"DownBeat" - March 2012

Cover Story
George Benson -- DownBeat catches up with legendary guitarist George Benson, who is a 10-time Grammy winner and a NEA Jazz Master. His latest album, Guitar Man, puts the spotlight on his virtuoso skills as a guitarist, but it also showcases his graceful vocals. Benson's collaborators on the album include pianist Joe Sample, bassist Ben Williams and drummer Harvey Mason.

FEATURES
Anthony Braxton -- Saxophonist Anthony Braxton is undoubtedly one of the most significant American musicians of the last 40 years. His career has included hundreds of recordings, including the four-CD opera set, Trillium E, released in October by New Braxton House.

Enrico Rava -- Italian trumpeter Enrico Rava sat down at the 2011 Barcelona Jazz Festival for a DownBeat "Winefold/Blindfold Test," which combined the famous Blindfold Test with a selection of wines chosen by a sommelier.

John Hollenbeck -- In addition to leading his own groups (including his Large Ensemble and the Claudia Quintet), percussionist John Hollenbeck is a professor of jazz drums and improvisation at the Jazz Institute Berlin. The John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble won the Rising Star-Big Band category in the 2011 DownBeat Critics Poll.

Special Section: Jazz Camp Guide -- DownBeat's annual guide has descriptions of over 100 jazz camps, including information on dates, applications, costs, faculty and more.

Special Section: Indie Life -- In this special section, DownBeat profiles independent artists and labels who are creating great music and figuring out creative ways to get their music out to fans. Included are WJ3 Records, Brooklyn Jazz Underground and Jeff Hedberg.

PLAYERS
Helen Sung (piano)
Otis Brown III (drums)
Colin Stetson (saxophone)
John Taylor (piano)

BLINDFOLD TEST- Donny McCaslin live at the 2011 Monterey Jazz Festival

THE BEAT
* Chick Corea's November residency at the Blue Note in New York City.
* Record label profile: Landslide Records
* Vinyl Freak
* Caught: Otis Taylor's Trance Blues Festival in Boulder, Colorado; Hiromi in Chicago;
Kennedy Center Honors for Sonny Rollins in Washington, D.C.

WOODSHED
* Master Class: by Ignacio Berroa
* Transcription: JD Allen tenor saxophone solo

GEAR BOX
* Cakewalk Z3TA+ 2 synthesizer
* RS Berkeley/Drake Mouthpieces Frank Foster Legends
* Rico padded sax strap
* Line 6 Pod HD Pro effects processor
* Mel Bay Publication's Metric Modulations, Volume 2: Contracting And Expanding Time Within Form, book/DVD, written by Ari Hoenig and Johannes Weidenmueller
* Roland R-26 portable recorder

TOOLSHED
* Yamaha Custom Z soprano saxophone
* Vigier USA GV Wood single cutaway guitar
* P. Mauriat PMB-302 GL baritone saxophone
* Godin 5th Avenue Jazz Piano Black HG guitar

JAZZ ON CAMPUS
* Slide Hampton's Master Class, McGill University

REVIEWS - Hot Box
* The Dave Brubeck Quartet, Their Last Time Out (Columbia/Legacy)
* Trio M, Guest House (Enja/Yellow Bird)
* Opus 5, Introducing Opus 5 (Criss Cross Jazz)
* Gregory Tardy, Monuments (SteepleChase)

CD Reviews
* Jason Stein Quartet, The Story This Time (Delmark)
* Sharon Lewis & Texas Fire, The Real Deal (Delmark)
* Jeff Williams, Another Time (Whirlwind)
* São Paulo Underground, Três Cabeças Loucuras (Cuneiform)
* Matt Baker, Underground (self release)
* Rez Abbasi's Invocation, Suno Suno (Enja)
* Emmet Cohen, In The Element (BadaBeep)
* Aki Takase & Han Bennink, Two For Two (Intakt)
* Taylor Ho Bynum Sextet, Apparent Distance (Firehouse 12)
* Burnt Sugar, All Ya Needs That Negrocity (Avant Groidd)
* Ernie Watts Quartet, Oasis (Flying Dolphin)
* Yuval Cohen, Song Without Words (Anzic)
* Adam Rudolph, Go: Organic Orchestra: 1 (Meta)
* William Carn's Run Stop Run, William Carn's Run Stop Run (Mythology)
* David Budway, A New Kiss (MaxJazz)
* Marilyn Mazur, Celestial Circle (ECM)
* Theo Bleckmann, Hello Earth! The Music Of Kate Bush (Winter & Winter) combined with the new album from Kate Bush, 50 Words For Snow (Anti-)
* Guillaume Bouchard, Bleu Et Blanc (self release)
* Jason Palmer, Here Today (SteepleChase)
* Hal Galper Trio, Trip The Light Fantastic (Origin)
* Ehran Elisha and Roy Campbell, Watching Cartoons With Eddie (OutNow Recordings)
* Cinque, Catch A Corner (Alma Records)
* Michael Bates, Acrobat: Music For, And By, Dmitri Shostakovich (Sunnyside)
* Melissa Aldana, Free Fall (Inner Circle)
* Greg Abate, Horace Is Here: A Tribute To Horace Silver (Rhombus Records)
* Sam Yahel, From Sun To Sun (Origin)
* John Colianni Quintet, On Target (Patuxent Music)

Jazz Column
* Erin Dickins, Nice Girls (self release)
* Lisa Lindsley, Everytime We Say Goodbye (Blondsongstress)
* Judith Wexler, Under A Painted Sky (Jazzed Media)
* Yvonne Washington (with Gary Norian), Trust In Me (Mercator)
* Sophie Milman, In The Moonlight (Entertainment One)

Blues Column
* Duke Robillard Band, Low Down And Tore Up (Stony Plain)
* Morgan Davis, Drive My Blues Away (Electro-Fi)
* Cornell Dupree, I'm Alright (Dialtone)
* Scott Ramminger, Crawstickers (Arbor Lane)
* Mark Nomad, Torch Tones (Blue Star)
* Laurie Morvan, Breathe Deep (Screaming Lizard)
* Diunna Greenleaf, Trying To Hold On (Blue Mercy)

Beyond Column
* Mastodon, The Hunter (Warner Bros).
* Earth, Angels Of Darkness, Demons Of Light, Vol. 1 (Southern Lord)
* Wolves In The Throne Room, Celestial Lineage (Southern Lord)
* Krallice, Diotima (Profound Lore)
* YOB, Atma (Profound Lore)
* Rwake, Rest (Relapse)
* Cave In, White Silence (HydraHead)

Historical Column
Nessa label's historical releases:
* Roscoe Mitchell, Before There Was Sound
* Von Freeman, Have No Fear
* Eddie Johnson, Indian Summer
* Fred Anderson, The Missing Link

Book Review Column
* David Evanier, All The Things You Are: The Life Of Tony Bennett (Wiley)