WINNING SPINS BY GEORGE KANZLER Two pianists at roughly their mid-century marks - each with roots far from Manhattan but now Big Apple musicians - have released trio albums that comprise this edition of Winning Spins. Frank Kimbrough grew up in the Piedmont of North Carolina; but by the 1990s, he was firmly established in New York and a founding member of the Jazz Composers Collective. Falkner Evans hails from Tulsa, and his journey to Manhattan took him through a stint with the Texas-Oklahoma Western Swing band Asleep at the Wheel. The two pianists present differing approaches to the classic modern jazz trio format of piano, bass and drums. Kimbrough's Play (Palmetto) is the more exploratory, collaborative effort, largely because Kimbrough is working for the first time with drummer Paul Motian, whose unconventional approach to the trap set, both impressionistic and melodic, permeates the trio sound. Rounding out the band is bassist Masa Kamaguchi, whose lines and counterpoint often reach high in his instrument's range and are fast enough to suggest double-time. With both bass and drums busily and impressionistically filling sonic space, Kimbrough takes a leaner approach, stressing clarity as he chimes each note with limpid singularity. Kimbrough clearly admires the classic Bill Evans trio that featured Motian and bassist Scott LaFaro, and he invokes that trio's tripartite approach at times. Still, Kimbrough is no Evans clone; he has his own touch and sensibility. On the opening track, "Beginning," the pianist's bell-like lines, awash in splashing cymbals and trilling bass notes, create a yearning vibe. Yet on the next track, "The Spins," a compulsively repeated staccato riff matched by Motian's jittery sticks, Kimbrough reminds us of another of his influences, the iconoclastic 1950s pianist Herbie Nichols. (In fact, Kimbrough co-led, with bassist Ben Allison, three intriguing Herbie Nichols Project CDs on the Soul Note and Palmetto labels.) There are also hints of Nichols' quirky angularity on "Little Big Man," a jumpy stop-start tune with a fragmented melody; and "Jimmy G," with a cogently logical piano solo and deliberate blues-march beat. The album's clear epicenter and masterpiece is also the longest track, the eight-minute-plus "Waiting in Santander." With high bass notes cascading down over an indeterminate slow tempo washed by brushes on cymbals and skins, lucid piano lines carry you into a sonic world of rumination, an ethereal atmosphere grounded in the carefully calibrated momentum of Kimbrough's exquisitely wrought, ringing piano lines, discretely augmented by strummed and plucked piano strings. It's one of those perfectly conceived and executed impressionistic jazz pieces that conjures up a complete, self-contained musical world. Meanwhile, Falkner Evans' ARC (Consolidated Artists Productions) offers a more conventional approach to the piano trio. Evans is clearly in charge but with flexible contributions from bassist Beldon Bullock and drummer Matt Wilson (the latter also a member of the Jazz Composers Collective and a frequent Kimbrough bandmate). This album, like Kimbrough's, features mostly originals by the pianist, yet Evans' selection of the four tunes he chooses to cover hints at his own compositional strategies. One of those tunes is Wayne Shorter's "Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum," and Shorter seems to be one of the models for Evans' approach to a writing style he calls "deep simple." For like Shorter's works, Evans' originals combine catchy, reverberant melodies with unexpected and/or intricate chord changes. Evans is definitely a romantic who loves lyrical melodies. Just listen to his caressing solo version of Kurt Weil's "Lost in the Stars" that closes the CD. His version of Coltrane's "Central Park West" is idyllic; and even his "Come Rain or Come Shine" leans firmly toward the sunny. His own tunes can also be warm and fuzzy, like the opening track, "Regatta," with its soft Latin beat and watercolor-like evocations of the title scene. But the "deep" in his "deep simple" adds harmonic heft to other originals, such as the Monkian modern blues "Make Tracks, Child," the waltz-inflected "Lucia's Happy Heart" and the graceful, mid-tempo "Bar Enigma," with its incisive piano improvisation and a melodically structured drum solo from Wilson. Frank Kimbrough plays at the Rubin Museum on November 9. Falkner Evans appears at Kitano on November 29. SPOTLIGHT BY PAUL BLAIR AND GEORGE KANzler AYAKO SHIRASAKI Fazioli salon/NOVEMBER 2 As a pre-teen prodigy in Japan, she was already transcribing Bud Powell solos. After winning loads of local acclaim, she decided that exploring jazz interested her more than a promising classical career, so she moved to NY a decade ago, studied at Manhattan School of Music with Kenny Barron, Ted Rosenthal and Mike Abene, and embarked on a series of gigs at venues such as the Blue Note, Kitano, Birdland and Dizzy's. (She's also guested on Marian McPartland's NPR show.) She's awfully good: rhapsodic when the material demands but still quite capable of swinging with Powellish drive. PB DAVID REINHARDT BIRDLAND/NOVEMBER 6-11 Just 17, he's Django's guitarist grandson making his first U.S. appearance. Though his work hasn't always reflected a gypsy jazz influence, he'll fit neatly into the lineup for the 2007 Django Reinhardt Festival (the eighth in as