The Jazz.com Blog
March 11, 2009 · 18 comments
Stan Sagov at Boston’s Regattabar
Roanna Forman, who covers the Boston jazz scene for jazz.com, is one of the most astute critics on the scene. In recent weeks, she has reported on Jimmy Heath’s appearance at Scullers and Brad Mehldau's Harvard concert with mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter. Now she turns her attention to a performance last week by Stan Sagov at Boston’s Regattabar. T.G.
Stan Sagov is one of those remarkable people who effectively juggle two of the most demanding pursuits in the world. A physician by day, he’s a dedicated jazz player at night. Now in his mid-sixties, Sagov has been playing since he was 16. (It all started with that R&B band…) He has considerable musicianship—the result of diligent, serious practice; study with Jaki Byard at New England Conservatory; and good absorption of the jazz idiom. He also does some nice original writing, examples of which the band played in their early set at Boston’s Regattabar on March 4.
That said, the music I heard exhibited Sagov’s major problem, one that a studio recording can adjust away but a live performance can’t. He needs to learn Rule #1 of ensemble playing—listen and complement, but don’t overplay, either by being too busy or too loud. This was the problem throughout the evening, to the detriment of every tune but the last one.
It was distracting to a fault. Conceivably, it was nerves, because the CDs have a better balance (and also a sound engineer to mix each track). Anyway, the live show really sounded as though there was a loud player on one side of the bandstand who was doing his own thing, and a well-tempered, blending band on the other. Sagov comped too hard on the opening tune “Layers of Jazz Memory,” an original funk and swing groove, stepped on reeds player Stan Strickland’s sweet, well-constructed lines in Steve Swallow’s “Falling Grace,” and made it hard for me to enjoy the tenor sax wailing on “Swamp Blues.” Even the drummer was not exempt. Bob Moses’s single solo, light and airy at the beginning, then gradually filled with increasing intricacies toward climax, got mugged at the very end. I cannot blame the sound man, Sagov just came on too strong.
Moses, a faculty member of New England Conservatory, is a key part of 20th century jazz history—he was the drummer who helped bring Pat Metheny’s Bright Size Life to life, and his other credits are extensive. Moses’s playing on this set was calibrated, tune by tune to the feel of each song and the mood of the players. He kept his drums soft when warranted, to a subtle, just perceptible rhythm, but you always heard him. Or he’d bring it up as needed, then sometimes attenuate to finish on an ending, like a good driver who knows just when and how to accelerate and brake.
As a pianist, Stan Sagov can establish a good groove, and his playing was competent in the live performance, but I think he made more interesting music on his CDs. Nevertheless, he writes some fine tunes. On “South African Curry,” a “bootie scooter,” as Stan Strickland called it, Sagov got the band going with a kicky synthesizer introduction. “Miles Behind,” which shows clear affection for and influence of later Miles Davis, has a beautiful, catchy, virile head played by the horns.
Mike Peipman picked up on the Milesian influences and harmonies at times, as with the long lines he used over Sagov’s effects on the meandering drone of “Units of Length” and “Ghana.” But he was hardly a Miles Davis clone. Swinging on flugelhorn in “For All We Know,” sliding through fast runs and repeated figures on “Layers of Jazz Memory,” and tossing back quick, cupped trumpet responses to Strickland’s tenor wailing on the “Swamp Blues,” he showed a feel for many styles and was musically solid and coherent.
On reeds, Stan Strickland, a longtime figure on the Boston music and entertainment scene, did some good work, from classic blues lines on “Swamp Runs” to Coltranesque runs on “Layers of Jazz Memory.” Strickland also sings. Luckily, his intonation live was better than some of the self-indulgent improvisation on Sagov’s first CD, although he did have some lapses pitch-wise on “For All We Know.” With scat reminiscent of Betty Carter and an over-the-top meditation on nature during the blues number, he definitely kept the audience scooting their booties. Meanwhile, John Lockwood, a South African-born compatriot of Sagov’s, kept it together with his still-waters-run-deep presence and rich bass playing, one of the happy consistencies of the Boston jazz scene.
