast.

Jez

If you have comments about the show, or requests for music you’d like to hear, do get in touch at jazzon3@bbc.co.uk or on twitter at @BBCJazzon3.

Jazz on 3: Cheltenham Jazz Festival

Jez Nelson — Mon, 12 May 2014 09:03:12 +0000

I always love going to the Cheltenham Jazz Festival – there’s something about the atmosphere across the site, from the Big Top circus tent to the small theatres and outdoor free stages. People just turn up and give it a go, often coming across jazz for the first time – and that’s not just Frank (Sinatra) Jr sings Frank Snr but also cutting-edge music from the likes of saxophonist Denys Baptiste and trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire.

Jez Nelson and Iain Ballamy

I saw loads of gigs and it’s great just to pop into things to check them out. On this evidence, fusion grandee Billy Cobham is still incredibly energetic at 70, Chris Mapp’s solo bass show blew my head off with feedback and distortion, and vocalist Kurt Elling’s version of Norwegian Wood is for me up there with the original. Also at the festival was saxophonist Iain Ballamy with his group Anorak, who you can hear on Jazz Line-Up this coming Saturday in celebration of Iain’s 50th birthday.

Ambrose Akinmusire

Don’t worry, the Jazz on 3 team did some work while we were there too, recording three concerts that you can hear over the coming weeks. Ambrose Akinmusire is an astonishing trumpeter, snapped up by the Blue Note label a couple of years ago, who doesn’t need to show off to impress.

Thomas Stronen's Time is a Blind Guide. Photo: Tim Dickeson

And Norwegian drummer Thomas Strønen is someone we’ve followed on Jazz on 3 for many years. His new project Time Is A Blind Guide features British pianist Kit Downes alongside a string section. At 3pm the musicians hadn’t seen the music; at 9pm they played it perfectly – a really special gig.

You can hear tasters from both these concerts on tonight’s Jazz on 3, but this week the programme centres around German pianist Michael Wollny and his new trio. Wollny has earned critical acclaim over the last few years as one of Europe’s bright young things, and this gig really brought his new album to life for me. Seeing him and drummer Eric Schaefer work together was a joy, and he’s an incredible technician - it’s all there, from delicate classical touches to heavier, really burning passages, taking in everything from Hindemith to the Flaming Lips.

I almost forgot to mention the big news story of the festival – the first performance of big band Loose Tubes’ reunion. I won’t say any more now, except that it lived up to the hype, and that you’ll be able to hear the band recorded at their spiritual home, Ronnie Scott’s, on Jazz on 3 on 9 June.

Before that, join me from Cheltenham on Monday 12 May at 11pm, or listen online for seven days after broadcast.

Jez

If you have comments about the show, or requests for music you’d like to hear, do get in touch at jazzon3@bbc.co.uk or on twitter at @BBCJazzon3.

Jazz on 3: Adventures in Sound

Jez Nelson — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 15:16:34 +0000

Spontaneity and improvisation are words close to any jazz musician's heart – but what happens when you take it one step further to improvise the whole line-up of a band? Well, our annual event, Adventures in Sound dares to do just that, as we invite musicians from all corners of the improvising world, stick them in ad-hoc groupings and throw them on stage before they've even had time to shake hands. If you think that sounds daunting, then you might be quite surprised by the results in this week's programme.

Mola Sylla at Adventures in Sound

Recorded at Cafe Oto during last year's London Jazz Festival, our first impromptu performance comes from Senegalese vocalist Mola Sylla, British bassist Sam Lasserson and Dutch saxophonist and flautist Ab Baars. Somehow the trio settle into a rhythm and mood almost immediately and Sylla – who also plays percussion – proves to be something of a secret weapon, bringing sounds far from the avant-jazz norm. In our second spontaneous collaboration, volatile textures are explored by a group including saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock and acoustic bass guitariist Luc Ex. They are joined by drummer Jeff Williams and electronics whizz Leafcutter John, whose rumblings and glitchy rhythms propel the music in unexpected directions. We also have a chance to hear a set from Luc Ex’s trio, as well as music from another threesome led by guitarist Anton Hunter – their warm, Americana-tinged sound is close to my heart, and if you heard the piece we broadcast from this performance before Christmas, you’ll know you’re in for a treat.

This week also marks the 70^th birthday of an extraordinary composer and bandleader, who's made many unforgettable sonic explorations of his own – Henry Threadgill. Speaking with his close colleagues drummer Pheeroan akLaff, composer George Lewis, and guitarist Liberty Ellman, we'll be getting the inside track on the man and his music.