many years) which also includes guitarists Dorado and Samson Schmitt, violinist Florin Niculescu and virtuoso accordionist Ludovic Beier, along with a bunch of guest stars: tenor stalwart Houston Person (Nov. 6), harmonicat Howard Levy (Nov. 7), singer Roberta Gambarini (Nov. 9), Colombian harpist Edmar Castaneda (Nov. 10) and saxophonist Joel Frahm (Nov. 8 and Nov. 11). PB ROY HARGROVE VILLAGE VANGUARD/NOVEMBER 20-25 If you value the bebop trumpet tradition exemplified by the likes of Fats Navarro, Clifford Brown and Lee Morgan, Hargrove's your man. Although it seems like just yesterday that he burst onto the national scene as a Wynton Marsalis protégé, that was actually seventeen years ago. Along the way, there's been a series of brilliant Verve albums - the newest of which is Nothing Serious - along with some parallel exploration into the hip hop and R&B spheres with an outfit he calls RH Factor. For these six nights at the Vanguard, he'll lead a quintet. But get this: he also fronts his own big band at Harlem Stage/Aaron Davis Hall uptown on November 30. PB ROB SCHNEIDERMAN SMOKE/NOVEMBER 8 We admire labels willing to stick with outstanding artists over the long haul, even when they aren't selling millions of discs. Reservoir has done just that with pianist Schneiderman, a fixture on the NYC scene since the early 80s, often providing stellar underpinning for hornmen like Chet Baker, Zoot Sims, J.J. Johnson, Art Farmer and Slide Hampton. There've been nine CDs on Reservoir thus far (Back in Town is the latest) and Rob plans to have early mentor Charles McPherson as a guest on his tenth. At Smoke, trumpeter Brian Lynch will join Rob’s trio. And Rob's day gig? He's part of the Mathematics & Computer Science faculty at Lehman College. PB ROBERT GLASPER SYMPHONY SPACE/NOVEMBER 29 Since a much-ballyhooed signing with Blue Note Records a couple of years ago, twenty-something pianist Glasper has released two highly acclaimed albums - Canvas and In the Moment - that purportedly bring hip hop, rock and R&B sensibilities to jazz improvisation. Be that as it may, he is one impressive and decidedly original player in the tradition (exemplified by such pianists as Ellington, Monk and Tyner) that relies less on European classical techniques and more on idiosyncratic jazz approaches. Like those masters, he's a percussively swinging pianist with a sensibility steeped in the blues, albeit filtered through hip hop and other contemporary pop. GK ROSWELL RUDD IRIDIUM/NOVEMBER 17 AND 18 Trombonist Roswell Rudd, who turns 72 on the first day of this gig, first played jazz as a Yale student with a traditional jazz ensemble called Eli's Chosen Six. His trad credentials also include lots of experience with Eddie Condon groups and even with show bands in the Catskills. But Rudd is far better known for his avant-garde work with the late Steve Lacy in groups playing Thelonious Monk's compositions and, more recently, collaborations with African and Mongolian musicians. He's also a champion of duo music, and at Iridium he'll be dueting with singer Sheila Jordan, who coincidentally turns 79 that same week. GK EVAN CHRISTOPHER TRIBECA PAC/DECEMBER 13 In case you haven't noticed, jazz clarinet is making a notable comeback. One particularly bright light on today's scene is mellow-beyond-his-years Christopher, a Southern California native who spent loads of time in New Orleans absorbing the Crescent City influences so apparent on a marvelous new Arbors CD called Delta Bound. His warm, woody playing will be on proud display at this Jack Kleinsinger "Early Jazz" event next month. Present on stage as well will be pianist Dick Hyman, who’s also on Christopher's CD; guitarist Howard Alden; and Ken Peplowski, another musician who makes us happy that clarinets are no longer an endangered species. PB BARRY ALTSCHUL CORNELIA STREET CAFÉ/NOVEMBER 2 If you enjoyed early-70s LPs by the free ensemble called Circle with Anthony Braxton, Chick Corea and Dave Holland, you were digging the percussion work of drummer Altschul, whose self-proclaimed rhythm philosophy was "from ragtime to no time." Another landmark recording to which he contributed was Holland's well-remembered Conference of the Birds project. Collaborations with Paul Bley, Kenny Drew and Andrew Hill followed. Though he's currently a member of Joe Fonda's FAB trio, we've heard too little from Barry in recent years, so this gig is a welcome one. Also on hand will be trumpet voice Paul Smoker, alto Hayes Greenfield and Ed Schuller on bass. PB VALERY PONOMAREV DIZZY'S/NOVEMBER 5 When Russian trumpeter Ponomarev came to the USA at age 30 in 1973, he'd already been inspired by the records by trumpeter Clifford Brown and Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. It wasn't long before he ended up a Messenger himself, and that half-decade experience still inspires his music. Although his versatile career has found him ranging far from hard bop - he's currently featured every Sunday night at Birdland in Arturo O'Farrill's Afro-Cuban Big Band - the Valery Ponomarev Jazz Big Band he's leading at Dizzy's is presenting a program called "Our Father Who Art Blakey," featuring orchestral arrangements of tunes from the Jazz Messengers repertoire. GK MARCUS GILMORE JAZZ GALLERY/NOVEMBER 16 AND 17 His grandpa presented Marcus with his first drumset at age ten. This LaGuardia High School grad has been