Leaning House Jazz: In the Vernacular

In the Spring of 1994, my trio was scheduled to perform at Villanova University outside Philadelphia and my son, Jason, who is also my drummer, discovered he had to perform with his brother Branford on the same night. Being stuck with last minute decisions to find musicians was nothing new, but drummers were at a premium. Good drummers were almost impossible to find. After making several inquiries to different musicians, the name Donald Edwards kept coming up. So, I called Donald and hired him for the job. Since we were short on rehearsal time, I anticipated the sound check at Villanova would be the only time for us to get musically acquainted. Like a predictable occourance of Murphy's Law, our sound check was swallowed up by prior onstage activities. As a result, we had to go on with a drummer that was unfamiliar with any of our songs and with no sound check or rehearsal. With a little apprehension, I counted off the first song. But, upon hearing the first stroke of the sticks to the drums and cymbals, I immediately realized that we had struck gold with Donald Edwards. It would be many gigs and a much later period before I would come to know Donald Edwards the composer. Fortunately, this impressive and accomplished array of artists has been assembled for that purpose. Trumpeter Nicholas Payton is a man for all seasons. His CD with the late trumpeter Adolphus "Doc" Cheatham recently won a Grammy. He is comfortable with the expression of music from trumpeter Louis Armstrong through Wynton Marsalis and is still reaching. Brice Winston is a tenor saxophonist who deserves wider recognition. He is a young man who has been in the trenches for a few years and should be making substantial contributions to the creative jazz scene very soon. Wessell Anderson is a young veteran who currently occupies the alto chair in the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. His improvisational inventiveness is in the category of the late Julian "Cannonball" Adderly. Peter Martin is a young man I first heard when he was still in high school. His growth has been phenomenal. He recently placed second in the Thelonius Monk competition and is definitely a pianist to watch. Bassist Roland Guerin is a sleeper. He is making slow and steady progress toward being one of the greats on his instrument. He is also comfortable with the odd meter concept that is often a major part of compositions by drummers. Edwards' prowess over the three basic elements of music (rhythm, melody, and harmony) is evident throughout this recording. In the opening selection, "Finger Painted Swing", the bassist, Guerin, begins with a rubato introduction and segues into a vamp joined by Edwards and pianist Martin. Here Edwards creates a rhythm that has its roots in the rolling Samba feel of Elvin Jones playing in triple meter and the duple meter feel of a Rhumba played by Art Blakey (the Americanization of Afro-Cuban and Afro-Brazilian rhythms are studies within themselves and warrant more detailed observation than this format permits). With the rhythm section having established the initial groove (one of many, I might add) the horn section enters with a unison line and moves to wonderful tensions with three part harmony. The first improvisational section features an exchange between Winston and Anderson. The saxophonists play over a rhythm section vamp which leads to an up-tempo change for pianist Martin. Martin deftly discharges his melodic sensibilities playing McCoy Tyner influenced chords with comfort and ease while ending his solo with octaves that move up the keyboard. This sets up the ensemble melody's entrance with an interlude and drum interplay before introducing trumpet soloist Payton. Edwards' "Duke of Duckland" is another example of his groove experiment. "Duckland" opens with a drum pattern that suggests a groove akin to the Hip Hop/Rap sampling in today's pop music. However, in Edwards' composition it becomes a vehicle for creative improvisation. The alternating alto and tenor soli superimposed over the groove set by the rhythm section eventually leads to a strait-ahead section with soli by Martin, Anderson and Winston. "Dee-Gee's Shuffle" brings back memories of an Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers album with trumpeter Lee Morgan. This is a typical Blakey groove explored to the fullest by Edwards. There is also the hint of a composition by Harold Land (entitled "Lands End") written for the Clifford Brown/Max Roach ensemble with a similiar groove. With "Sophisticated Lady" Edwards tips his hat to the inimitable Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington. Beginning in the middle of the piece, "Lady" is convincingly played by guitarist and friend Mark Whitfield with a good bit of pianistic elegance by Martin." The compositions "Mister Brown", "Essential Passion," and "Truth or Consequence" are more studies of Edwards' approach to different grooves. "Brown" moves at a slower pace than "Passion," but both have the unmistakable touch of Edwards? compositional majesty. Both "Brown" and "Consequence" give us the opportunity the hear more of Edwards the soloist. One of my favorite ballads is Billy Strayhorn's "Lush Life". Anderson lives up to his moniker "Warmdaddy" when displaying his warmth on this ballad among ballads. This is a most fitting way to end a truly engaging musical experience via the compact disc. Jazz is in a constant state of evolution with each generation continually producing those special individuals who push the envelope a little farther. Edwards is a part of a new breed of young jazzmen who have discovered that total musicianship means more than just being a great instrumentalist (which he is, by the way). His musical aim is to experiment with different grooves in his playing as well as in his compositions. The early jazz masters used the popular music of their day as vehicles for song writing and improvisational approaches. It is refreshing to hear a documentation where the leader, who is also composer and performer, follows the philosophy of the early masters. Playing with authority and professionalism, these young jazzmen possess the maturity of a seasoned band with many years of experience. One can only hope this is an example of what will be a long and productive career for Donald Edwards – performer, composer and leader. Ellis L. Marsalis, Jr New Orleans March 1998