Join me on Monday 17 February at 11pm, or listen online for seven days after broadcast.

Jez

If you have comments about the show, or requests for music you’d like to hear, do get in touch at jazzon3@bbc.co.uk or on twitter at @BBCJazzon3.

Jazz on 3: Saalfelden Jazz Festival 2013

Jez Nelson — Mon, 10 Feb 2014 11:53:10 +0000

Tucked away in the Austrian Alps, Saalfelden Jazz Festival has been going strong for almost 35 years, playing host to local and international acts alike. Every year, thanks to the hard graft and solidarity of the European Broadcast Union, a package of highlights arrives at Jazz on 3 of new, experimental jazz from the festival – and this year didn't disappoint.

It’s tradition that a local Austrian artist is commissioned to open the show and this time it was the turn of young pianist David Helbock with his quartet Action Figures. David is from a small village called Koblach up on the Swiss border and as his bandname would suggest, takes a very playful approach to music. The quartet features the unusual backline of drums and tuba, giving it a powerful low end, whilst American tenor player Tony Malaby adds to the punch. Helbock is certainly one to watch, with a unique composition style – although influences do bubble to the surface on the brilliant 'Anonymous Monkaholics'.

Saalfelden is also a great place to encounter more established acts, but often found in new or unusual groupings. French guitarist Marc Ducret, previously heard on Jazz on 3 with his trio, appears here with his 12-piece Tower Bridge ensemble. Hefty brass sounds, two drummers and big riffling characterises an intense set, featuring Tim Berne on alto sax. We also hear again from John Medeski – who in contrast to last week's featured gig with Medeski Martin and Wood – plays a solo piano set of unusual and rather beautiful interpretations of spirituals like 'His Eye Is On The Sparrow' alongside Gershwin's classic 'Summertime'. The Uri Caine Ensemble also nod to Gershwin in a performance featuring vocalists Barbara Walker and Theo Bleckmann. Their playful deconstruction of the melody in 'They Can't Take That Away From Me' into a childlike, syllabic antiphony is followed by an impressionist, layered and rather beautiful 'But Not For Me'.

The real surprise though comes from Swedish improvising saxophonist Martin Küchen's Angles 10. In another brass-heavy line up, full-force rhythmic grooving meets Eastern tinged melodies – for a rapturous performance which at times reminded me of Sun Ra's Arkestra. Playing 'Every Woman Is A Tree', Küchen really delivers with some clever composing and stand out solo moments on alto.

Join me for these fantastic performances on Monday 10 February at 11pm, or listen online for seven days after broadcast.

Jez

2013 Saalfelden Jazz Festival in photos

If you have comments about the show, or requests for music you’d like to hear, do get in touch at jazzon3@bbc.co.uk or on twitter at @BBCJazzon3.

Jazz on 3: Medeski Martin and Wood

Jez Nelson — Tue, 04 Feb 2014 13:20:57 +0000

‘Psychedelic booty music’ – that's how keyboard player John Medeski describes the sounds in this week's Jazz on 3, and well, I don't think I could have put it better myself. Recorded at the 2013 London Jazz Festival, our featured performance comes from a trio who are quite frankly one of the best groove bands on the planet – the Hammond-drenched avant-funk unit, Medeski Martin and Wood.

Medeski Martin and Wood. Photo: Sarah Jeynes/BBC

You might have caught the group opening our London Jazz Festival live launch show last November – well in fact earlier that same evening, John Medeski, bassist Chris Wood and drummer Billy Martin had just come off stage from what was their debut appearance and a sellout show there at Ronnie Scott's. We couldn't resist the chance to record the set, a rare opportunity to hear the band open up into more exploratory and extended improvisations than are normally heard on their recordings. The band kick off with 'Agmatia', a piece by John Zorn that proves the perfect excuse for an out-of-space excursion that segues into their own track, 'The Lover'. Throughout the performance Medeski exploits the full range of twisted keys and psych sounds on offer from his organ, but also spends some brilliant bluesy moments at the piano later on in the set. The slow-burner 'Shack Man' sees the band take the pace down a gear with some hypnotic minimal grooving, before their upbeat finale 'Padrecito' ends the show with a bang and features a standout solo from Wood on upright bass.

Throughout the programme John Medeski also joins me on the line to talk about the gig and shares stories on his influences ranging from gospel organ to Sun Ra – plus the classical touch that inspired his first solo album at the piano, A Different Time.

You can listen online to the programme for seven days.

Jez

If you have comments about the show, or requests for music you’d like to hear, do get in touch at jazzon3@bbc.co.uk or on twitter at @BBCJazzon3.