Jazz From Lincoln Center

Joe Lovano & Gonzalo Rubalcaba

Written by Paul Chuffo

(c) and (p) Jazz From Lincoln Center, 2001, all rights reserved

1) Music: Gloria’s Step (Scott LaFaro) [top] from 10/13/00

"Gonzalo is a really beautiful pure improviser, no matter what kind of music we play or what kind of tune it is. Whether it’s structured forms with written melodies, or very abstract, free, impressionistic type pieces, we try to play together so that we create music instead of re-create something."

 

Vox: Gonzalo Rubalcaba

"With Joe, of course, and like anytime you walk out on stage, it’s like to be born and die again. With Joe, there’s a special-ness in the sense of freedom and a sense of freedom along with a very strong sense of communication."

3) Bradley:

THE TERM "EXPERIMENTAL" HAS BEEN USED TO DESCRIBE MANY ARTISTS – FROM JOHN COLTRANE, TO ERIC DOLPHY, TO SUN RA. BUT TODAY, ONLY A FEW MUSICIANS TAKE THE SAME KINDS OF CHANCES. SAXOPHONIST JOE LOVANO AND PIANIST GONZALO RUBALCABA ARE TWO OF THEM. THEIR FREE IMPROVISATIONS SHIFT RHYTHMS, MAKE UNUSUAL SOUNDS, AND TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE OF THEIR VIRTUOSO TECHNIQUE.

LOVANO AND RUBALCABA BRING FREETHINKING EXPRESSION TO THE MUSIC OF BILLY STRAYHORN, ORNETTE COLEMAN, THELONIOUS MONK AND MORE – ON THIS EDITION OF JAZZ FROM LINCOLN CENTER. I’M ED BRADLEY.

4) Bradley (cont):

JAZZ HAS OFTEN BEEN CALLED "THE SOUND OF FREEDOM," BUT TO GONZALO RUBALCABA, THAT "FREEDOM" NEEDS STANDARDS.

"//sometimes the problem can be that freedom can mean a lack of communication between musicians, and that freedom will substitute for playing in tune with someone else."

 

6) Bradley:

WHEN GONZALO PLAYS WITH JOE LOVANO, THERE’S NO QUESTION ABOUT COMMUNICATION OR STANDARDS. THEY MAY BE FROM DIFFERENT CULTURES, BUT THEY BOTH GREW UP BREATHING MUSIC – AND CAREFUL LISTENING IS SECOND NATURE.

AT THE STANLEY KAPLAN PENTHOUSE, JOE LOVANO TAKES THE LEAD ON TADD DAMERON’S "HOT HOUSE."

7) Music: "Hot House" (Tadd Dameron) 6:10 from 10/13/00

8) Bradley:

"HOT HOUSE." GONZALO RUBALCABA ON PIANO AND JOE LOVANO ON TENOR.

MOST DESCRIPTIONS OF SAXOPHONIST JOE LOVANO INCLUDE THE WORD "SEARCHING," AND FOR OVER THREE DECADES, HIS CURIOSITY HAS LED HIM DOWN MANY PATHS.

SON OF CLEVELAND TENOR FAVORITE TONY "BIG T" LOVANO, JOE PLAYED HOMETOWN JAM SESSIONS IN THE EARLY ‘70s, THEN JOINED LONNIE SMITH AND JACK McDUFF IN GRITTY ORGAN TRIOS. THOUGH HE’S PERFORMED IN SEVERAL BIG BANDS, LOVANO HAS GENERALLY STUCK WITH SMALLER ENSEMBLES. HIS OWN GROUPS FEATURED IMPROVISERS OF THE HIGHEST ORDER – CHARLIE HADEN, ELVIN JONES, AND DAVE HOLLAND – AND LOVANO IS RIGHT AT HOME AMONG THEM.

GONZALO RUBALCABA.

"The way that he designs his solos rhythmically is very unique, I find that sometimes it’s more precise, more detailed using the rhythm than other North American saxophonists. And many times it reminds me of rhythmic frameworks that are used especially in Cuban music."

 

10) Bradley:

LOVANO’S RHYTHMIC INSTINCTS MAY HAVE BEEN SHARPENED BY THE FACT THAT HE’S RECENTLY BEGUN PERFORMING ON DRUMS. IN FACT, HE’S BROUGHT HIS TRAPS AND GONGS TO THIS CONCERT ALONG WITH TENOR AND SOPRANO SAXOPHONES.

"when I change instruments and change the color of what I’m playing within the duet, it gives a whole different mood and changes the whole attitude and energy around our duo. And the piano has the range of an orchestra, so I’m trying to play with a similar kind of range …//in the duet."

12) Bradley:

THE VERSATILE JOE LOVANO STARTS THIS NEXT PIECE AS A ONE-MAN BAND, HITTING VARIOUS GONGS AND PERCUSSION WHILE BLOWING A MELODY ON HIS HORN. IT’S HIS OWN TUNE, DEDICATED TO THE SPIRIT OF THE CITY OF BOSTON.

