Concerts

Diana Krall - Live in Paris

Does it get any better than this? Canadian torch singer and pianist Diana Krall is in perfect form in this two-hour Paris concert, recorded in December 2001 shortly after the release of her CD The Look of Love. In her band, guitarist Anthony Wilson and bassist John Clayton get the lion's share of attention, but the entire ensemble (including lush strings from the Paris Symphony Orchestra) provides flawless support for Krall, whose skill on a Steinway is as impressive as her smoky interpretations of vintage standards and ballads. Inspired by guest conductor-arranger Claus Ogerman, Krall can surprise with subtleties (like a delicious hint of the Beatles' "Day Tripper" in her closing of "All or Nothing"), or glide into solos with a master's flair. Matching the music beat for beat, the camera coverage and editing are intimate without being obtrusive, making this a bit of jazz heaven here on earth. --Jeff Shannon

Recorded live at the Paris Olympia on December 1, 2001, Krall's classic style blends equal parts artistic vision, hard work and determination. The British Columbia native began playing piano at the age of four and now has five stunning albums behind her. She made her debut with the critically acclaimed Only Trust Your Heart and the album topped the Billboard jazz charts for the most of 1998, earning Krall a Grammy nomination. She went on to win a Best Jazz Vocal Performance Grammy for 1999's platinum-selling When I Look in Your Eyes and became the first jazz artist in 25 years to be nominated in the Album of the Year category.

Jazz on a Summer's Day/A Summer's Day With Bert Stern

Part concert documentary, part pop-cultural time capsule, Bert Stern's Jazz on a Summer's Day chronicles the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival with an approach as deceptively relaxed, even impulsive, as the music itself. Still photographer Stern sidesteps more formal documentary conventions such as narrative voiceovers to wander purposefully from festival stage to boarding-house jam sessions, taking in the parallel color and motion of the America's Cup preparations when he isn't capturing rich color footage of the performances and the celebratory mood of the concertgoers. In the process, he documents American jazz at a notably golden moment in its development--diverse, adventurous, and still broadly popular, this was jazz not yet under the shadow of rock and youth culture, played by an integrated artistic community a few short years away from social and political turmoil that would boil divisively to the surface during the '60s. To say Stern was rolling film in a jazz Camelot is overstatement, but only slightly so.

Stern's circular approach and wonderful eye achieve a breezy languor at the expense of more comprehensive coverage of the festival's bumper crop of strong jazz, blues, and gospel musicians. Perhaps inevitably, the camera lingers on Louis Armstrong, Anita O'Day, Mahalia Jackson, Dinah Washington, Thelonious Monk, Gerry Mulligan, and George Shearing. Avid fans of later styles may be frustrated by the fleeting glimpses of other musicians such as Eric Dolphy and Art Farmer, or the honor roll of classic jazz stylists whose Newport sets weren't included in the film, but such omissions seem forgivable, if not necessary, to Stern's serendipitous design. --Sam Sutherland

Pat Metheny Group - We Live Here

Guitarist, composer, and bandleader Pat Metheny has done it all in the course of his career, and on his own terms. He's recorded in solo, duo, and trio formats and with groups of various sizes; he's composed film soundtracks, led bands with the likes of Ornette Coleman, made a variety of guest appearances, and toured all over the world. Yet it's with his own Pat Metheny Group, an outfit that he and keyboardist Lyle Mays began some 25 years ago, that he has made much of his arguably best and certainly most popular music. So it is, then, that any Metheny Group concert recording is a welcome addition to his catalog.

That's certainly true in the case of this 1995 Japanese show, even though much of the material (five of 13 songs) on We Live Here is drawn from the album of that name, which was not one of the group's finest. At its best (as on Metheny "classics" like "First Circle" and "Minuano"), the Metheny Group's music isn't really jazz, or what's usually called fusion, or world music, but rather a fluid, distinctive blend of them all; it's improvised yet composed, often quite beautiful ("Farmer's Trust," "Antonia") but also frequently challenging ("Scrap Metal"). Metheny, Mays, and the five other members of the group are all superb players, and play is exactly what they do--this is a no-frills enterprise, with some brief musician interviews between tracks (plus superb Dolby 5.1 digital or stereo sound) but no bonus DVD features. That's no surprise. With Pat Metheny it's always been strictly about the music, and that's enough. --Sam Graham

Led by Pat Metheny--virtuoso guitarist, composer and producer--the eight member Pat Metheny Group perform their jazz fusion stylings live in Japan. Nominated for 23 Grammys in his career, Metheny and his group continue to push the envelope of jazz, leaving true believers in their wake. Tracks: Have You Heard, And Then I Knew, Here to Stay, First Circle, Scrap Metal, Farmer's Trust, Episode D'Azur, Third Wind, This Is Not America, Antonia, To the End of the World, Minuano (Six-Eight), Stranger in Town. 110 minutes.

