Continued: CD Reviws

THE WIZARDS FROM OZ
An Abundance of Nif Nuf CDs

Reviewed by Michael Steinman

In Melbourne, Australia, every April for the past nine years, the brilliant cornetist Bob Barnard and friends have been holding jazz parties inspired by the late Dick Gibson's extravaganzas. That statement may sadden some readers, who brood, "All this lovely jazz is being played somewhere that isn't around the corner?" However, it's cheering to know that music from each of the parties has been issued on a series of Nif Nuf compact discs. ("Nif Nuf," I learned early, is Oz slang for "eccentric.")

Many jazz parties are exultant, near-legendary affairs, offering a near-satiety of music. The players are arranged in novel combinations and given the freedom to stretch out; the audiences are both enthusiastic and knowledgeable. But often the live recordings lose something when listened to after the festivities have ended. Not so here. For one thing, each Barnard party features an international jazz superstar, including Ralph Sutton, Marty Grosz, Bernd Lhotzky, Chris Hopkins, Antti Sarpilla, Jon-Erik Kellso, Danny Moss, Bob Havens, Tom Pletcher, John Sheridan, Evan Christopher, Don Burrowes. The result is comfortable mainstream jazz, nodding to Condon, King Oliver, the '50s Basie band, Ellington small groups, even early '50s funk, always swinging.

When musicians who don't always play together find themselves on the bandstand, the chosen repertoire can be over-familiar. But Barnard, happy to play "Back in Your Own Backyard" on request, delights in songs both in and outside the jazz canon that aren't exhausted through overexposure. In a conversation I had with him about this, he spoke readily of "The Continental" and "Sidewalk Blues." In person, he's led ensembles through "Cuban Pete" and "Paradise." So, although these CDs aren't self-consciously esoteric, they contain surprises: "We Three," "There Goes My Heart," "Get Out and Get Under the Moon," "The Pearls," and "Little Joe from Chicago." The performances run six or seven minutes at most, and the proceedings are beautifully recorded by bassist James Clark. Casually elegant liner notes by John Trudinger point out musical subtleties.

These discs also make it possible for non-Australian listeners to meet spectacular players they might not get to hear otherwise. Starting from the back of the stand, we have Bob's late brother, drummer/washboardist Len Barnard, his colleagues Allan Browne and Andy Swann, bassists Clark, Leon Heale, Howard Caimes, and Mark Elton; guitarists John Scurry, Andy Baylor, Jeff Arthur, and Doug DeVries; pianists Chris Taperell, Ian Pearce, Ben Johnston, Bob Sedergreen, and Graham Coyle; reed players Jo Stevenson, Michael McQuaid, David Gardner, Kenn Jones, Brett Iggulden; trombonists Chris Ludowyk, Dan Barnett, Don Stewart, and Harry Price; trumpeters Peter Gaudion, Graham Eames; Alan Lee on vibes, and violinist-singer George Washingmachine alongside vocalists Rebecca Barnard, Nichaud Fitzgibbon, and Jane Worhington. Bob Barnard is a generous host and leader, so everyone gets space to play.

The Nif Nuf issues here cover the 2003-05 parties, and three CDs are devoted to tenorist Danny Moss, a prime mover at every party since their inception in 1999. Moss should be better known as a quietly passionate player with allegiances to both late Hawkins and Webster, someone whose vibrato is a vocalized caress reminiscent of Eddie Miller. Moss also has an indefatigable rhythmic surge, evident on Danny Moss Swings Again at Bob Barnard's Jazz Party 2003 (43 019), the 2004 Fine and Dandy (43 022), and Easy to Remember (43 027), recorded in 2005. The first issue is notable for a creamy "Penthouse Serenade," a duet for Moss and pianist John Sheridan, as well as a Kansas City-style "Moten Swing," pairing Moss with Peter Gaudion, and an energetic "Doin' the New Lowdown," which finds Moss alongside Bob Barnard and Jo Stevenson on alto sax, Barnard at one point nimbly quoting "I've Got My Fingers Crossed." The 2003 disc also offers several features for Moss -- ballads and what Thirties players used to call "rhythm ballads," ranging from "What A Difference A Day Made" to "He Loves and She Loves." Fine and Dandy lives up to its title, starting off with a yearning duet between Moss and the brilliantly understated pianist Chris Taperell on "How Long Has This Been Going On," moving to a equally sweet "Manhattan," then to a romp on the title tune with a larger rhythm section. Moss and Taperell score again on a dreamy "Exactly Like You." "If I Could Be With you," with Moss playing alongside Bob Havens and Graham Eames, has the leisurely pace of a Bobby Hackett improvisation, and a "C Jam Blues," reinvented as a tantalizing slow drag, closes this disc splendidly.

