MAIN EVENT. A Good Place to Get Started --- a.k.a "Table of Contents"

Ballin the Jack Does The Duke

by Bob Powers

G21 Music Writer

To read this article in Deutsch, Francaise, Italiano, Portuguese, Espanol, copy and paste the complete URL("http://www.generator21.net/ps47.html") and enter it in the box after you click through.

In assembling the history of music, twentieth century version, there are many individuals who deserve attention. Ranking at the top, or at least in the first five, is Duke Ellington. As a leader of various bands composed of superb talents from the early 1930s until his death in 1974, Ellington and his assistants (particularly Billy Strayhorn) produced music that should endure throughout the coming century, if not much longer.

One measure of Ellington's importance is The Penguin Guide to Jazzon CD.

The book's authors required 21 pages to list and comment on Ellington albums.

Now comes one of the most satisfying and stirring renditions of Ellington's early music. Matt Darriau, one of the most interesting "new" musicians in New York assembled a group of friends (they've been playing together for two decades in one way or another). Darriau has made an impact on music with albums in the Balkan and Klezmer idioms. He won recognition for being one of the 150 most influential musicians in the past 15 years for his tireless work in bringing Balkan and world rhythms to jazz.

Darriau's band, a septet called Ballin the Jack, has produced what I pick as the jazz album of 1999 with "Jungle" (Knitting Factory Records). Darriau acquired original arrangements of 11 Ellington band favorites, mainly from the early 1930s. The titles should be instantly recognizable to the majority of jazz listeners.

What Darriau has done is to work off those original charts, doing some innovative explorations. As Knitting Factory's Eric Speck describes it: "They stay inside the lines drawn by their early counterparts, but may not color with the same crayons." This is roots music that demands dancing or at the very least an uninhibited tapping of ones foot.

Ballin the Jack at times sounds like at least double the seven musicians performing. The sound is rich, its clarity is startling. It's one of those all-too rare albums, containing not a single miscue. Everyone will doubtless choose their favorite track. Mine is "Happy Go Lucky Local." Yours may be "Dawn on the Desert," "Echoes of Harlem," or "Mood Indigo."

My dear wife of 48 years doesn't share my enthusiasm for many of the albums that I've raved about in Powerssound, but she responded more than favorably when I asked how she liked "Jungle."

"That's a great album," she said. I love that woman!

Lambert Leap, Maybe

A musician of more than considerable talent is like anyone else who doesn't possess big pockets: he must pay his dues. If he's lucky, lightning will zap him at some point along the line and the next thing he knows, fame has arrived.

Mark Lambert has done plenty of paying dues. He began his show biz career playing guitar in the pit band for Broadways "Fiddler on the Roof." His dad was a jazz buff and Lambert grew up listening to Miles Davis, Count Basie, Stan Kenton, et al.

After being educated at Berklee's famous school of music, he went on his quest to entertainment glory. He spent four years as musical conductor for Astrid Gilberto, then moved on to become a session musician, appearing on albums by Ara Caram and Linda Eder.

Now the biggest move has been made, a brand-new album entitled, "Mark Lambert: More Than Friends" (Chartmaker Records). It turns out to be a pleasant excursion into that dreaded genre called smooth jazz. But its one of the better efforts in that style which seems to lean more and more toward pop tunes and less and less infused with much of a jazz feeling.

Lambert wrote all the songs on the set, and their acceptable, if not exactly blowing the listener off his or her feet. Some of the lyrics are so simplistic as to be almost funny. Lambert's pleasing but somewhat insubstantial vocalizing adds some bounce to what otherwise might have become tranquilizing.

The best tracks on the album are when Lambert plays guitars on the instrumentals. Playing in a style that probably will remind you of George Benson, Lambert shows real aptitude for a variety of guitars.

If you are an admirer of smooth jazz, "More Than Friends" should please you. For real jazz aficionados, my advice is to buy the CD only if you're planning a quiet cocktail party. It would make pretty good background noise.

Music from Mountains

It had been my intention earlier this year to do an interview with Julie Adams, a scintillating singer from the hills of West Virginia. Her latest album, "I Dont Mind Walking" (Gadfly Records), is a delight in its combination of folk, blues, jazz, and country music. Unfortunately, the interview didn't occur, and I just ran across her album a couple of days ago.

A second listening proved that my ears didn't fail me when I first heard the disc some months ago. Julie Adams is a major talent, with a lovely voice that caresses each song. She receives strong support from the Rhino Boys, consisting of Steve Hill, Ammed Solomon, John Kessler, Doug Payne, David Porter and others.

Adams wrote most of the songs and demonstrates special gifts as a songwriter. She's unquestionably ready for the big time, as she and her group produce music aimed at the widest yet discerning audience. The album's notes pay tribute to "Mountain Stage," the long-running NPR radio series that goes across America weekly from studios located in the State Capitol building in Charleston, W.Va. Tune in, you'll often find Julie and the Rhino Boys delighting audiences there.

Columnist Bob Powers is always interested in hearing from record companies releasing CDs in the jazz, folk, and rock idioms. His e-mail address is: rpowers@ee.net .

+++ The Previous POWERSSOUND +++ THE NEXT POWERSSOUND +++