putting that hardware to good use ever since, playing in groups led by Clark Terry, Steve Coleman, Ravi Coltrane and Vijay Iyer, among others. Vets like Branford Marsalis, Jimmy Heath and Wycliffe Gordon have invited him onto their bandstands. But he's well past Promising Young Phenom status now and definitely ready to feature his own writing for his own band at the Gallery for these two nights, as part of the club's ongoing Composers Series. Oh, and by the way, "Grandpa" is the esteemed Roy Haynes. PB JAZZ IN JERSEY BY FRED McINTOSH MARLENE VERPLANCK SHANGHAI JAZZ/NOVEMBER 11 The classy Ms. VerPlanck and her excellent support team (pianist Ted Firth, bassist Steve LaSpina and drummer Rich DeRosa) are booked for a single night at one of the Garden State's most intimate venues. Hearing them together provides insight into her drive for the sort of perfection we associate only with artists like Sinatra. Marlene knows good songs when she hears them - and almost no one else handles lyrics are skillfully as she. Want proof? Check out It's How You Play the Game, a winning 2003 Audiophile CD on which she's backed by members of the Diva Jazz Orchestra, conducted by her arranger husband Billy VerPlanck. FRANK WESS SOUTH ORANGE MIDDLE SCHOOL/NOVEMBER 3 The Baird Center presents its tenth annual "Giants of Jazz" program with renowned pianist Barry Harris as this year's honoree. A host of stars from the jazz firmament will join in the merriment - among them, Kansas City son Frank Wess, the saxist and jazz flute pioneer who joined Count Basie's "New Testament band" (replacing Paul Quinichette) back in 1953 and was often spotlighted in two-tenor features with Frank Foster. Wess remained with Basie for eleven years and has, ever since, been an MVP on the New York scene. For a taste of his skills as leader, check out a superb 1993 Concord CD entitled Tryin' to Make My Blues Turn Green. VINCE GIORDANO & THE NIGHTHAWKS SOUTH ORANGE PAC/NOVEMBER 20 The Nighthawks' mission is preservation and performance of music by notable 20s and 30s bands. We value the dedication, skill, enthusiasm and wit that illuminate every note they play. Look for Giordano switching (with astounding quickness) from tuba to bass sax to aluminum string bass; Andy Stein playing violin; Dave Brown and Jon-Erik Kelso handling the trumpet work; Jim Fryer on trombone; a reed section that includes Dan Block, Mark Lopeman and Chuck Wilson; plus rhythm section guys Peter Yarin on piano; Mark McCarron playing both banjo and guitar; and Rob Garcia behind the drums. We especially love their Stomp Off CD called Quality Shout. JIMMY DORSEY ORCHESTRA STATE THEATRE/NOVEMBER 11 Remember the other Dorsey? Jimmy and Tommy formed the Dorsey Brothers group at the beginning of the Swing Era. After a notorious public feud (for details, consult Peter Levinson's engrossing biography of Tommy), T.D departed and the band became Jimmy's, whose alto playing even Charlie Parker admired. Its stars included Bobby Byrne, Shorty Sherock, Ray McKinley and Helen O'Connell. When Jimmy played his final bar in 1957, Lee Castle took over leadership. The baton has since been passed to trombonist Bill Tole. At the State, expect to hear signature J.D. numbers like "Tangerine," "Marie Elena" and "Contrasts", featuring vocalist Nancy Knorr. CLARK TERRY: BRASS ON TOP by Ken Dryden Clark Terry, one of the most acclaimed trumpeters and flugelhornists in jazz, has been active on the scene since shortly after his discharge from the Navy in the 1940s. His tenure with both Count Basie and Duke Ellington gained him considerable exposure. Terry's own recordings, including numerous small group dates, a quintet jointly led with Bob Brookmeyer (which Terry calls "a mutual admiration society") and his Big B-A-D Band of the 1970s make up his extensive discography. In spite of recent health problems, including diabetes plus a serious bout with cancer six years ago, he still looks forward to performing. During a recent phone interview, Terry explained how he created his distinctive sound: "You pick up many things from the old timers, ways and means of making sounds, ways of tempering and tampering with them, squeezing them and using your tongue to set positions. Using extra gusts of air from the abdomen called 'body huffs.' Also, there's the way that you hold your tongue and curl it to the roof of the mouth so that the air comes out the side of your tongue as well as the tip. I was able to sound a bit different by putting them all together." Terry discussed some of his solo techniques in detail: "Circular breathing is kind of difficult. I saw an old dude do it at a carnival years ago with a clarinet. As he was holding the notes, he would take off a segment of the clarinet, joint by joint, and put it on the stool. He took it all the way down to the reed and separated it from the ligature of the mouthpiece and turned around to whistle on the reed, all while dancing! I heard several performances. I figured out it was exhaling and inhaling simultaneously. You take your whole breath into the diaphragm and ease it slowly into the horn, while you fill up your jaws with air. Then you squeeze the jaws with your throat muscles to make a sort of raspberry sound. While doing that, it is possible to inhale through the nostrils simultaneously. Then you go back to regular breathing. It's easiest to control it with short bursts of