Tom Harrell’s new album, “Roman Nights,” was just released this past April. A month ago, I had never heard of the accomplished trumpeter – never mind the fact that he’s been playing and recording for over 40 years and has backed artists like Horace Silver, Bill Evans and Dizzy Gillespie. I credit 88.3 WBGO for finally introducing me to his work; they played a track off the new album in between songs by Lee Morgan and Miles Davis and it fit right in. With my heavy leanings towards hard bop jazz from the ’60s, it’s sometimes hard to find modern artists who are composing new music that still appeals to me stylistically. This album reinforced the truth that you can reference the past while forging new ground.

The Tom Harrell Quintet will be playing at the Village Vanguard this November. I’ll be in attendance.

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Black Thought & Questlove. Nokia Theater. 2007.

Of all the concerts I’ve been to, I’ve seen The Roots live the most. The first time I caught them was in May of 2000 at the University of Chicago Summer Breeze concert. I remember not knowing who they were, but being seriously won over by the time their set was done. I know that hip hop’s foundations define the music as two turntables and a microphone, but the intensity that they were able to generate through a live band was something special. I also got to meet Black Thought and Malik B. after their set, as the entire band wandered into the crowd and hung out after they left the stage.

A lot has changed for them since that show: they’ve since released 5 more studio albums, seen band members come and go, and have taken on house band duties for Jimmy Fallon. They’ve often been referred to as the hardest working band in hip hop, and despite signing to Def Jam in 2006, they haven’t experienced commercial success and recognition in the way that fans and industry folks have thought they deserved. Many questioned their decision to join the Late Night Show, but the band has flourished in their new role while continuing to play shows and record music. Black Thought sums things up nicely on “Doin’ It Again”:

Dear diary, the fans still swear by me
Even though I’m Late Night now like “Here’s Johnny”
Swimming with them great whites now, that’s where to find me
Funny how it break right down, but never mind me
Forever grimy, I guess it’s just Philly shinin’

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How I Got Over was released last week, and the song above is my favorite track amongst an album full of standouts. I’ve faithfully purchased each Roots album over the years and have always been intrigued by their push to incorporate elements of different music styles into their jazz/hip hop foundation. Phrenology was heavily influenced by their then-guitarist Ben Kenney (who left in 2003 to join Incubus) and his punk leanings; Game Theory and Rising Down both had heavy lyrical content coupled with a darker, synthy sound than what many were accustomed to hearing from the group. Their most recent offering marks a return to their stripped down sound that was more prominent on their earlier albums that I’ve loved the most. Questlove’s drumming on this album is a lesson on what playing in the pocket should sound like; no MPC swing can match his groove. This album might be my favorite new release in a really long time.

How I Got Over is available thru Amazon and iTunes.

There were times when I blundered and got the dreaded look from the lads. But that was a good sign. It showed I’d attempted something I’d not tried before.

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With appearances on over 2,500 albums, Ron Carter is easily one of jazz music’s most-recorded upright bassists. I began to grow a deep appreciation for his trademark playing style from the work he did with Miles Davis’ second great quintet – the expression and tone he coaxes out of his upright is unmatched. Below is a track off a 1970′s Japan-exclusive recording of the Herbie Hancock Trio… he, Hancock and Tony Williams played a stripped down set that allowed each musician to shine.

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My love for jazz music is reverse-engineered. I grew up on hip hop and alternative rock, but didn’t begin to listen to jazz until my college years. It was only through curiosity of the samples that various producers used that I was able to begin discovering the music that inspired so much of the east coast golden-era hip hop sound.  A few years ago, I realized that I had heard Ron Carter’s playing in middle school before I even knew who he was. It was no secret that Ali Shaheed Muhammed and Q-Tip leaned heavily on jazz samples for the group’s beats, so it was entirely fitting that they invited Ron Carter to play the bassline on “Verses from the Abstract” from Tribe’s legendary album The Low End Theory. That’s where it all came full circle for me: I was a fan of jazz before I was a fan of jazz.

The symphonic orchestras have sponsors, people who give them endowments, and I think it should be the same way with jazz — because this is a national treasure! This is the only national art form that’s here, and they do everything they can to dismiss it and put it aside. It’s really a shame the way our country treats its artists. I’ve had people ask me: ‘If you feel that way, why don’t you go to Europe’ And I always tell them, ‘first of all, I like Europe, like to see it as a visitor —but this is my home! This is my culture!’

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