Transcript
Featuring Kat Williams
1. “St. Louis Blues” (11:39)
by W. C. Handy; arr. by Chad Eby; Brandon Chapman (lead trpt.), Josh Belvin (trpt.), Kat Williams (vocal), Justin W. Powell (pno.), Brian Gluf (t. sax), Andrew Broome (guit.), Steven Foster (t. sax), Luis Diaz (guit.)
2. “Greensleeves” (6:14)
arr. by Stephen R. Anderson; Martin Baker (t. sax), Rebecca Lautier (guit.)
3. “Ms. B.C.” (for Betty Carter) (4:08) by Pamela Baskin Watson; arr. by Robert (“Bobby”) Watson; Justin W. Powell (pno.), Rebecca Lautier (guit.) PAGE 2
4. ”Search For Peace” (6:46)
by McCoy Tyner; arr. by Alan Baylock; Kevin Kimbrough (trb.), Justin W. Powell (pno.), Luis Diaz (guit.)
5. “Infant Eyes” (4:26)
by Wayne Shorter; arr. by Chad Eby; Justin W. Powell (pno.), Martin Baker (t. sax)
6. “500 Miles High” (5:55)
by Chick Corea; arr. by Neil Slater; Daniel Iannucci (bass), Ryan Hudson (pno.), Martin Baker (t. sax)
7. “Let’s Fall In Love” (2:38)
by Ted Koehler and Harold Arlen; arr. by Rusty Dedrick; Kat Williams (vocal)
8. “’S Wonderful|” (3:05)
by George and Ira Gershwin; arr. by Dave Wolpe; Kat Williams (vocal)
9. “Almost Like Being In Love” (2:57) by Alan J. Lerner/Fredrick Loewe; arr. by Lennie Niehaus; Kat Williams (vocal), Kevin Kimbrough (trb.), Josh Belvin (trpt.)
10. “All of Me” (6:25)
by Seymour Simons and Gerald Marks; arr. by Lennie Niehaus; Justin W. Powell (pno.), Kat Williams (vocal), Ryan Cameron (a. sax), Brandon Chapman (trpt.), Kat Williams (scat), Steven Foster (t. sax)
11. “Mu” (5:55)
by Sean Smith; WCU Jazz Combo: Sean Smith (trpt.), Jonathan Churchill (a. sax), Pavel Wlosok (pno.), Wells Gordon (bass), Randall Harris (drums)
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The first track of this WCU Jazz Ensemble recording pays homage to one of the most famous blues compositions ever to come out of the American jazz repertoire—the “St. Louis Blues.” In this powerful opener the musicians are called upon to fluctuate between performing bold bursts of full-blown harmonies and bare-bones melody/bass lines that accompany the featured vocalist, Kat Williams. Everything is tied together by a deliberately slow, plodding tempo, which both establishes and maintains this effective rendition of the blues in its most fundamental nature. At first hearing it becomes apparent that this band has a solid rhythm section. The tasteful cohesiveness of the horn sections—boldly led by Brandon Chapman on trumpet—coupled with masterful solos by Justin W. Powell (piano), Brian Gluf (tenor sax), and Luis Diaz (guitar), provide an ideal setting for Kat Williams as she belts out the blues. Pavel Wlosok, director of the WCU Jazz Ensemble, chose music from a variety of sources to showcase this group of college students. Although several of the musical sources are from the popular, well-established American songbook (even an arrangement of the sixteenthcentury folk tune “Greensleeves” is included here), other arrangements are drawn from a broad variety of original jazz compositions. Several of Wlosok’s choices for this recording offer special significance to the students of jazz history, past and present. For example, three of
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the arrangers of music on this recording have connections to the University of North Texas School of Music. Neil Slater, arranger of “500 Miles High,” directed the “One O’Clock” band at UNT for over two decades; Stephen Anderson, Chad Eby, and Pavel Wlosok are all former products of UNT’s famous jazz program. Stephen Anderson’s very original setting of “Greensleeves” brings the centuries-old tune into the modern jazz arena by using phrases and fragments of the melody set to novel splashes of instrumental color. Its opening— in which the sax doubles the guitar on the melody—soon gives way to solos that stray from the tune but that nonetheless retain references to the ancient English folk song. The beautifully abstract tenor sax solo (Martin Baker), followed by the complementary guitar solo by Rebecca Lautier both take us into new realms of listening and capture our attention while we await the inevitable return of the old melody. All these inventive musical ideas are strongly supported by the rhythm section as the WCU Jazz Ensemble performs this intriguingly complex, cohesive arrangement. “Ms. B.C.” is an original composition by Pamela Baskin Watson (arranged by Robert “Bobby” Watson) that pays tribute to Betty Carter, one of the most influential jazz singers of the twentieth century. Carter’s approach to jazz was often experimental; she frequently incorporated leading-edge instrumental jazz idioms in her singing. (When she was only sixteen years old, she sang with Charlie Parker. She later performed with Dizzy Gillespie, Ray Charles, and Miles Davis.) Betty Carter served as a source of inspiration for several generations of jazz musi-