air." Although Terry initially played trumpet, he added flugelhorn early in his career. "I started playing the flugelhorn around 1959. I debuted it on Billy Taylor's album Taylor Made Jazz, which used the Ellington band. I was living with a buddy named Sike Smith on the South Side of Chicago. He brought it down to the record date. I played few notes on it and Billy said, 'You should put that on the date' and I said, 'I intend to.' That same day with Duke Ellington's band at the Blue Note, I took it to the matinee." Terry's crowd-pleasing routine of alternating between trumpet and flugelhorn in the same number has an amusing origin. "Duke had a way of embarrassing the hell out of you if he thought you were inebriated or a little bit tardy. One afternoon, I was late getting to the Blue Note and the band was on, so Duke said, 'Now the late Clark Terry will play "Perdido."' He played it faster than usual, in a different key, tempo and everything. So I decided to do something different. I played it with the two horns and played one upside down. I had been waiting for an opportunity, because I had been practicing with the left hand, the upside down horn and all that. He was so unjointed that he didn't speak to me for a month!" About the possibility of a memoir, Terry says, "My wife has written my biography but it's still sitting on the shelf. She's still looking to add to it. There's a lot of interesting stuff in there about what we had to go through back then." Renowned as a musician who taught jazz to kids using his own money, as well as conducting numerous workshops over the decades, Terry is still active in jazz education. "I'm associated with three universities as an adjunct professor. I just moved to Arkansas and I'm with the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. The mayor is my wife's former classmate and the red carpet was rolled out for us. I think we're doing a marvelous job with race relations. This hasn't been the kindest place in the world for black people. When we did our jazz festival last year, it didn't make any money but it was very beautiful. We have a lot more charitable support for next April's festival." Clark Terry leads a group at the Blue Note on November 17-18. He's also part of the NEA Jazz Masters aggregation (along with Jimmy Heath, Benny Powell, Barry Harris, Earl May and Tootie Heath) at Flushing Town Hall on November 30. ON BECOMING MARIA SCHNEIDER by Elzy Kolb Composer/arranger Maria Schneider has struggled with performance anxiety, mike fright, self-doubt and shyness throughout her life. But you'd never know it from her animated response to the simple question, "How did you get from there to here?" "There" is her hometown of Windom, MN (current population roughly 4,500), and "here" is Schneider's current status on the fast-track to jazz super-stardom as a Manhattan-based winner of multiple Grammys, Jazz Journalist Association awards and other accolades. She's also the recipient of commissions and grants, and the poll-topping favorite of many critics and listeners. The journey began when Maria was about five, and Evelyn Butler, a Chicago stride pianist who'd recently moved to Windom, joined her family for dinner. After the meal, Butler played a few tunes on the piano. Maria recalls being riveted by what she heard, and thinking: "I want that. I want to be that." Maria soon began studying with the Chicago transplant. "She was a magnificent teacher," she says. "Mrs. Butler taught me about theory in every single lesson. Right from the start we analyzed every piece. What I started loving even more than perfecting the way I played a piece was falling in love with music, the construction of music, the creation of music, the expression of music." Besides theory, Butler shared another lesson that has stuck with Schneider. "She taught me that the most important thing in music is personality. All of the people I admire, their individualism in music is so strong, people like Gil Evans and Bob Brookmeyer." Growing up in a town without a record store or a jazz radio station, Schneider was unaware of the changes that had taken place in the music since her early mentor's heyday. "I didn't know about modern music. I loved standards and lamented being born in the wrong era," she says. Schneider was in college when she first heard John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock and Bill Evans. "I was thrilled to discover there is an evolution here, that I can be part of it." She first became aware of Gil Evans, for whom she eventually worked as an assistant, when searching through the "E" bin at a record store. "I found Gil and wondered if he was related to Bill Evans. I found Gil by accident and fell in love," Schneider says. Schneider moved to New York in 1985. "I didn't have any particular goal," she says. "I had eyes to start a band. I wanted to write. I wasn't sure I could make a living in music. I had no confidence. I had self-esteem issues. I was afraid for people to hear my stuff, afraid to talk in front of a mike. I was scared and nervous." In spite of her doubts and anxieties, Schneider persisted, following her belief that "you have to go with what your passion is to be successful." She worked as a copyist for eight years. A chance meeting at the office with composer/band leader Tom Pierson led to Schneider's association with Gil Evans. She began performing in small