Johan Budi
The landscape of contemporary jazz recordings is increasingly defined by a dual focus on the meticulous excavation of historical performances and the institutional preservation of big band legacies. Three significant new releases exemplify this trend: a previously unreleased 1995 trio date by pianist Kenny Barron at the Brecon Jazz Festival, a 2024 live recording of Duke Ellington’s masterworks by the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, and a high-fidelity vinyl reissue of Wes Montgomery’s 1960 masterpiece. Together, these recordings span over six decades of jazz history, offering a comprehensive look at the evolution of small-group improvisation, orchestral arrangement, and the technological advancements in jazz preservation.
The Brecon Excavation: Kenny Barron’s 1995 Trio Performance
In August 1995, the Christ College Auditorium in Brecon, Wales, hosted a performance that remained unheard by the public for nearly three decades. So Many Lovely Things, Live In Brecon captures pianist Kenny Barron at the height of his powers, accompanied by his long-standing collaborators, bassist Ray Drummond and drummer Ben Riley. This release is the latest project from producer Zev Feldman, often referred to as the "Jazz Detective," and archivist Jordi Suñol. Their work focuses on "excavating" lost tapes from European radio archives and private collections, ensuring that pivotal moments in jazz history are not lost to time.
The 1995 Brecon Jazz Festival was a cornerstone of the European jazz circuit, and the Christ College Auditorium provided an intimate, acoustically focused setting for Barron’s trio. The recording reveals a telepathic level of communication between the three musicians, a hallmark of their years of shared performance. Barron, a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Jazz Master, is renowned for a style that blends the technical facility of bebop with a deep, lyrical sensitivity.
The setlist for the Brecon concert balances standard repertoire with original compositions and tributes to the masters of the genre. The opening track, "Oh, Look At Me Now," serves as a ten-minute showcase of the trio’s rhythmic elasticity. Barron and Riley engage in spirited exchanges that highlight Riley’s understated yet propulsive drumming style—a technique he famously honed during his years with Thelonious Monk.
Barron’s reverence for Monk is further explored in the unaccompanied solo "Shuffleboil" and the trio’s rendition of "Ask Me Now." The latter, the longest track on the first disc, features a sophisticated rhythmic dialogue between Drummond’s resonant bass lines and Riley’s brushwork. Barron’s original composition, "Nikara’s Song," written for his granddaughter, demonstrates his ability to "redeploy melody in complex ways," as noted by Ray Drummond in retrospective commentary. The release includes extensive liner notes by jazz historian Ted Panken, providing the necessary socio-cultural context for the performance and the trio’s enduring legacy.
Institutional Preservation: The Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra
While the Barron release looks back at a specific moment in time, the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra (SJMO) focuses on the ongoing interpretation of the jazz canon. Established by an Act of Congress in 1990, the SJMO serves as the orchestra-in-residence at the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. Its mission is to preserve and perform the music of the great jazz masters, with a particular emphasis on the works of Duke Ellington.
The new release, Ellington Masterworks, recorded live at MCG Jazz in Pittsburgh on April 6, 2024, reflects the orchestra’s current direction under conductor Charlie Young. Young, a professor at Howard University and a veteran saxophonist, has steered the ensemble toward a balance of historical accuracy and contemporary vitality. The recording features a diverse selection of Ellington’s repertoire, ranging from the 1940s "Blanton-Webster" era to his later, more experimental suites.
A notable aspect of this recording is the inclusion of female instrumentalists, a demographic largely absent from Ellington’s original ensembles. Bassist Amy Shook, trombonist Jennifer Krupa, and trumpeter Barbara Laronga provide pivotal contributions to the performance. Shook’s work on "Ad Lib On Nippon" and "Jack The Bear" pays homage to Jimmy Blanton’s revolutionary bass technique while asserting her own modern voice.
The repertoire on Ellington Masterworks highlights the composer’s global influences. "Ad Lib On Nippon," inspired by Ellington’s 1964 tour of Japan, features extended solos from pianist Tony Nalker and saxophonist Scott Silbert, following the structural blueprints of the original studio recordings. "Oclupaca," from the 1968 Latin American Suite, showcases tenor saxophonist Luis Hernandez in a role originally defined by Paul Gonsalves. The performance of "Shepherd," a piece from Ellington’s Second Sacred Concert, features a distinctive growling trumpet solo by Laronga, echoing the "jungle style" pioneered by Cootie Williams. By recreating these works with modern fidelity and a diverse personnel, the SJMO ensures that Ellington’s music remains a living, breathing entity rather than a static museum piece.