cians and was active, until her death in 1998, in the Jazz Ahead program, which she developed to support young jazz musicians in New York City. The WCU Jazz Ensemble originally performed this work in 2005 with the well-known saxophonist Bobby Watson—and arranger of this work—as the guest artist. Bobby Watson is married to the composer/pianist/conductor Pamela Baskin Watson. “Search For Peace” presents an interesting manipulation of motion. Although the basic ballad tempo is persistent throughout the arrangement—and supports inventive and captivating solos by trombonist Kevin Kimbrough and guitarist Luis Diaz—the middle section becomes agitated when the subdivision of the beat doubles. The original feel of the ballad returns when the lyrical lines of the melody are overlaid against
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the faster rhythmic accompaniment. This piece was first introduced to WCU by the trombonist (and UNT alum) Conrad Herwig, guest artist in the 2002 jazz festival. The WCU Jazz Ensemble’s performance of Wayne Shorter’s “Infant Eyes” features the tenor saxophone (played by Martin Baker). This composition combines the lyricism of a ballad set over a changing texture of complex harmonic structures and fascinating chord changes. A saxophonist and composer, Wayne Shorter was connected with many of the major forces in twentieth-century jazz, such as Art Blakey, Maynard Ferguson, Herbie Hancock, Freddie Hubbard, and Miles Davis. The arranger Chad Eby (who also wrote the arrangement of the “St. Louis Blues” heard on this recording) is professor of jazz saxophone at UNC–Greensboro. Eby’s arrangement changes its original 4/4 meter to a 3/4 waltz. Chick Corea’s “500 Miles High,” performed here in an arrangement by Neal Slater, was written in 1972 at a turning point in Corea’s creative life. Although this work is basically Latin in temperament, it came upon the musical scene at the time when Chick Corea was venturing into a somewhat controversial new movement in music known as fusion. This arrangement emphasizes the polarity of treble and bass—supported, of course, by well-balanced tutti horn sectionals. Neil Slater’s sophisticated writing for the rhythm section displays not only the brilliance of the bass soloist, Dan Iannucci, but provides a backdrop for Martin Baker’s tenor sax solo. Kat Williams is featured on the following set of four standards: “Let’s Fall in Love,”
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“’S Wonderful,” “Almost Like Being in Love,” and “All of Me.” The rhythmic and melodic nuances of her performance are in perfect congruity with the settings of these memorable tunes. Williams brings a fresh vigor and depth to the modern musical jazz scene with a vocal style made famous by the great “First Lady of Song,” Ella Fitzgerald. For example, listen carefully to Kat’s vocal inflections on “Almost Like Being in Love.” The tone quality of her voice is pure and consistent; the fundamentally straight sound is embellished from time to time—especially at phrase endings—by a tasteful hint of vibrato. Of course, her intonation is impeccable. (Speaking of pitch accuracy, notice also the solid sound of the band, which is based on flawless intonation.)
performances not often found on recordings by university bands. The WCU students, who represent a wide variety of backgrounds and personal musical traditions, come together here not only to form a cohesive big band sound but to demonstrate well-developed solo improvisation skills. The guest artist, Kat Williams, fits perfectly into this model of music making; her remarkable natural talent is now shaped and tempered by her performing experience and knowledge of her genre. To be sure, her style (like that of the WCU Jazz ensemble) is music of the mind, but it is much more than that—it is music of the soul.