clubs and felt encouraged by "having people respond to the music, having musicians respond to the music." In the decades since then, Schneider's calendar has filled up with a busy international performing and teaching schedule. "I travel so much and get so discombobulated that I wake up at night wondering: Am I in New York? Am I in Brazil?" To this day, "Every time I write music, I feel like a beginner again," she says. "I get nervous." Her years of experience help her to conquer the anxiety and keep going. She urges her students to "get as much experience as you can, step by step, build a life." Schneider extols the positive side of living the creative life. "Everyone has the right to step in to do what you love and create something significant," she says. "The passionate path leads to magic things. I always follow my heart and gut, and everything falls in line. The longer I do it, the more I believe in it." Maria Schneider and her orchestra celebrate the release of her new CD Sky Blue (ArtistShare) at the Jazz Standard on November 20-25. JAZZWOMEN! BY ELZY KOLB Singing in the years Considering how busy vocalist Sheila Jordan stays with gigs and workshops, it might seem as if she'd look forward to kicking back, staying home and opening presents on her birthday. Wrong! "One of the highlights of my life is to sing on my birthday, to celebrate the wonderful, wonderful fact that I was given this music to be the messenger of," she says. Sheila will turn 79 onstage at Iridium on the second day of her Nov. 17-18 gig with trombonist Roswell Rudd, who turns 72 on opening night. "Roswell is one of my favorite human beings in the whole world, as a musician and as a person. He's so loose and relaxed, anything can happen. It will be sort of a mixture of all the different combinations I'd done when I was with Roswell's group years ago. It's a celebration of our lives, a celebration of what's kept me going-this music," Sheila says. "The audience is my gift. I have become very open to the stage, it's like my church now. The stage is where I go to pray, and the audience is part of the experience." She is already looking forward to marking her 80th birthday singing in the Big Apple. "What better place than New York City?" Sheila asks. Strange days Like every experienced musician, pianist Nicki Denner has played her share of weird gigs. "At this point I've worked in so many strange situations, it's just part of playing music," she says. A casino gig booked with six female dancers ranks at the top of Nicki's list of the unusual. "One of the girls dropped out, so the male choreographer took her place, in drag," she recalls. The booker had been threatening to sue if fewer than six dancers appeared, but after that opening night surprise, he was happy to accept just five. Many more people are likely to be tempted to dance, or at least tap their feet, when Nicki and the Latin jazz group CocoMama play a couple of debut gigs this month. Band mates include saxophonist Virginia Mayhew, flutist Andrea Brachfeld, bassist Jennifer Vincent, percussionists Mayra Casales and Jessica Rodriguez, and vocalists Sofia Tosello and Claudette Sierra. Catch them at the Nuyorican Poet's Café on Nov. 1 and at Sweet Rhythm on Nov. 8. Nicki will also be at the Lenox Lounge with Willie Martinez's La Familia sextet on Nov. 16-17. Quick study When it comes to music, trombonist Deborah Weisz believes it pays to be versatile. "I've explored everything that crossed my path. I said yes to everything, then figured out how to do it. Fortunately, I was never afraid to ask questions," she says. Deborah lived in Las Vegas for almost a dozen years. Besides studying at UNLV, she attended what she calls "trombone school," learning from the many talented musicians playing the Nevada shows. Deborah got familiar with New York while on the road with Frank Sinatra, and moved to the Big Apple in 1993. She's stayed busy playing jazz gigs with the likes of Jimmy Heath, Freddie Hubbard, Roswell Rudd, Don Braden, the Diva Jazz Orchestra, and Fred Hersch; plus Broadway shows, and performances with chamber and orchestral groups. Other activities include teaching, conducting clinics, and doing studio work for movies and TV. "Every gig matters. Who knows what it will inspire?" Deborah says. "I probably became a writer because of all those years of sitting in big bands surrounded by all that music." She recently released a new CD, Trio (Va Wah), featuring originals and jazz standards, inspired by the repertoire she developed over several years of playing jazz brunch at the Garage with guitarist Sheryl Bailey and bassist Nicki Parrott. "I always liked playing with just a couple of people," Deborah says. "It's more intimate. There's more interplay. It's not just about one person. During the 'Garage years,' on that four-hour gig you got to play a lot. In that relaxed setting, we explored standards in all kinds of styles." Deborah will be back at the Garage with her quartet on Nov. 13, playing music from both of her CDs, plus "standards, and stuff to blow on." Party time Vocalist Katie Bull will get back from Argentina just in time for a release party for her CD/DVD The Story So Far (Corn Hill) at the 55 Bar on Nov. 1 … Singer Rondi Charleston introduces her new CD/DVD In My Life (Emmamuse) at Iridium on Nov. 6 … Singer Jeanne MacDonald celebrates the legacy of Peggy Lee with the help of