The Brian Setzer Orchestra - Live in Japan

The Japanese might not know exactly what "jump, jive, an' wail" means, but they know how to rock--and so does Brian Setzer, who does just that throughout this 20-song, 85-minute concert, filmed in Tokyo during his 2001 tour. The former Stray Cat guitarist-singer and his 17-piece, horn-heavy orchestra's big band swing-meets-rockabilly sound is dynamic and exciting--just check out the audience, which goes absolutely bonkers from the first note. We hear plenty of virtuoso soloing by Setzer (who also performs in trio and solo settings) on tunes ranging from standards like "In the Mood" to Stray Cats favorites like "Rock This Town." But it's more than a one-man deal; the band's onstage antics make this a fun show to both watch and listen to. DVD bonus features include a brief tour documentary, while two songs ("Caravan" and "Sleepwalk") can be viewed from different angles using your DVD remote. Let's rock, y'all! --Sam Graham

Rock and Roll's ultimate revivalist, Brian Setzer takes his swinging big band to Japan for this hot, hot, hot concert in the Land of the Rising Sun. Having led the resurgence of rockabilly in the '80s with his band the Stray Cats, Setzer has turned his muse to swing music and helped to restore this great music to the mainstream of popular music during the '90s and continues into the new millennium. Songs: Hawaii 5-0, This Cat's on a Hot Tin Roof, The Dirty Boogie, Jumpin' East of Java, The Footloose Doll, Drive Like Lightning (Crash Like Thunder), Caravan, Americano, I Won't Stand in Your Way, Mystery Train, Gene and Eddie, Guitar Rag, Sleepwalk, Stray Cat Strut, Jump Jive an' Wail, Pennsylvania 6-5000, Gettin' in the Mood, Get Me to the Church on Time, Rock This Town.

Casino Lights '99

Contemporary jazz, smooth jazz, jazz lite: call it what you will, if you have a taste for that kind of funky, groove-oriented instrumental music (with a couple of vocals thrown in for good measure), you'll certainly get a healthy dose of it here. Filmed at Switzerland's Montreux Jazz Festival in 1999, the concert (also available on CD) features some of the genre's best players, like pianist Bob James and guitarist Larry Carlton, both of whom appear with their own bands, backing other musicians, and with their group Fourplay. Also on hand are keyboardist George Duke, saxophonists Kenny Garrett, Boney James, Kirk Whalum, and Mark Turner, and trumpeter Rick Braun. The performances are all good; these fellows can play, and singers Kevin Mahogany and Gabriela Anders are no slouches either.

The problem lies in the material. Aside from Miles Davis's "Four" (played by Fourplay), the standard "Old Folks" (Turner), and a couple of others, most of what passes for tunes is little more than riff-heavy, melody-free jamming--and that includes two hoary classics, Eddie Harris's "Cold Duck Time" (played here by Carlton, it first appeared on Swiss Movement, the Harris/Les McCann album recorded at Montreux in '69) and Herbie Hancock's "Watermelon Man" (the closing number, played by just about everybody). The simple truth is that listening to (and watching) some guy get down with his funky horn again and again gets old over the course of two hours. But then, perhaps you had to be there. --Sam Graham

Casino Lights '99 is a live concert performance featuring renowned contemporary jazz musicians Bob James, George Duke, Rick Braun, Boney James, Kirk Whalum, Larry Carlton, Fourplay, Kenny Garrett, Kevin Mahogany, Mark Turner, and Gabriela Anders. Shot in 1999 at the legendary Montreux Jazz Festival, Casino Lights '99 showcases each artist's mastery of the art form spanning genres form traditional to the contemporary repertoire.

A complete track listing for the Casino Lights '99 DVD includes:
Mind Games - Bob James Trio
Old Folks - Mark Turner
Wayne's Thang - Kenny Garrett Quartet
Cold Duck Time - Larry Carlton
Soweto - Kirk Whalum
Yesterday I Had The Blues - Kevin Mahogany
Always There - Rick Braun, Larry Carlton, Kenny Garrett, Boney James & Kirk Whalum
All Night Long - Boney James
Notorious - Rick Braun
Fire of Love - Gabriela Anders
Brazilian Love Affair - George Duke
Four - Fourplay
Westchester Lady - Fourplay, Rick Braun, Boney James & Kirk Whalum
Watermelon Man - FFourplay, Rick Braun, Boney James & Kirk Whalum

Miles Davis - Live from the Montreal Jazz Festival

How bad were the 1980s in music? Not even jazz great Miles Davis could escape the black hole. The decade that saw synthesizers and slick approaches ruin pop music somehow caught the master trumpet player's ear and resulted in one of Davis's poorest periods. Of course, Davis was lucky to even be alive during the '80s, surviving sickness and drug abuse, and this hour-long performance, shot during the 1985 Montreal Jazz Festival, shows a performer looking happy just to be playing. Appearing thin and sickly, Davis and his six-piece fusion outfit run through six tunes, none coming close to the trumpet player's past experimental achievements. Songs like "One Phone Call" are long, metallic funk jams that nonetheless give Davis plenty of room to maneuver in spirited solos, when the rhythm section and keyboards aren't drowning him out. Davis also reinvents pop hits of the era--ballads like Michael Jackson's "Human Nature" (from Thriller) and Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time," but they come across more like soulless "smooth jazz." Still, on all of the numbers, if you can block out everything else and simply focus in on Davis's trumpet, the aging great possessed the ability to mesmerize, even in his down years. Despite the lack of terrific music material, this DVD is wonderfully packaged. The Milestones Biographical Time Line is a great source to introduce beginners to Davis's legacy, while the extensive liner notes on each individual song performed in Montreal are equally impressive. --Dave McCoy

