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to Neil Tesser, co-host of "Listen Here!," the public radio jazz review.
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Jon Faddis' TERANGA
by Neil Tesser
Jon
Faddis has some serious thoughts on his mind.
That alone should get the attention of anyone who knows only his public
face -- the virtuoso trumpeter and light-hearted bandleader, much in the mold of Dizzy Gillespie on both counts. It's a fine
face, and one that will forever hold a place in jazz, from Louis Armstrong and Roy Eldridge to Clark Terry and now Terell
Stafford, and yet it doesn't really do justice to Jon Faddis circa 2006. Perhaps it never did. No artist can attain such
high levels of musicianship without enormous passion and dedication, and Jon Faddis has reached the very peak of jazz performance:
he seems to play everything he conceives exactly as he conceives it, the music going directly from soul to horn, with unbridled
power and flawless technique.
Those who truly know Faddis have long understood that his infamous sense of humor belied
this depth. With TERANGA, these thoughts -- of love and honor, friendship and beauty -- rise to the surface.
Consider
the title of this album, and what it implies about the compositions within. "TERANGA" is a Senegalese word that loosely translates
as "hospitality," yet as Faddis explains, the concept extends beyond literal definition. "It's more than just a practice;
it's a philosophical code, really, a very strong social value, where families invite strangers in need into their homes.
It's based on the belief that a family who assists a visitor and extends such hospitality ensures that their own children
will never find themselves away from home without help or support. If everyone does it, everyone benefits. And that's what
I want to convey here with my music; I want to welcome people in. Hopefully, all of us musicians are good hosts."
There's
nothing to worry about on that count: with TERANGA, Faddis creates a most welcoming invitation. His longstanding rhythm
section (pianist David Hazeltine, bassist Kiyoshi Kitagawa, drummer Dion Parson) plays with cohesive support. And this album's
several guests brim with musical hospitality, from baritone saxophonist Gary Smulyan -- who contributes his rich sound and
bristling ideas on "The Baron" -- to guitarist Russell Malone, who plays with a singular combination of warmth and intensity.
The Senegalese percussionists Abdou Mboup and Alioune Faye bring their personal experiences with teranga to the dynamic title
track. And then there are two of the music's premier elder statesmen, Clark Terry and Frank Wess, each of whose very sound
seems to smile.
Beyond that, TERANGA takes many of its cues from the significant relationships in Faddis' 35-year career,
and from the observations those relationships yield. Take the opening track, "The Hunters & Gatherers." Says Faddis: "Thousands
of years ago, men were the primary hunters, fighting wild animals and bring back meat for the tribe. Often, especially now,
it's the women who go out and find resources for the family; they also hunt for truth and wisdom in what can be a difficult
contemporary society. So this is dedicated to the women fulfilling that role -- especially single mothers who provide for
their families."
The concept of "family" runs throughout TERANGA. "Laurelyn" is a melody as lovely as the woman who
inspired it (and with whom Faddis celebrates a fifth anniversary this year). He honors his extended family with "Waltz for
My Fathers & Brothers," which is dedicated to Michael Brecker and his struggle with MDS (myelodysplastic syndrome); the piece
honors "musicians with whom I have deeping personal friendships. And just as much, it's for all those who have passed on"
-- such as his own father, Woody Faddis, a history teacher and a civil rights activist who died in 2003, and the trumpeter's
musical father, John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie, as well as friends like Faddis' first trumpet teacher, Bill Catalano, and longtime
anchor and jazz champion, Peter Jennings, and other "people special to me who I miss tremendously." (See Faddis' thanks in
TERANGA notes.)
"Transitions" also recalls and honors those who have passed away, specifically at too young an age.
"It's a song that I wrote for PBS' American Masters program on [actor] James Dean; it's about making the transition from this
life to the next. People still revere Dean's artistry, and I think that's the case with many jazz musicians too. Booker
Little, Clifford Brown, Fats Navarro, Charlie Parker -- even though they died too early, they left significant artistic legacies,
and they are a true inspiration for me." It is Faddis' great gift -- as it was the gift of his two primary mentors, Gillespie
and Thad Jones (whose band Faddis joined while in his teens) -- to create joyful music that expresses such complicated emotions
without trivializing them.
Faddis wrote "The Baron" for the grand pianist and longtime friend Kenny Barron, who played
on two earlier Faddis recordings (Youngblood and Legacy), and "Hey, Lalo!" for composer and arranger Lalo Schifrin (basing
aspects of the tune on the first movement of Schifrin's 1960 suite Gillespiana). All of the other compositions on TERANGA
are purely Faddis originals, with the exception of Benny Carter's tune "The Courtship," presented here in a new arrangement
by the trumpeter. "About a year before Benny passed [in 2003], I took Frank Wess to see Benny at Benny's house," Faddis explains.
"Benny was 95 at the time, and he looked at Frank, who had just turned 80, and said, 'Hello, youngster,' and it struck me
that some things are timeless, even though time does move on. For instance, I think everyone remembers his or her first date
with someone special: that's 'The Courtship.' But also, I just really enjoy playing that tune."
"The Fibble-Ow Blues"
gets its title from the improvised interplay between Faddis and Clark Terry, that unmatched master of barely verbal communication,
and an early champion of Faddis' skills. (Do you fibble-ow?) "I first met CT when I was still in high school, and he was
instrumental in spreading the word about me when I moved to New York. He took me to 'The Tonight Show' [Terry played in the
program's big band when it aired from New York] and introduced me to Snooky Young and Doc Severinsen, and CT said, 'This cat
can really play' -- even though, at that point, CT had never actually heard me. Sometimes, you can just tell, I suppose."
Sometimes
you can just tell.
I first met Faddis when he came to Chicago as a member of Charles Mingus' quintet in the summer
of 1972, at which time Faddis and I fell into a pun-riddled conversation that has continued in much the same way for 35 years.
I was the only one my age at the club, and Jon was the only one his age (two years younger than me), and after the break,
having encountered this kindred spirit, I felt a lot more welcome awaiting another set in Mingus' glowering presence.
Teranga.
Even then. Especially now.
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