bassist Jennifer Vincent and percussionist Mayra Casales at the Metropolitan Room on Nov. 3, 10, and 17 … Join vocalist Deborah Latz when she blows out her birthday candles at Sweet Rhythm on Nov. 13 … Nov. 20 is Sue Matsuki's birthday, but the audience gets the gifts: free music and cupcakes at the Laurie Beechman Theater … Guitarist Leni Stern marks the release of Africa (LSR) at the Bowery Poetry Club on Nov. 21; the CD features guest artists including Michael Brecker and Prince. Gigs, gigs, gigs Vocalist Tierney Sutton plays Birdland through Nov. 3 … Reed player Anat Cohen continues her multiple-band run at the Jazz Standard through Nov. 4 … You have till Nov. 10 to catch Paula West singing "Something Good" at the Algonquin's Oak Room … The uniquely named Havana Carbo sings at Enzo's on Nov. 2 … Kirsten Jerme (cello), Sarah Schoenbeck (bassoon), Jane Rigler and Emily Hays (flutes), and others are part of Go: Organic Orchestra at Roulette on Nov. 5, 19, and 26 … Vocalist Nancy Marano plays the Metropolitan Room on Nov. 13 … BushWacked: A Spoken Opera features Rozanne Levine on alto, flutes and clarinet, Rosi Hertlein on violin and vocals and Golda Solomon on words at Cornelia Street Café on Nov. 15 … Vocalist Carol Sloane is a Keeper of the Flame at Jack Kleinsinger's Highlights in Jazz at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center on Nov. 15 … Drummer Terri Lyne Carrington appears with Mike Stern's band at Iridium on Nov. 14-16 … Check out singer Renee Neufville on the late shift at the Blue Note on Nov. 17; alto saxophonist Matana Roberts plays the same venue at the same time on Nov. 24 … Melissa Stylianou sings at Birdland on Nov. 20 … Pianist Linda Presgrave focuses on composers who happen to be female at the Triad on Nov. 26 … Alexis Cole sings at the Zinc Bar on Nov. 26 … Vocalist Andrea Wolper is at Sweet Rhythm on Nov. 27 … Nicki Parrott plays bass with Randy Sandke, part of the BargeMusic series on Nov. 29 … Vocalist Gabriele Tranchina will be at Enzo's on Nov. 30 … Michelle Walker sings at the River Room on Nov. 30-Dec. 1. Hear what's new Pianist Leslie Pintchik, who appears at Kitano on Nov. 7, plays Quartets (Ambient) … Singer Anne Ducros' Urban Tribe (Dreyfus) includes saxophonist Ada Rovatti … Saxophonist Geraldine Laurent introduces her Time Out Trio (Dreyfus) … Pianist Kerry Politzer tries something different on her self-produced You Took Me In … Vocalist Wendy Luck says See You In Rio (Wendy Luck Music) … Geri Allen plays piano and keyboards on Wallace Roney's Jazz (HighNote) … Pianist Renee Rosnes joins the Gerald Wilson Orchestra on Monterey Moods (Mack Avenue). HOT FLASHES BY PAUL BLAIR A SUPERMARKET SUPERFESTIVAL Can you believe it? A two-day jazz extravaganza held inside a high-end grocery store? It's the Gibson/Baldwin Jazz Festival slated for Nov. 3-4 at the newish Whole Foods outpost on the corner of Bowery and Houston, and it's free. Scheduled to appear, among others, are guitarists Jack Wilkins, Howard Alden, Paul Abler and Joshua Breakstone; pianists Allen Farnham and John DiMartino; and trumpeter Ted Curson's Spirit of Life Ensemble. Yusef Lateef will also be on hand to sign copies of his new autobiography. The hours? It'll be 5:00 to 10:30 PM on Saturday, then 2:00 to 8:30 PM on Sunday. WORTH NOTING Tom Abbott's ten-piece Big Bang Big Band plays arrangements by Henderson, Ellington and Basie on Tuesday nights at Swing 46 on W. 46th St. Note, too, that the same venue hosts a Hoboken-based outfit called Swingadelic on Nov. 2, 9 and 23 … Transplanted New Orleans clarinetist Rick Bogart now plays Sunday brunches at Seppi's, inside Le Parker Meridien in midtown, and does evening sets (8:30 PM ff) with his trio on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays … Truth and Beauty, organist Sam Yahel's latest CD, is a joy. The trio with guitarist Lionel Loueke and percussionist Francisco Mela that he'll bring into Smoke on Nov. 27-28 will also delight … Impressive guitarist Nat Janoff, a recovering rocker, appears at Smalls on Nov. 3 and at New Leaf Café on Nov. 9 … Holland's acclaimed Willem Breuker Kollektief does a 9:30 PM set at Joe's Pub on Nov. 12 … Pianist Helen Sung enlivens Dizzy's After Hours sets on Nov. 6-11, then returns with a quartet on Nov. 26 … Jazz has found a home at the All Things Project & Jazz UnderGround (269 Bleecker St., between Sixth and Seventh), with flautist Jamie Baum leading a septet there on Nov. 30. It's no cover and no minimum, too … Rumbero guitarist and author Ned Sublette appears at Barbès in Park Slope on Nov. 2 … Soprano saxophonist Sam Newsome promises material from his solo Monk Abstractions CD during an appearance at Saint Peter's on Nov. 11 … Saxophonist Rob Reddy brings a sextet (that also includes French horn, violin, guitar, bass and tabla) to Tribeca Performing Arts Center on November 28-29 to present a passel of new compositions … Trombonist Joe Fiedler introduced material from a new CD called The Crab (Clean Feed) at the Jazz Gallery on Nov. 29 … Guitarist Paul Bollenback guests with Jim Snidero's group at Smoke on Nov. 29 … Tenor saxophonist John Richmond leads his quartet at the Turning Point Café, up the Hudson in Piermont, on Nov. 5, 19 and 26. All Mondays this month sound like good nights, since guitarist John Abercrombie presents his trio on Nov. 12 … Big band jazz in a Chinese restaurant? Yes, George Gee's