This 1985 performance at the Montreal Jazz Festival captures Miles at one of his peaks in popularity. Throughout his long career, Miles utilized the best in contemporary pop music, and this time he had some uniquely suitable sources; Cyndi Lauper's hit "Time After Time" and Michael Jackson's "Human Nature." Combine funk, pop, and the founder of the Birth of the Cool, the result is an elegant restrained restatement of everything Miles Davis. Add in the virtuoso guitarist John Scofield - and the result is a musical treasure.

Harry Connick Jr. - The New York Big Band Concert

Fela In Concert

Was he a musician? A politician? A religious chief? An agitator? Was he a Miles Davis-James Brown-Malcolm X who decided to marry his 27 dancers and singers, and his first wife, all the same day, in a great tropical ceremony? In any case, he was one of the best loved men in Africa. In Nigeria (over 80 million population) Fela claimed that he was better known than the President. It was probably true. This extraordinary program features the most famous Nigerian musician and composer, FELA ANIKULAPO LUTI. Fela was the most celebrated black African musician of his time and a revolutionary, a cultural and political symbol oftentimes ambiguous to the Western mind.

The African rhythms of his music are profoundly influenced by Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Mile Davis as well as Marley, Tosh and Burning Spear, forming a new musical style called "Afro-Pop," somewhat akin to "Jazz-Rock," but with deep African roots.

A charismatic performer, Fela projects the imperial trappings of power. His music is punctuated by exotic and highly suggestive tribal dances and rituals performed on stage by 15 of his 27 wives.

-FELA, BLACK PRESIDENT-
He led a political party in Lagos, the "Movement of The People," and he was its candidate in the Nigerian Presidential elections of 1983. Panafricanist, libertarian, Fela represented the uprising of Black Africa, politically and musically.

This historic show was recorded in Paris on June 30, 1981 during an exclusive "all night" live concert.

SELECTIONS
1. Instrumental Solo
2. Army's Arrangement
3. Original Suffer Head 4.

Toots Thielemans in New Orleans

Brussels-born guitarist-harmonica virtuoso Toots Thielemans has played with the best and brightest jazz musicians in the business, from George Shearing and Sonny Rollins to Quincy Jones. This 1998 live date captures the elegant and swinging Thielemans live in New Orleans at Lulu White's Mahogany Hall on Bourbon Street. With a top-flight band consisting of pianist Fred Hersch, bassist Harvie Swartz, and drummer Adam Nussbaum, Thielemans digs into his delicious and eclectic songbook of standards and originals. Thielemans's mellow Joe Pass-like guitar lines and his poetic and piercing harmonica strains imbue favorites like "The Days of Wine and Roses" and "The Meaning of the Blues" with illuminating lyricism. Thelonious Monk's tricky "Three in One" is brilliantly navigated, and Thielemans's signature tune "Bluesette" still retains its haunting melodic colors, musically painted by timeless genius. --Eugene Holley Jr.

You can't imagine Toots Thielemans in a bad mood. He is a man who is completely content with his life and work, and his personality reflects this joie de vivre almost as much as his music. He is quite simply the greatest, and probably the first, jazz harmonica player. Born in Brussels, Belgium, his first instrument was guitar, which he taught himself to play. In 1948, he journeyed to America and joined the George Shearing Quintet. He subsequently recorded with countless American jazz greats, including Sonny Rollins and Bill Evans. For this recording, he surrounds himself with a surging rhythm section featuring Fred Hersch, piano; Harvie Swartz, bass; and Adam Nussbaum, drums. "Toots Thielemans in New Orleans" was recorded before a live audience at Lulu White's Mahogany Hall on Bourbon Street, showing this great artist in top form. Tracks: Days of Wine and Roses, Round Midnight/Little Rootie Tootie, Meaning of the Blues, Green Dolphin Street, Three in One, If You Go Away, Only Trust Your Heart, Bluesette.

Woody Herman - Woodchopper's Ball

Pioneering clarinetist-bandleader Woody Herman was one of a kind. From the '40s to the '80s, his big bands encompassed everything from swing to bebop and beyond. Woodchopper's Ball presents different versions of his "Thundering Herds" from the '70s and '80s. With a down-home and urbane clarinet sound, Herman's versions of the jazz standards "Woodchopper's Ball," "April in Paris," and "Four Brothers" swing in the tradition. Herman's takes on Don Grolnick's "Pools" also highlights his keen ear, which was open to new forms of jazz-fusion. Woody Herman was one of a kind, a musician who looked at musical styles as different modes of expression, not barriers. That trait made him and his music the miracle that it is. --Eugene Holley Jr.