To close, Stan Strickland picked up a bass flute and led the band into “Blue in Green.” Here, the piano finally chilled, playing some good fluid right hand lines to support the trumpet. Mike Peipman made this gorgeous tune his own, taking it out haltingly, like a gasp from Miles’s spirit.
This blog entry posted by Roanna Forman
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I saw Stan's group for the first time at the Regatta bar. I'm puzzled by Forman's review. From where we sat (other side of the crowd from Stan and his keyboards), Stan's keyboard playing was anything but overbearing. Maybe Ms. Forman was sitting too close to him. We thought Stan and his group were very balanced, heady and all-round great!
I too sat on the opposite side of the room near the rear and my experience was very different than what was mentioned in the review. This is an extraordinary collection of musicians with a fascinating repertoire and I look forward to their next outing.
I didn't happen to be at this show but I was at the one at Scullers a few months back, where the balance was just fine and Sagov was very attuned to the rest of the band. Again, perhaps the reviewer's experience had to do with the acoustics of the room?
I attended the regatta bar for this event. Roanna Forman certainly knows her jazz. I did not experience the imbalance that she describes. I agree with her review of the talent in the band. We remarked on the extraordinary skill of each and every band member. But I felt that the band blended well, with well-timed complementing of each other. I did not experience any one musician overpowering another at all.
I thought this review was a bit mean spirited and not constructive. This band represents jazz talent and creativity to the max. The two sold out shows both at Scullers and more recently at the Regatta Bar proves that Ms. Forman is more interested in her role as a critic and not as jazz lover. I question her intent in her review and wonder if perhaps she was just having a bad day. Where I was sitting the sound was on point and i heard none of what was reported. Lastly, The fact that this band had two sold out shows at prominent jazz bars on random weekday says far more about their talent, spirit and competence than Ms. Forman cared to mention. Lighten up Roanna and give Stan the jazz man the credit he deserves.
What a wonderful show! It was fun to see the band members play so well off of each other and with each other--what chemistry, talent, and I thought, balance. Thanks for such a great night!
The members are passionate and their music was full of life. I was amazed by it all. Stanley was so inviting and charming at the piano I couldn't keep from tapping my feet. This was a show to remember!
Hmmm...amazing how many audience members from the early set of Dr. Sagov's appearance at the Regattabar on March 4 have stumbled upon this review, and felt compelled to respond. Of course, it must be pure coincidence...
No coincidence at all.After attempting direct contact with Ms. Forman to discuss her idiosyncratic response to the balance, I emailed the review to my music contacts email list and asked those who attended the same show to respond to the comments about the aural imbalance. I felt awkward and defensive about doing so myself. Roanna would not agree to discuss this with me by phone and invited blog responses.So I am reading them come in just as you are.
I could hear all the musicians very well and certainly didn’t feel that Sagov dominated the concert – either by being too loud, or in any other way for that matter. What impressed me the most about the band’s performance was seeing and hearing these musicians play together with such deep mutual respect and affection. This chemistry clearly wasn’t “staged.” If the reviewer’s perceptions were at all accurate, it’s hard to imagine that the other guys in the group would have been sending such approving glances and vibes towards Sagov throughout the concert. Apparently the reviewer didn’t pick up on any of that. Why she didn’t is a bit of a mystery – because it was more than a little obvious. I may not be a jazz buff, but I know a smooth and balanced sound when I hear it. And on March 4th, that’s what the audience was treated to – from beginning to end.
I have a hunch that if I sit here watching long enough, I will hear from the bartender at the Regattabar. And the landlord. And the bo'sun tight, and the midshipmite and the crew of the captain's gig...
The Bartender,Landlord and the rest of the crew are not on my email list, but Ted feel free to invite them to your jazz.com blog and invite the frank exchange of views that could make this country great!! I hope your humorous sallies are not intended to stem the flow??I am loving it much better than the review without comments.