										In the Spring of 1994, my trio was scheduled to perform at Villanova University outside Philadelphia and my son, Jason, who is also my drummer, discovered he had to perform with his brother Branford on the same night. Being stuck with last minute decisions to find musicians was nothing new, but drummers were at a premium. Good drummers were almost impossible to find. After making several inquiries to different musicians, the name Donald Edwards kept coming up. So, I called Donald and hired him for the job. Since we were short on rehearsal time, I anticipated the sound check at Villanova would be the only time for us to get musically acquainted. Like a predictable occourance of Murphy's Law, our sound check was swallowed up by prior onstage activities. As a result, we had to go on with a drummer that was unfamiliar with any of our songs and with no sound check or rehearsal. With a little apprehension, I counted off the first song. But, upon hearing the first stroke of the sticks to the drums and cymbals, I immediately realized that we had struck gold with Donald Edwards. It would be many gigs and a much later period before I would come to know Donald Edwards the composer. Fortunately, this impressive and accomplished array of artists has been assembled for that purpose. Trumpeter Nicholas Payton is a man for all seasons. His CD with the late trumpeter Adolphus "Doc" Cheatham recently won a Grammy. He is comfortable with the expression of music from trumpeter Louis Armstrong through Wynton Marsalis and is still reaching. Brice Winston is a tenor saxophonist who deserves wider recognition. He is a young man who has been in the trenches for a few years and should be making substantial contributions to the creative jazz scene very soon. Wessell Anderson is a young veteran who currently occupies the alto chair in the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. His improvisational inventiveness is in the category of the late Julian "Cannonball" Adderly. Peter Martin is a young man I first heard when he was still in high school. His growth has been phenomenal. He recently placed second in the Thelonius Monk competition and is definitely a pianist to watch. Bassist Roland Guerin is a sleeper. He is making slow and steady progress toward being one of the greats on his instrument. He is also comfortable with the odd meter concept that is often a major part of compositions by drummers. Edwards' prowess over the three basic elements of music (rhythm, melody, and harmony) is evident throughout this recording. In the opening selection, "Finger Painted Swing", the bassist, Guerin, begins with a rubato introduction and segues into a vamp joined by Edwards and pianist Martin. Here Edwards creates a rhythm that has its roots in the rolling Samba feel of Elvin Jones playing in triple meter and the duple meter feel of a Rhumba played by Art Blakey (the Americanization of Afro-Cuban and Afro-Brazilian rhythms are studies within themselves and warrant more detailed observation than this format permits). With the rhythm section having established the initial groove (one of many, I might add) the horn section enters with a unison line and moves to wonderful tensions with three part harmony. The first improvisational section features an exchange between Winston and Anderson. The saxophonists play over a rhythm section vamp which leads to an up-tempo change for pianist Martin. Martin deftly discharges his melodic sensibilities playing McCoy Tyner influenced chords with comfort and ease while ending his solo with octaves that move up the keyboard. This sets up the ensemble melody's entrance with an interlude and drum interplay before introducing trumpet soloist Payton. Edwards' "Duke of Duckland" is another example of his groove experiment. "Duckland" opens with a drum pattern that suggests a groove akin to the Hip Hop/Rap sampling in today's pop music. However, in Edwards' composition it becomes a vehicle for creative improvisation. The alternating alto and tenor soli superimposed over the groove set by the rhythm section eventually leads to a strait-ahead section with soli by Martin, Anderson and Winston. "Dee-Gee's Shuffle" brings back memories of an Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers album with trumpeter Lee Morgan. This is a typical Blakey groove explored to the fullest by Edwards. There is also the hint of a composition by Harold Land (entitled "Lands End") written for the Clifford Brown/Max Roach ensemble with a similiar groove. With "Sophisticated Lady" Edwards tips his hat to the inimitable Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington. Beginning in the middle of the piece, "Lady" is convincingly played by guitarist and friend Mark Whitfield with a good bit of pianistic elegance by Martin." The compositions "Mister Brown", "Essential Passion," and "Truth or Consequence" are more studies of Edwards' approach to different grooves. "Brown" moves at a slower pace than "Passion," but both have the unmistakable touch of Edwards? compositional majesty. Both "Brown" and "Consequence" give us the opportunity the hear more of Edwards the soloist. One of my favorite ballads is Billy Strayhorn's "Lush Life". Anderson lives up to his moniker "Warmdaddy" when displaying his warmth on this ballad among ballads. This is a most fitting way to end a truly engaging musical experience via the compact disc. Jazz is in a constant state of evolution with each generation continually producing those special individuals who push the envelope a little farther. Edwards is a part of a new breed of young jazzmen who have discovered that total musicianship means more than just being a great instrumentalist (which he is, by the way). His musical aim is to experiment with different grooves in his playing as well as in his compositions. The early jazz masters used the popular music of their day as vehicles for song writing and improvisational approaches. It is refreshing to hear a documentation where the leader, who is also composer and performer, follows the philosophy of the early masters. Playing with authority and professionalism, these young jazzmen possess the maturity of a seasoned band with many years of experience. One can only hope this is an example of what will be a long and productive career for Donald Edwards – performer, composer and leader. Ellis L. Marsalis, Jr New Orleans March 1998






	`Nicholas Payton: trumpet Wessell Anderson: alto saxophone Brice Winston: tenor saxophone Mark Whitfield: guitar Peter Martin: piano Roland Guerin: bass Donald Edwards: drums`

	Producer: Mark Elliott Executive Producer: Keith Foerster Recorded December 1997 at Kingsway Studio, New Orleans Engineered by Mark Elliott assisted by Ethan Allen Mixed at the Tex (Hai-Tex Studio) by Mark Elliott Art Direction: Frank Goodenough Photography: Mali Azima, John Maxwell All compositions by Donald Edwards (Donald Edwards Music, BMI) except "Sophisticated Lady" (Duke Ellington, Duke Ellington Music, ASCAP), "Like Sonny" (John Coltrane, Jowlcol Music, BMI), and "Lush Life" (Billy Strayhorn, Tempo Music, ASCAP). Recorded live to 24-track analog with Dolby SR. A Variety of tube microphones were used on this recording including: Neumann M-49, Neumann U-47, Neumann M563, and AKG C-24