Jump Jivin' Wailers continue to wow 'em at the Grand Harmony Palace (98 Mott St. in Chinatown) with performances on Nov. 16 and Nov. 23 … And here's one more we wouldn't miss: a live recording for the Steeplechase label at Kitano on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 involving pianist Andy Laverne and organist Gary Versace. SINGERS ABOUNDING Rondi Charleston holds forth at the same club on Nov. 6 with a great backup group that includes pianist Bruce Barth … Linda Ciofalo does a brunch at the Washington Square Hotel on Nov. 4 … Gretchen Parlato plays the All Things Gallery on Nov. 9 … Carla Cook and Allan Harris join forces with Eric Reed's trio for a salute to the genius of Eddie Jefferson at J@LC's Allen Room on Nov. 9-10, with two shows each evening. THE JAZZ-AT-NOON GUYS Talk about your long-running gigs! Jazz at Noon is now in the midst of its forty-third year. What you have is a group of music-loving doctors, lawyers and business execs - among them Mike Cantor who was part of the initial band back in 1965 - gathering each Friday to play for two hours, with a specially invited guest artist sharing the fun every week. But here's what you need to know: their Friday sessions, formerly hosted at St. Bart's on Park Ave., are now taking place at a new location: inside the National Arts Club on Gramercy Park South. At press time, front man Les Lieber was able to confirm the presence of just two visiting firemen this month: tenor saxophonist Bob Kindred on Nov. 2 and trumpeter Randy Sandke on Nov. 16. But there'll be others added on other weeks - and look for flautist Ali Ryerson in mid-December, then trombonist John Allred during January. To confirm dates and players, check with Les at 212-674-8082. A JAZZ STORM BREWING IN NEWARK Brace yourself! The Jazz Marathon being held on November 15 (6:00 PM to 1:00 AM) in Newark's Symphony Hall will serve as a fundraiser for that historic hall's renovation. WBGO-FM is a co-sponsor, so expect a talent-filled bill on the Terrace Ballroom stage. Already slated to play are Rufus Reid's quintet, the Steve & Iqua Colson quintet, Roseanna Vitro's and Bill Easley's quartets, the Spirit of Life Ensemble, Carrie Jackson & The Jazzin'All Star Trio, Don Williams & Lady CiCi and the Swinging Just Us Band. Also expected are Kenny Garrett, T. K. Blue, Bradford Hayes, Sherry Winston, Cornell McGhee, James Gibbs, Chris Brown, Dion Parsons, Melvin Davis and Jason "Malletman" Taylor. There'll be vocalists (among them, Antoinette Montague, Cynthia Holiday, Tulivu Donna Cumberbach, Yvette Glover and Jan Carden) and even tappers (Savion Glover, Maurice Chestnut, Deborah Mitchell and Karen Calloway Williams). Dorthaan Kirk will also be honored, and Jazz 88's pivotal role in Newark's cultural history will be noted. Jazz Marathon tickets, available through Ticketmaster, are $25 each. For info, phone 973-643-8014. HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE BY GEORGE KANZLER Topping this annual survey of gift-suitable reissue and newly unearthed recordings in box sets and multiple CDs are admirably appealing (no multiple takes and/or forgettable tracks offered in the service of completeness) and attractively packaged box sets covering the early careers of two of the 20th Century's most important and influential singers. There's also a big box of fascinating non-big band Duke Ellington; a treasure trove of live recordings from a pioneering West Coast jazz festival; a couple of useful Coltrane collections featuring, for once, material not over-anthologized; and a newly discovered live recording of one of Charles Mingus' best bands. Lady Day: The Master Takes and Singles, Billie Holiday (Columbia/Legacy, four CDs), is a more practical alternative to the Grammy-winning 10-CD box, Lady Day: The Complete Billie Holiday on Columbia (1933-1944), winnowing down that exhaustively complete set to 80 tracks that are pretty much the cream of the crop. So here you have all the famous songs and collaborations with the likes of Lester Young, Benny Goodman, Roy Eldridge and Teddy Wilson, without all those Tin Pan Alley atrocities Holiday was also required to record. Here is Holiday taking songs and reshaping them in her own style and image, something she did so subtly and convincingly that you have to hear another singer doing them to realize how much she personalized them. Frank Sinatra: A Voice in Time (1939-1952) (Sony/Legacy, four CDs). This sumptuously packaged box set is an example of one of the few advantages of consolidation and conglomeration in the music industry, for it brings together tracks made for both the RCA Victor and Columbia labels, until now only available, if at all, on label-exclusive sets. Considering the hundreds of recordings Sinatra made between 1939 and 1952, most found in other boxes or collections, this 80 song collection is very comprehensive as well as creatively organized. Each of the four CDs is thematic: The Big Band Years, 1939-1942; Teen Idol, 1943-1952; The Great American Songbook, 1943-1947; and The Sound of Thing to Come, 1949-1952. And, in what is a blatant appeal to Sinatra collectors, scattered through the set are previously unissued sound check recordings and alternate takes of Sinatra classics. Duke Ellington: The Complete 1936-1940 Variety, Vocalion and Okeh Small Group Sessions (Mosaic, seven CDs). One of the ways Duke Ellington was able to