I have listened with pleasure to Stanley Sagov’s music for more than 35 years, most recently at Scullers and the Regattabar. I do not have the technical background to argue with Roanna Forman’s review on its own terms. She is a careful listener with deep knowledge of jazz traditions that she credits Stanley’s group with honoring. But I’d like to introduce a different perspective. On the day I read Forman’s review, I happened to read David Hajdu’s review of the late pianist Michel Petrucciani in The New Republic (3/18/09). I was struck by the following comment in Hajdu’s article: “I cannot think of a jazz pianist since Petrucciani who plays with such exuberance and unashamed joy. Marcus Roberts and Michel Camilo have greater technique; Bill Charlap and Eric Reed, better control; Fred Hersch has broader emotional range; Uri Caine is more adventurous. Their music provides a wealth of rewards—but not the simple pleasure of Michel Petrucciani’s. With the whole business of jazz so tentative today, you would think more musicians would express some of Petrucciani’s happiness to be alive.” (p. 28) Not to make any direct comparison with Petrucciani, I think Hajdu would enjoy hearing Stanley Sagov for just that reason. Stanley’s playing, like his whole personality, expresses a triumphant joy in being alive in a complicated world that has its evident dark sides. He does revel in his overflow of individual brilliance and energy (I, for one, got a kick out of the way he moved between acoustic and electric keyboards in the same piece), but his spirit is also a very social, sharing one, committed to the common good. And his bandmates and audience get it—and give back the same love and enthusiasm he projects. I had the same reaction as Ken—that these outstanding, deeply experienced musicians enjoy playing with Stanley so much because they feel him giving them as much as they give him.
I can't comment on the music, but the martinis were first rate.
This is a largely respectful review with many good observations that help me remember what I enjoyed so much about the music and the evening. But Roanna Forman's comments about Stanley Sagov's being ungenerous were exactly contrary to the experience of my brother, Bob, and me and we talked about it at the time. Bob, an accomplished and aware musician himself, writes: "The jazz concert reviewer was so off the mark. I remember our little mini review leaving the performance where I remarked how reserved Stan Sagov was. I felt awkward in only telling him 'thank you for putting the ensemble together' as it seemed like it could be taken as a diminished compliment. It wasn't- it meant he was especially reserved in showcasing his group's members way more than highlighting himself. I wanted to hear more of what he had on the piano. Fortunately, everyone disagrees with this reviewer." It could be the reviewer was seated in a bad spot. For me, it was a wonderful, exuberant musical evening made more special by the obvious joy these musicians share in their ensemble.
I, too, attended the first show and enjoyed the performances immensely. Ms. Forman has every right to express her disappointment, and I don't take issue with her taste. But it is fair to point out, as so many have, that she was wrong to suggest that the sound mix and the volume of Stanley's playing were problematic. Perhaps she could have moved around the room a bit to check the sound elsewhere or asked other patrons before she let these complaints dominate her review.
I agree with all the responders except Ted - and I hope Ted can hear that many, many people in the audience heard this concert differently from the reviewer. Yes, Stan Sagov is always playing. He is too alive ever to be idling. And he is always playing WITH his playmates. I put it this way, because the quality of intricate interplay among everybody in his band was so striking and is what lifted everybody I was with to a very high plane of enjoyment. Nobody seemed stepped on; there was a beautiful groove. I hope the readers who see this divergence of so many from the review will listen to a CD and catch him the next time he plays.
I know Stanley and have listened and enjoyed both live and on his CD's. My comment though is more directed to you all who run the site. This comment comes from my professional work as a Branding Consultant. If I were your Executive Coach....for your business....I'd suggest that Roz Forman at least reply to the significant disjunction between her experience and most all of the other people who bothered to comment. That kind of acknowledgement and perhaps a simple atatement that next time she'll listen from every part of the physical space. Even that much could significantly increase the "Brand Loyalty" to jazz.com and a venue. In my business people who comment ....who care enough to write in....if you indicate you're listening and will take into account their comments in the future ....that's enough to win customer loyalty for your 'cyberspatial product'.