Several Rifftides readers have expressed concern that this blog has appeared infrequently of late and asked if the staff are all right.

We are fine. Thank you for asking.

Back to business: John Scofield brings together a pair longtime colleagues for a new collection reminding us that his range and flexibility are among the greatest of any guitarist. With drummer Bill Stewart and bassist Steve Swallow (Swallow, left, and Scofield pictured) the repertoire of Scofield’s new all-star trio draws on several admired Swallow compositions. They  include some of his best-known pieces, among them “Hullo Bolinas,” which long ago became a jazz standard. It is good to hear Swallow’s classic in this new configuration.

If you’re wondering about Bolinas, it’s a small place on the northern California coast not far from Mill Valley, one of my favorite former hometowns.

Rifftides will be back. Soon, we hope.

Michelle Lordi,’s Break Up With The Sound  (Cabinet Of Wonder) runs an eclectic course from Hank Williams’s heart-tugging country classic “I’m So Lonesome” to songs by Ms. Lordi herself,  plus pieces by Cole Porter and members of The Beatles. It is popular, mostly American, music that maintains C&W earnestness without sliding into the heart-on-the-sleeve sentimentaility that constricts so many of today’s mainstream country performances. Lebowsky and Newman’s “The Wayward Wind” kept Gogi Grant at the top of the charts half a century ago. Tex Ritter then made his country version nearly as big a hit as Grant’s. The band that backs Lordi includes enervating, often gritty, tenor saxophone solos by Donny McCaslin, the penetrating, atmospheric, guitar work of Tim Motzer, brilliant drumming by Rudy Royston and the muscular bass work of Lordi’s fellow Philadelphian Matthew Parish.

To come: Further recent listening in brief.

Comments from readers are always welcome on Rifftides.

Jim Wilke (pictured above) tells us about the next program on his Jazz Northwest, and where to hear it.

Every Memorial Day, I think of someone who became a friend under demanding circumstances. Some years, I share that thought with Rifftides readers.

There is someone I think of every Memorial Day, and many other days. Cornelius Ram and I were among a collection of young men who accepted the United States Marine Corps’ bet that we weren’t tough or smart enough to wrestle commissions from it. It quickly became apparent to everyone, including the drill instructors charged with pounding us into the shape of Marines, that Corky Ram would have no problem. He was a standout in the grueling weeks of officer candidate competition and then in the months of physical and mental rigor designed to make us worthy of those little gold bars on the collars of our fatigues. After high school in Jersey City, New Jersey, he served a hitch as a Navy enlisted man, and then got a college degree before he chose the Corps. He was two or three years older than most of us, and a natural leader. He could tell when the pressure was about to cave a green lieutenant exhausted from a 20-mile forced march with full field pack or demoralized after a classroom test he was sure he had flunked. Corky knew how to use encouragement or cajolery to restore flagging determination. He helped a lot of us make it through. The picture on the right is how I remember him from that period.

Unlike most of us who served our few years and got out, Corky made the Marine Corps his career. He served two tours in Viet Nam. Here is the official 5th Marines’ Command Chronology of what happened to him and another officer on his second tour in January of 1971, as the war was slogging to its demoralizing conclusion:

“On 10 January Major Ram (2/5 XO) and Captain Ford (E Co., CO), while attempting to aid two wounded Marines, were killed by a 60mm surprise firing device.”

There’s a bit more to the story. Major Ram, Executive Officer of 2/5 Marines, and Captain Ford (of Glen Rock, NJ), Commanding Officer of Echo Company, were overhead in a command helicopter when they spotted the wounded Marines in the open and in the path of oncoming enemy troops. The helicopter pilot, convinced that the open area was mined, refused to land in the vicinity of the wounded Marines and instead put down at a distance. Major Ram and Captain Ford exited the helicopter and began to cross the open area toward the wounded men. The pilot was right – the area was mined, and both Major Ram and Captain Ford died as a result. At least one of the two wounded Marines survived; he visited the Ram family several years later and described the circumstances.

Corky Ram was one of 13,085 Marines who died in hostile action in Viet Nam. I knew others, but he was the one I knew best. More than once, I have stood gazing at his name on the wall at the Viet Nam Memorial in Washington, DC. When Memorial Day comes around, he symbolizes for me the American service men and women who have died in the nation’s wars. What we and all of the free world owe them is beyond calculation.

Some time ago, I wrote on Rifftides, “The Czech Frantisek UhliÅ™ is one of the greatest bassists in the world. He works frequently in the trio of his countryman pianist Emil Viklicky, another great European player about whom most Americans know little. I just ran across a brief note I made when I was in Prague twelve years ago (now, more like 25 years ago), helping American economists teach market economics to Czech journalists newly released from communism.”