The Audiophile Standard: Wes Montgomery’s 1960 Masterpiece
The third pillar of these new releases is a high-definition vinyl reissue of The Incredible Jazz Guitar Of Wes Montgomery. Originally recorded in January 1960 for Riverside Records, this album is widely considered the definitive statement of Montgomery’s career. The new edition, pressed on 180-gram crystal clear virgin vinyl by Waxtime, aims to provide the most nuanced sonic experience of the session to date.
Wes Montgomery’s arrival on the national jazz scene in the late 1950s was transformative. His unique technique—using the side of his thumb rather than a plectrum and his frequent use of octaves and block chords—changed the vocabulary of the jazz guitar. Producer Orrin Keepnews, who oversaw the original session, famously remarked that Montgomery was the most significant guitarist since Charlie Christian.
The 1960 session featured a "hand-picked" rhythm section consisting of pianist Tommy Flanagan and the Heath brothers, Percy (bass) and Albert "Tootie" (drums). The chemistry of this quartet is most evident on Montgomery’s original compositions, such as "Four On Six" and "West Coast Blues." These tracks have since become staples of the jazz repertoire, studied by generations of guitarists.
The reissue includes a bonus track, "While We’re Young," an unaccompanied solo recorded in 1961. This addition provides a glimpse into Montgomery’s later stylistic developments. Despite his move toward more commercial, string-laden pop-jazz albums in the mid-1960s (a move that brought him great financial success but mixed critical reviews), The Incredible Jazz Guitar remains his most respected work. In 2017, the Library of Congress recognized its cultural significance by inducting it into the National Recording Registry. The current vinyl reissue emphasizes the album’s enduring relevance, offering enhanced clarity that highlights the "plangent" bass lines of Percy Heath and the "dazzling" accompaniment of Tommy Flanagan.
Chronology of Jazz Preservation and Evolution
The release of these three recordings provides a timeline of jazz’s institutionalization and technical preservation:
- 1960: Wes Montgomery records The Incredible Jazz Guitar in New York. This era represents the peak of independent jazz labels like Riverside, focusing on high-level improvisation and the development of modern jazz subgenres.
- 1990: The Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra is founded by Congress. This marks a shift toward jazz as "American Classical Music," requiring federal support and academic preservation.
- 1995: The Kenny Barron Trio performs at Brecon. This era highlights the strength of the international jazz festival circuit and the continued vitality of acoustic trio music amidst the rise of electronic and fusion genres.
- 2017: Montgomery’s 1960 album is inducted into the National Recording Registry, cementing its status as a permanent fixture of American culture.
- 2024: The SJMO records Ellington Masterworks in Pittsburgh, and the Brecon tapes are finally released. This current period is characterized by a "retrospective boom," where archival discoveries and high-fidelity reissues dominate the market.
Broader Impact and Implications
The simultaneous release of these recordings underscores several key trends in the jazz industry. First is the importance of the "archival economy." As new studio recordings become more expensive to produce and harder to monetize, labels are increasingly turning to high-quality historical tapes. Producers like Zev Feldman have proven that there is a significant market for "new" music by established legends, provided the packaging and sound quality meet audiophile standards.
Second, the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra’s latest release highlights the evolving nature of the jazz canon. By integrating female musicians into Ellington’s traditionally male arrangements, the SJMO addresses historical gender imbalances while maintaining the integrity of the music. This reflects a broader movement within the arts to make institutional jazz more inclusive.
Finally, the Montgomery reissue points to the "vinyl revival" and the demand for physical media in an age of streaming. For jazz listeners, the tactile experience of a 180-gram LP and the inclusion of original liner notes by figures like Orrin Keepnews offer a connection to the past that digital formats cannot replicate.
In conclusion, whether through the "excavated" tapes of a 1995 Welsh festival, the orchestral recreations of the Smithsonian, or the high-fidelity restoration of a 1960 classic, these releases ensure that the complexities and joys of jazz are preserved for future generations. They serve as a reminder that jazz is not merely a genre of the past, but a continuous dialogue between history and the present.