Bob Havens gets his own well-deserved showpiece on Bob Havens at Bob Barnard's Jazz Party 2004 (43 024), primarily a tribute to his ideal, Jack Teagarden. Havens, who has an astonishingly mobility on his horn (evidenced in his cadenza to "I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues") never drops a stitch, but never plays a superfluous note. Having had the good fortune to hear Havens three times at Jazz at Chautauqua, I can testify that this CD captures him excellently. Taperell suggests a modern Bob Zurke on the opening "Nobody's Sweetheart." The Condon-inspired numbers that follow ("There'll Be Some Changes Made," "You Do Something To Me," and "Beale Street Blues") show off assured playing from Moss, reed titans Don Burrows and Jo Stevenson, and, of course, Barnard himself, but the ballads and slower performances have even greater impact. One special pleasure is the never-played Don Ewell composition "Portrait of Mr. T," with a musing bridge by Barnard, followed close behind by "I Guess I'll Have To Change My Plan" and "Where or When," the latter song framed by feathery expositions by Don Burrows.

Burrows, someone I knew only as a name on out-of-print records, is the subject of another release of material taken from the same party, Don Burrows with Bob Barnard at Bob Barnard's Party 2004 (43 021). On clarinet, he has a post-Goodman flexibility but retains a satisfying chalumeau approach; on alto, he has the same fluidity and a rounded tone. A surprise is his work on baritone, where he reminds me of the estimable Joe Temperley: listen closely to his jogging "I'm Beginning To See the Light." The closing "Things Ain't What They Used To Be," pairs his baritone with Jo Stevenson's bass sax, a combination which works marvelously. On flute, Burrows is the very epitome of tenderness on "There Goes My Heart." This CD begins at a peak with a delicate performance of the rarely-heard "We Three," which sports a pensive Burrows on clarinet, Havens, Bob Barnard, and the delightful violinist George Washingmachine, whose approach balances Stephane Grappelli's lightness and Stuff Smith's fervor. It is all capped by a medium-tempo drum solo by Len Barnard, sounding much like Fred Astaire with sticks.

Evan Christopher (sighted in Paris, New York, and New Orleans in the last few months) heard exclusively on clarinet on Evan Christopher at Bob Barnard's Jazz Party 2005 (43 026) does what great jazz players do: his sound is his own but listeners are constantly reminded of his heroic ancestors. Christopher has wonderful support on "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles" from pianist Ian Pearce and guitarist Jeff Arthur. A special delight of this CD is the partnership of Christopher and George Washingmachine on a spicy island-flavored dance, "Ba Moin En Ti Dou Dou," where they share the front line with the gruff Australian trombonist Dan Barnett. Washingmachine also sings with an easy fervor on "Indian Summer," Christopher weaving pretty countermelodies. They pair off again for a leisurely but pulsing "That's A-Plenty" and a brisk "Sweethearts on Parade," with friendly interplay reminiscent of Soprano Summit, helped along by Allan Browne's rocking, idiosyncratic drumming (I thought of Ray Bauduc, no small compliment).

Perhaps my favorites of this series, now more than 30 CDs, are the compilations of highlights from the parties. The 2004 issue (43 023) begins right off with an impassioned Barnard feature on the Louis Armstrong heart-on-sleeve "I Get Ideas," with rich Taperell piano suggesting late-period Jess Stacy. The mood changes for a sustained romp on "The Song Is Ended," featuring Havens, Moss, Allan Browne, and an unbuttoned, hilarious vocal duet between Washingmachine and rough-hewn trumpeter Peter Gaudion. There's especially appealing trombone work from Ludowyk on "I Would Do Anything for You" (where an engaging head arrangement takes shape in the final choruses), from Don Stewart on Horace Silver's "The Preacher," and Harry Price on "Oh, Baby!" Not everything is Condon-style: Gaudion does an appropriately funk-laden turn on Nat Adderley's "Sweet Emma." On the 2005 CD (43 025) Washingmachine, singing and playing lovely single-string ukulele solos, is charming on "Get Out and Get Under the Moon" in another pairing with Christopher. A jam version of the blues "Solid Old Man" shows off Ludowyk, vibist Alan Lee, Gaudion, and Washingmachine. Cornetist Tom Pletcher brings the shade of Bix uptown on another "I Would Do Anything for You" (with Stevenson again on bass sax and Browne playing funny, kicking drums) and a Taperell-led outing on "Save Your Sorrow," with burry tenor from Kenn Jones.

Barnard's 2006 party featured the exquisitely multi-talented Dan Barrett (occasionally in tandem with his Australian near-Doppelganger Dan Barnett), and three new CDs resulted from this (one of highlights, one devoted to Barrett, one to Don Burrows). Jim Galloway was the featured star at the 2007 party, and the 2008 party will give the engaging trio BED (Becky Kilgore, Eddie Erickson, and Dan Barrett) ample space to perform on their own and in what I predict will be delicious combinations. I've resigned myself to not getting to Australia anytime soon, but don't try to take away my Nif Nuf CDs.

Information on the parties and on the Nif Nuf CDs can be found at www.rockyotway.com.

February 2008 issue | © 2008 The Mississippi Rag

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