maintain a consistent lineup of musicians during the years covered here was to augment his star band members' income with small group recordings that helped reinforce their star status - hence the nominal leaders of these dates were alto saxophonist Johnny Hodges, trumpeter Cootie Williams, clarinetist Barney Bigard and cornetist Rex Stewart, and featured heavily were such other prominent Ellingtonians as baritone saxophonist Harry Carney and trombonists Juan Tizol and Lawrence Brown. But these were Duke's projects, often made immediately after big band dates had been completed, giving his best soloists a more relaxed setting in which to improvise. But of most interest to Ellington fans, these sessions often also served as an experimental forum for pieces - among the most fascinating here are "Caravan'' and "Lost in Meditation" - the Duke was developing for a full big band treatment." Under the aegis of the Concord Music Group, the West Coast's pioneering jazz festival has begun releasing a treasure trove of live recordings on the Monterey Jazz Festival Records label. The initial release of five CDs would make a perfect gift, individually or collectively, for any veteran jazz fan. Louis Armstrong: Live at the 1958 Monterey Jazz Festival is a typical outing by Satchmo's All-Stars of the time. But the two other sessions by trumpeters are pretty special: Dizzy Gillespie: Live at the 1965 Monterey Jazz Festival features one of Dizzy's very best post-bop era small groups, with reedman James Moody and pianist Kenny Barron, and Miles Davis Quintet: Live at the 1963 Monterey Jazz Festival is a rare glimpse of the group in transition, with the second Classic '60's Quintet rhythm section of Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Tony Williams in place, but the tenor sax chair later filled by Wayne Shorter still occupied by George Coleman. Sarah Vaughan: Live at the 1971 Monterey Jazz Festival is a wonderful example of the kind of performance that made the jazz diva one of the greatest live attractions in the music during 1970s and 1980s. Not only is she in top form here, but in one of two jams with a group of Jazz at the Philharmonic All-Stars she trades vocal scats and his own patented "mumbles" with Clark Terry. Thelonious Monk: Live at the 1964 Monterey Jazz Festival features a set by Monk's familiar quartet with tenor saxophonist Charlie Rouse, plus a unique bonus: two extended tracks with the quartet augmented by a quintet of hornmen from the Monterey Jazz Festival Workshop, led by reedman Buddy Collette, probably the only time Monk recorded with West Coast jazz musicians. There are such a plethora of John Coltrane reissues available, many of them repetitious, that it’s nice to report that two new ones are useful and unique. The Complete Riverside Recordings, Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane (Riverside, two CDs) collects material scattered over a few LPs and brings it all together. Interplay, John Coltrane (Prestige, 5-CDs), collects material recorded between later 1956 and early 1958, all featuring Coltrane in collaborative, often jam session-like, contexts. Five of the seven dates find Trane sharing the front line with other saxophonists, from tenors Hank Mobley, Zoot Sims, Paul Quinichette and Bobby Jaspar to, in a unique sextet, baritones Cecil Payne and Pepper Adams. Thus we get Coltrane in the unique perspective of the context of his peers, at the time his style was still evolving. The discovery of new Charles Mingus recordings is almost as much of a growth industry as Coltrane reissues, but Charles Mingus Sextet with Eric Dolphy: Cornell 1964 (Blue Note, two CDs) is an extraordinary addition to the Mingus discography by any measure. The amazingly fecund collaboration of Mingus and Dolphy was coming to an end, but what an end! The two were surrounded by some of the best and most empathetic musicians to ever play with Mingus: pianist Jaki Byard; trumpeter Johnny Coles; tenor saxophonist Clifford Jordan, and indispensable Mingus drummer Danny Richmond. The results, to paraphrase Duke Ellington, jump for joy as they come out of your speakers. jazz anecdote by bill crow Bill Crow's books "Jazz Anecdotes" and "From Birdland to Broadway" can be found at your favorite bookstore, and at www.billcrowbass.com along with many interesting photos and links. Back in the days when Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey hired big bands to play the circus, Leo Ball sat in the trumpet section at Madison Square Garden playing a Gershwin medley as the entire troupe of elephants did their act. As they rose on their hind legs, each elephant with his forefeet resting on the back of the next, Leo played a solo on the melody of "My Man's Gone Now." One night his lip failed him, and the soaring high note at the beginning of the phrase turned into a nanny-goat sound. At this, the largest elephant at the end of the line turned his head and looked right at Leo. The musicians broke up. On the next show, just before Leo's solo, the same elephant turned his head and looked at him. Leo was so taken aback that he flubbed the part again. When the same thing happened on the third show, Leo gave up and passed his part to Bill Vaccaro, the trumpeter sitting next to him. The elephant looked over, Bill played the part correctly, and from then on the elephant stopped checking out the trumpet player.