The final track of this recording departs from the big band setting and turns to a jazz combo format for a performance of an original composition by Sean Smith, a former WCU trumpet student who studied composition with Pavel Wlosok and is also featured on this tune. In “Mu,” Smith skirts tradition by creating melodic structures and harmonic progressions that are continually new to the ear but that still maintain a feeling of musical logic. Professor Wlosok plays piano on this track in honor of his former student. It is only fitting that we hear at least a snippet of Wlosok’s performing abilities on this recording. His appearance is a sort of dessert for us and underlines his role as the conductor, the teacher, and even the sound engineer of this group. The WCU Jazz Ensemble Featuring Kat Williams presents a rare combination of great music, masterful arrangements, and stellar
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Members of the WCU Jazz Ensembles enjoy performing not only with each other but with such guest artists as Conrad Herwig, Gary Smulyan, Bobby Watson, Tyler Kuebler, John Riley, Ed Soph, and Chris Cheek during the WCU Jazz Festival each spring. The big band performs a wide variety of jazz literature using standard instrumentation of five saxophones, four trombones, four to five trumpets, and a full rhythm section consisting of piano, guitar, bass, drums, and percussion. Pavel Wlosok, the WCU Jazz Ensemble’s director, is assistant professor in jazz, commercial, and electronic music at Western Carolina
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since 1999. Pavel is the 2000 IAJE Gil Evans Fellowship recipient and has performed with jazz greats Bob Berg, Jon Faddis, Wycliffe Gordon, Conrad Herwig, Louis Hayes, Denis Irwin, Victor Lewis, Dave Liebman, Joe Lovano, Janusz Muniak, Dave Pietro, Paquito DeRivera, Rufus Reid, Jon Riley, Lynn Seaton, Gary Smulyan, Ed Soph, Bobby Watson, and Kenny Wheeler.
University, in Cullowhee, NC. He joined the WCU faculty in 2002 after having taught jazz at Truman State University. A Czech pianist, composer, arranger, and educator, Wlosok received his classical education in piano performance and composition at the Conservatory of Music in Ostrava and Janáček Academy in Brno, and he earned his bachelor and master degrees in jazz studies at the University of North Texas. Since coming to Cullowhee, Pavel has cofounded Acoustic Jazz Trio, whose members are Asheville-based top musicians Eliot Wadopian (bass) and Byron Hedgepeth (drums). Since 1999—along with his wife Andrea Wlosokova Adamcova—Pavel has been performing in a series of solo piano concerts called “Classical Meets Jazz.” Wlosok’s compositions have been performed in the Americas and Europe as well as in Japan, and he has been a regular lecturer at the International Summer Jazz Camp in Prague
Kat Williams—the guest artist on this recording—has recently gained international acclaim as a jazz singer. Her story is one of humble beginnings and tenuous life situations. Born in Buffalo, NY, in 1967 to a fourteen-year-old mother she met only once, she became the thirty-first foster child in the home of Mary and L. C. Williams, who later adopted her. Beginning at age nine, she spent the rest of her childhood caring for her adoptive mother who was slowly dying of cancer. Shortly after her seventeenth birthday, both Mary and L. C. passed away and Kat found herself homeless on the streets of New York City. With a fiery passion for life, her exuberant personality, and her undying perseverance, she blossomed gracefully into a strong and independent woman. In 1997 Kat moved to Asheville, NC, and soon took the town by storm, becoming the most sought after singer in the region. She bared her soul to the crowd, inviting audiences in for a glimpse of a truly phenomenal woman and an authentic, from the heart, performer. Years later, Kat’s musical philosophy is “I have no competition—I can only give you the best of me.” Filled with a passion for song, an astonishing animated style, a spirited sense of humor, and that remarkable laugh, Kat takes the stage and makes magic happen.
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The WCU Jazz Ensemble Personnel (2009 and 2010) Pavel Wlosok (director)
Trombones
Saxophones
Kevin Kimbrough (lead) Michael McConnell (lead) Logan Deitz Will Freeman Crystal McDonald David Mompoint (bass) Richard Parker (bass)
Ryan Cameron (lead alto) Brian Gluf (lead alto, tenor) Scott Burr (alto) Martin Baker (jazz tenor) Steven Foster (jazz tenor) Chris Taylor (tenor) Hawk May (baritone)
Trumpets Brandon Chapman (lead) Josh Belvin Jay Chamberlain Chris McAllister David Myers JeVone Primus Jake Waldrop
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Rhythm section Ryan Hudson (piano) Justin W. Powell (piano) Andrew Broome (guitar) Luis Diaz (guitar) Rebecca Lautier (guitar) Daniel Iannucci (acoustic and electric bass) Owen Tharp (acoustic and electric bass) David Nelson (electric bass) Matt France (drums and percussion) Randall Harris (drums and percussion) Daniel Reece (drums and percussion)
Production WCU Jazz Ensemble tracks recorded by Dan Gonko in Center for Applied Technology (CAT) on May 4th 2008, May 2nd & 3rd 2009. Vocal tracks recorded on March 14th 2010 by Pavel Wlosok at SonicADventures. All rights reserved. CD liner notes by David C. Nichols Photography by Pavel Wlosok CD design by John Balentine
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