WITH GONZALO RUBALCABA ON PIANO – HERE’S "BOSS TOWN."

13) Music: "Boss Town" (Joe Lovano) 10:00 from 10/14/00

14) Bradley:

JOE LOVANO’S "BOSS TOWN," FEATURING LOVANO ON TENOR AND PERCUSSION AND GONZALO RUBALCABA ON PIANO.

RUBALCABA’S RELAXED STAGE PRESENCE IS QUITE A CONTRAST TO HIS ENERGETIC, ALMOST RESTLESS SOUND. HIS CALMNESS COVERS DEEP WATERS. BORN IN 1963 AND RAISED IN CUBA TO A FAMILY OF MUSICIANS, HE’S BEEN PLAYING PIANO SINCE HE COULD REACH THE KEYS.

BUT IT’S NOT THAT EASY, HE SAYS, FOR A MUSICIAN TO STAND OUT IN CROWDED HAVANA.

"What is unusual in the case of Cuba is that you have many musicians playing popular dance music with a very advanced level of musical preparation, and it’s an unusual thing, because it’s something that you don’t see usually in the rest of the world, musicians playing popular music who have such intensive classical training."

16) Bradley:

BY HIS TEENS, RUBALCABA HAD CAUGHT THE ATTENTION OF CUBA’S JAZZ ROYALTY - PAQUITO D’RIVERA, CHUCHO VALDES, AND ARTURO SANDOVAL. SINCE THE 80’s, HE’S LED SEVERAL TRIOS AND QUARTETS, PLAYED TRADITIONAL CUBAN MUSIC IN ORCHESTRA ARAGON (AH-RAH-GOHN), AND PERFORMED WITH DIZZY GILLESPIE, CHARLIE HADEN AND MANY OTHERS.

17) Bradley (cont):

THE PIANIST BILL EVANS WAS A STRONG INFLUENCE ON RUBALCABA. AND LIKE EVANS, HE SKILLFULLY BLENDS CONTRASTING STYLES. . AGGRESSIVE RUNS UP AND DOWN THE PIANO COMBINE WITH LUSH HARMONIES AND DELICATE DROPS OF SOUND.

HERE WITH JOE LOVANO, HE JUMPS INTO AN UNUSUAL JAZZ COMPOSITION BY EVAN’S BASSIST SCOTT LAFARO.

THIS IS "GLORIA’S STEP."

18) Music: "Gloria’s Step" (Scott LaFaro) 8:27 from 10/13/00

19) Bradley:

"GLORIA’S STEP," BY SCOTT LAFARO. JOE LOVANO PLAYED SAXOPHONE WITH GONZALO RUBALCABA ON PIANO AT THE STANLEY KAPLAN PENTHOUSE.

20) Midbreak music: "Flying Home" from Flying Home CD

21) Bradley:

SUPPORT FOR JAZZ FROM LINCOLN CENTER COMES FROM N-P-R AND ITS MEMBER STATIONS, WHOSE CONTRIBUTORS INCLUDE THE LILA WALLACE READERS DIGEST FUND, SEEKING TO ENRICH COMMUNITY LIFE THROUGH SUPPORT OF EDUCATION, THE ARTS AND CULTURE.

TO SEE THE SCRIPT OF THIS PROGRAM OR FIND OUT MORE ABOUT JOE LOVANO AND GONZALO RUBALCABA, VISIT US AT WWW.JAZZATLINCOLNCENTER.ORG.

YOU’RE LISTENING TO JAZZ FROM LINCOLN CENTER. I’M ED BRADLEY.

(:10 id break)

"The way that we approach the duet setting is almost like a symphony, an orchestra.

23) Bradley:

PIANIST GONZALO RUBALCABA.

I believe it’s an error to limit ourselves just to the idea of two. We try to create an atmosphere of colors, of rich harmonies, of percussive elements, of more of a sense of orchestral. What’s interesting for me is, in each new performance, to take each selection and orchestrate it again, to give it a new arrangement, a new feeling."

 

25) Bradley:

RUBALCABA AND JOE LOVANO NEVER REHEARSE FOR A PERFORMANCE; THEY SIMPLY CHOOSE SONGS THEY LIKE AND PLAY THEM. YET THEY ALWAYS SEEM TO BE ON THE SAME WAVELENGTH. IN 1995, THEY RECORDED THE ALBUM "FLYING COLORS." THE TITLE IS A DESCRIPTION THEY ALSO USE FOR THEIR LIVE PERFORMANCES.