June 10, 1993: Went to Agartha last night to hear Frantisek Uhlir, the wonderful bassist. Earlier in the day one of his fans told me he is better than George Mraz. Maybe, maybe not, but he is superb, world class. Uhlir is a short, powerful, chubby man with a pleasant round face. His tone is round, too, and centered, and he is fast, agile and swinging.

There is nothing about UhliÅ™’s new album, Story of my life, to alter that assessment. Leading his septet, he is as powerful as when I first heard him in Prague with Viklicky at the storied club called Agartha. In a recent video, we are treated to UhliÅ™ leading his seven-piece ensemble at another fine Prague club, Reduta. At the end of the long clip, we’ll give you the names of the players.

František Tomšíček, trumpet; Přemek Tomšíček, trombone; Andy Schofield, alto saxophone (UK); Suzanne Higins, tenor saxophone (UK); Standa Mácha, piano; Marek Urbánek, drums; Frantisek Uhliř, bassist and leader.

Mosaic Records reports that the first release of Paul Desmond–The Complete 1975 Toronto Recordings has sold out. The seven-CD set features the former Dave Brueck Quartet alto saxophonist  with his prized Canadian rhythm section of guitarist Ed Bickert, bassist Don Thompson and drummer Jerry Fuller. Mosaic’s Michael Cuscuna says that he expects the next batch of pressings to be available by the end of May.

When after 17 years together the Brubeck Quartet disbanded, Desmond vacationed in the Caribbean, then retired to enjoy New York City, his home since, and long before, the Brubeck group disbanded. A notable exception was when he teamed with Bickert, Thompson and Fuller for a bit of touring that included engagements at Bourbon Street, the Toronto club whose congenial atmosphere was perfect for Desmond’s relaxed approach and the ingenious variations he lavished on standard songs and original compositions including his own “Take Five” and “Wendy.” Bassist Thompson applied his audio engineering skills to recording the group at Bourbon Street. As I mention in the album notes, Desmond accepted the Canterino family’s offer to play at the Half Note in New York  because, as he put it, the club was so near his apartment that he could practically fall out of bed and onto the bandstand. Toronto wasn’t so conveniently nearby, but he loved playing Bourbon Street. From an earlier release of some of the tracks, here are Desmond, Bickert, Thompson and Fuller with “Wendy.”

When the seven CDs of the Mosaic Bourbon Street set are again available, they will be found at: http://www.mosaicrecords.com/prodinfo.asp?number=269-MD-CD. It’s good to have them back.

Matthew Shipp: The Piano Equation (Tao Forms)

The dictionary defines equation as “the act of making equal.” In his engrossing new solo album, pianist Matthew Shipp creates eleven new pieces of music in which the equality of his powerful hands is important to the venture’s success, but not as important as the fertile imagination that guides his music-making. For the past three decades, Shipp has been a formidable collaborator on recordings with Joe McPhee, Whit Dickey, Marshall Allen, David S. Ware, Michael Bisio and other prominent members of the jazz avant garde. In his new album for a new label, Shipp goes it alone. Collaboration is only between the hands that he long ago disciplined to be independent and mutually supportive.

Tao Forms Records seem not to have issued video of Shipp playing music from his new album, but we located a prime example of his exploration of the chordal and rhythmic possibilities that Jerome Kern embedded in his 1933 classic “Yesterdays.” The Michiko Rehearsal Studios in New York captured the performance last fall.

In his sixtieth year, the former enfant terible of the far-out demonstrates no diminishment of his formidable technique, assimilation of the styles of several jazz eras, or of his often-rambunctious creativity. Which of the notes in Shipp’s “Swing Note from Deep Space” is the one the title refers to? It could be the high b-natural that gives the piece its unexpected ending, or one of the multitude of notes that preceeds it. The songs’ titles, for instance “Radio Signals Equation” and “Cosmic Juice,” may offer clues to the content of the music. But, as always with Shipp, his unreeling of the improvisation is where the stoies lie. This collection of unaccompanied performances portrays Shipp in all of his kaleidoscopic variety.

Jim Wilke sent us a weekend listening tip, illustrated:

Canadian drummer Ernesto Cervini’s Tetrahedron manages to meld elements of contemporary electronica with references to developments in the six decades since John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps” innovations and Ornette Coleman’s free jazz turned the music in new directions. Cervini enlists electric bassist Rich Brown, the daring New York guitarist Nir Felder and alto saxophonist Luis Deniz. From the album’s one standard, “Softly As In A Morning Sunrise,” through five stirring tunes by Cervini and bassist Brown’s headlong “Forward Motion,” the quartet is driven by the leader’s drumming, which is both sensitive and powerful.

Each year, the Jazz Journalists Association recognizes musicians, writers, broadcasters and others who have made important contributions to the health and success of jazz in their parts of the United States. Here are the new honorees.

For the list of 2020 heroes and their biographical sketches, scroll down and click on the names of the heroes who interest you. You’re likely to find at least one whom you know, or know about.

