THE DOZENS

In African-American tradition, "the dozens" is an informal exchange filled with ribaldry, taunting and clever put downs. It is sometimes also known as the "dirty dozens" or "playing the dozens." A classic opening to a dozens riposte might be "Yo mama . . ." (fill in the blank, but first make sure you aren't standing next to the defensive front line for the Crimson Tide).

We also play the dozens at jazz.com, but in a more congenial and decorous manner. As a regular feature on our site, we take twelve jazz tracks based on a particular theme or individual or event, and offer up some frank opinions. As always, we rely on our scoring system -- ranking recordings on a 100 point scale -- and provide personnel, label, session dates, etc. as well as a link to a source for purchasing the music.

THE DOZENS: JAZZ ON A SUMMER'S DAY

Jazz on a Summer's Day

Fifty years ago this weekend, fans at Newport enjoyed Louis Armstrong, Thelonious Monk, even genre-crossing stars Mahalia Jackson and Chuck Berry. Fortunately a film crew was in place to capture the now legendary proceedings. Fielding five cameras simultaneously, some handheld and with telephoto lenses, and using the finest 35mm Kodak fast positive-reversal color film, Stern captured brilliant images that, as he said, “just jumped off the screen.” Moreover, Stern reveled in his venue. “Usually jazz films are all black and white,” he later remarked, “kind of depressing and in little downstairs nightclubs. This brought jazz out into the sun. It was different.” But what made Jazz on a Summer's Day a defining documentary was the action on stage. Alan Kurtz celebrates this all-star line-up of jazz legends in the latest installment of The Dozens.

DESERT ISLAND DOZENS: BEN ALLISON

Ben Allison, recently featured in an interview and concert review on jazz.com, now participates in our "Desert Island Dozens" feature. The ground rules are simple: we invite the best jazz artists of today to riff on twelve of their favorite tracks.

Ben Allison, photo by Tom Greenland

As the “founder, artistic director, and Composer-In-Residence” of the non-profit Jazz Composers Collective (1992-2005), Allison has played a vital role in developing the lively NYC jazz scene of the past 15+ years. Beside contributing multiple compositions to the Collective himself, Allison brought artists such as Michael Blake, Frank Kimbrough, Ted Nash, Ron Horton, Kevin Hays, Ethan Iverson, and Vijay Iyer and on board as either Composers-In-Residence or Guest Composers – all of whom are still active in the NYC jazz scene today. A complete list of musicians, along with a detailed description of the work of the Collective can be found here.

In this installment of “Desert Island Dozens,” Ben Allison focuses on tracks that reflect the same fertile intersection of composition and improvisation that has characterized Allison’s own personal style. There are a few classic choices, a lot of new-to-jazz.com-rarities, and an all-too-infrequent opportunity to highlight the history of the bassist/composer throughout the history of jazz. Finally, through Allison’s twelve choices, he implicitly suggests that a deep knowledge of jazz history combined with the incorporation of other musical styles (here: folk, rock, ska) greatly enhance the breadth of compositional and improvisational possibilities available to the modern jazz musician.

Click on the arrow below to read the full article.

Woody Allen, artwork by Suzanne Cerny

Woody Allen made a rare jazz festival appearance at the 2008 Montreal Jazz Festival. Fans of traditional jazz, of course, are familiar with his long-standing New York performances on clarinet in a New Orleans-inspired ensemble. Currently his work with the Eddy Davis band is a regular fixture on Monday nights at Manhattan's Carlyle Hotel, where the comedian comes and goes, talking perhaps of Lorenzo Tio. But you don’t need to show up at one of Allen’s gigs to appreciate his love of jazz. For decades, this filmmaker has added generous doses of jazz, including many classic performances from the music’s past, to his motion pictures. Jazz.com’s Alan Kurtz looks back at some jazz highlights from Allen’s movies in this latest installment of the Dozens.

John Coltrane by Robert Casumbal - www.robertcasumbal.com

John Coltrane
Artwork by Robert Casumbal

In the latest edition of Guest Artist Dozens, edited by Ted Panken, Joe Lovano selects and reviews a Baker's Dozen of John Coltrane tracks. Lovano's selections span Coltrane’s career, from his sideman work with Miles Davis (“Ah-Leu-Cha”) up to some of his final recordings (“Venus” and “Expression”).

It was fitting that Lovano would contribute this article during a week’s residence at Birdland by Saxophone Summit, a collective group comprising Lovano, fellow saxophonists Dave Liebman and Ravi Coltrane, pianist Phil Markowitz, bassist Cecil McBee, and drummer Billy Hart. This ensemble explores both the compositions of John Coltrane and Coltrane-inspired originals by the band, channeling the questing spirit that exemplified the work of this seminal artist.

For the full text of this article, click on the arrow below.

Nightclub by Suzanne Cerny

As jazz history was being constructed within the borders of the United States, it was also acquiring other histories in other part of the world, most notably Europe. Here individual nation states embraced jazz either as an engagement with modernity or, as in the case of satellite countries of the former Soviet Union, as a symbol of freedom. Yet for many fans, European jazz has tended to be regarded not for what it is, but for what it is not – American jazz.

This, of course, raises issues of “authenticity.” Does an art form originated in America become less meaningful when played by non-Americans? From this standpoint, jazz has a fixed identity, representing something intrinsically American. Yet jazz has become a global music because American culture is hegemonic to the world. Thus to non-Americans, jazz has also become their music, expressive of their own unique identity. In this view, jazz becomes their music through the lived experiences of playing the music in a way that makes sense of their own local cultural and socio-musical surroundings.

Stuart Nicholson selects and assesses twelve European jazz performances you need to hear. For the full article, click on the arrow below.

Artwork by Suzanne Cerny

The goal of all music is to transport us to another place. The destinations may be real or imagined. They may be a state of mind or even a point of view. Jazz, more than any other music genre, is the best vehicle in which to ride. Its fuel is the scales and rhythms of all of the universe’s musical forms. Its range is not limited by the lack of a map or the need to understand a language or culture. Instead, the life-experience, creativity, facility and vision of its drivers determine its route. And they never take the same way twice.

Walter Kolosky, who recently contributed memorable Dozens columns on the work of Return to Forever and John McLaughlin, now serves as guide on this magical musical tour of jazz landmarks.