THEY BOTH CREATE COLORS WITH THEIR SOUNDS, AND LIKE GOOD PAINTERS, THEY’RE COMFORTABLE LEAVING SPACE IN THEIR WORK. THIS NEXT TUNE WAS WRITTEN BY SAXOPHONIST ORNETTE COLEMAN FOR HIS PIANOLESS QUARTET, AND IT DARES ANY PIANIST TO FILL IN THE GAPS. IT’S CHALLENGE LIES IN THE PREMISE THAT THE HARMONIES ARE MEANT TO BE SPONTANEOUS.

AT THE STANLEY KAPLAN PENTHOUSE, RUBALCABA AND LOVANO SHOW QUICK REFLEXES ON "BIRD FOOD."

26) Music: "Bird Food" (Ornette Coleman) 5:00 from 10/14/00

27) Bradley:

ORNETTE COLEMAN’S "BIRD FOOD," FEATURING SAXOPHONIST JOE LOVANO AND PIANIST GONZALO RUBALCABA.

JOE LOVANO.

28) Music (under): Gonzalo Rubalcaba Quartet "Contagio" from Rapsodia CD

"That’s something really special with Gonzalo, cause you can hear him with his trio, and he’ll play with a certain attitude and aggressiveness and fill up the whole sound, you know, but in a duo, he’s almost the exact opposite. He’ll play only one note and let it sing and wait for the next note."

 

30) Bradley:

RUBALCABA’s SOMETIMES HYPERKINETIC PLAYING QUIETS DOWN WITHOUT DRUMS AND BASS TO DRIVE HIM ON. HE USES THAT SPACE TO EXPLORE NEW WAYS TO HEAR BALLADS, LIKE THIS ONE BY BILLY STRAYHORN.

"PASSION FLOWER."

31) Music: "Passion Flower" (Billy Strayhorn) 11:20 from 10/13/00

32) Bradley:

BILLY STRAYHORN’S "PASSION FLOWER," WITH SAXOPHONIST JOE LOVANO AND PIANIST GONZALO RUBALCABA."

YOU’RE LISTENING TO JAZZ FROM LINCOLN CENTER. I’M ED BRADLEY.

EARLIER, WE HEARD JOE LOVANO PLAY GONGS AND OTHER PERCUSSION ALONG WITH HIS TENOR SAX. ON THIS NEXT TUNE BY THELONIOUS MONK, LOVANO PUTS DOWN HIS HORN AND JUST PLAYS DRUMS.

"I’ve played with so many of the greatest drummers in jazz in my career, and they’re all my teachers, and it’s really fun to explore percussion and the drum world, and I try to cross that into my saxophone playing as well.// A lot of saxophone players including Lester Young played the drums. It’s just a part of the natural feeling of the music to explore the different instruments besides your, let’s say, primary instrument"

34) Bradley:

DRUMMER JOE LOVANO AND PIANIST GONZALO RUBALCABA TAKE ON MONK’S "UGLY BEAUTY."

35) Music: "Ugly Beauty" (Thelonious Monk) 8:20 from 10/14/00

36) Bradley:

AT THE STANLEY KAPLAN PENTHOUSE, A JUMPY WALTZ ARRANGEMENT OF THELONIOUS MONK’S "UGLY BEAUTY" BY PIANIST GONZALO RUBALCABA AND DRUMMER JOE LOVANO.

CERTAINLY LOVANO AND RUBALCABA NEVER INTEND TO PRODUCE ANYTHING UGLY. BUT THEY DON’T MIND TRYING SOMETHING JARRING TO DISCOVER NEW TEXTURES AND SOUNDS.

37) Music: "Along Came Betty" (Benny Golson) from 10/14/00

38) Bradley:

JAZZ FROM LINCOLN CENTER IS PRODUCED BY JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER AND MURRAY STREET ENTERPRISE NEW YORK. THIS PROGRAM WAS WRITTEN BY PAUL CHUFFO. OUR SENIOR PRODUCER IS STEVE RATHE.

THE PROGRAM WAS EDITED BY VALERIE GLADSTONE WITH ASSOCIATE PRODUCERS AVE CARRILLO AND JOSHUA JACKSON.

THE RECORDINGS WERE MADE BY MIKE DE MARK AND GEORGE WELLINGTON, WITH DIGITAL POST PRODUCTION BY DAVID GOREN AT STEVEN ERICKSON'S.

39) Bradley (cont):

THE PRODUCTION TEAM INCLUDES LEE ANN BERNARD, GWENDOLYN DEAN, LAUREN KRENZEL AND PETER ZANGER.

THANKS TO CHRISTA TETER, SUSAN RADIN, TRACEY SCHUTTY, THE RADIO FOUNDATION, AND THE STAFF AT THE STANLEY H. KAPLAN PENTHOUSE.

THE EXECUTIVE PRODUCER AND DIRECTOR OF JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER IS ROB GIBSON. THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR IS WYNTON MARSALIS.

I'M ED BRADLEY. THIS IS N-P-R, WHERE JAZZ LIVES.