• Ann Arbor, MI: Deanna Relyea
• Atlanta, GA: Gwen Redding
• Baltimore, MD: Sean Jones
• Bay Area, CA: Richard Hadlock
• Birmingham, AL: Leah Tucker
• Boston, MA: Ran Blake
• Brooklyn, NY: Matthew Garrison & Fortuna Sung
• Capital Region, NY: Susan Cohen Brink
• Charlotte, NC: Lonnie & Ocie Davis
• Chicago, IL: Harriet Choice
• Cleveland, OH: Terri Pontremoli
• Denver, CO: Norman Provizer
• Fort Lauderdale, FL: Dr. Ronald B. Weber
• Hartford, CT: Ed Krech
• Indianapolis, IN: Albert Coleman
• Los Angeles, CA: Billy Mitchell
• Minneapolis, MN: Patty Peterson
• New York, NY: Roberta Alloway
• Philadelphia, PA: Anthony Tidd
• Portland, OR: Ron Steen
• Seattle, WA: Jay Thomas
• St. Louis, MO: Gene Dobbs Bradford
• Tallahassee, FL: Jan & Mark Pudlow
• Washington, DC: Sunny Sumter

Congratulations to all of the new jazz heroes and the past winners listed at the bottom of this post.

The death this week of Ellis Marsalis recalls dozens of enounters with him when he was one of New Orleans’ premier jazz musicians. Long before Ellis became famous as the father of Wynton, Branford, Jason and Delfeo, he established himself as a nonpareil pianist and educator. I remember hearing the the young Marsalis when he was  a key member of alto saxophonist Al Belletto’s sextet in the 1960s and being spellbound  by the intricacies he and Belletto wove in their performances together. Marsalis was a powerful influence on the playing and career paths of some of the city’s most talented young jazz artists. He was a mentor not only to his sons, but also to Harry Connick, Jr., Johnny Vidacovich, Richard Payne and many other players in the upper levels  of New Orleans jazz talent. In this video from the 2012 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Marsalis and his quartet playing his composition “Twelve’s It.” The members of the group are identified onscreen as the video begins.

Ellis Marsalis, RIP

Asked about his intriguing new album, west coast trumpeter Dick Titterington talked about the project’s genesis at a Christmas party gig. At their bandleaders’s request, each of the musicians wrote a new composition for the occasion.  Titterington says that they enjoyed one another and the resulting interplay so much that they expanded the Christmas encounter into material for an entire album. The CD has emerged on the HeavyWood label as Horn Art Works: 14 Pieces.

It has plenty of counterpoint, humor and lines whose intricacies are closely woven despite the small number of instruments. The three movements of Titterington’s “Russian Blue” emphasize the virtuosic characteristics of all three musicians, from the purity of Tim Jensen’s flute to the muscular, strategically-placed offbeat notes of Lars Campbell’s trombone. Titterington’s trumpet playing is brilliant.

This charming chamber music encounter includes bonus tracks featuring a frequent Titterington collaborator, singer Rebecca Kilgore (it’s okay; they’re married). Those bonus pieces are both titled “No Encore.” They are arranged by Titterington and Kilgore.  This album doesn’t need an encore, and I would be surprised if its rewarding music didn’t inspire frequent replays.

Here is Titterington’s “Russian Blue.”

Asked about his intriguing new album, west coast trumpeter Dick Titterington talked about the project’s genesis during a Christmas party. Their bandleader had asked each musician to write a new composition for the occasion. Titterington says that the trio enjoyed one another and the resulting interplay so much that they expanded the Christmas encounter into material for an entire album. The CD, Horn Art Works: 14 Pieces, has emerged on the HeavyWood label at https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/hornartworks.

It has plenty of counterpoint, humor and lines whose intricacies are closely woven despite the small number of instruments. The three movements of Titterington’s “Russian Blue” emphasize the virtuosic characteristics of all three musicians, from the purity of Tim Jensen’s flute to the muscular, strategically-placed offbeat notes of Lars Campbell’s trombone. Titterington’s trumpet playing is brilliant.

This charming chamber music encounter includes bonus tracks featuring a frequent Titterington collaborator, singer Rebecca Kilgore (it’s okay; they’re married). Those pieces are both entitled “No Encore.” They are arranged by Titterington and Kilgore.  Welcome as they are, this album doesn’t need an encore. I would be surprised if its intricate sense of fun didn’t inspire frequent replays.

Here is Titterington’s “Russian Blue.”

Rifftides has been inactive for a few days. None of the reasons for that…thank goodness…have to do with a virus. The staff are healthy and keeping our distance from other humans, as instructed. We hope that you are doing the same. I’m not positive what music is best to share with readers and listeners as this worrisome infection sweeps the world, but I’m convinced that it must make us  feel better. These two classic recordings should be a good start.

Please be well and stay safe.