Vanguard Jazz, Gideon Freudmann, Chris Ardoin, Radio Beat
By Seth Rogovoy

(GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass., April 17, 2001) - With all the fuss over dynamic young violinist Regina Carter -- who performs tonight at 8:30 in Chapin Hall at Williams College as part of this week's Williamstown Jazz Festival -- it would be easy to overlook tomorrow night's concert by the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, at Chapin Hall at 8:30. That would be a mistake. For over three decades, since its founding by trumpeter/arranger Thad Jones and drummer Mel Lewis in 1966, the Vanguard big-band has held forth every Monday night at New York's famed Village Vanguard nightclub.

As heard on its recent CD, Thad Jones Legacy (New World), the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra is a hard-swinging modern outfit. As a writer and arranger, Jones was known for his ability to incorporate the revolutionary changes brought about by small-ensemble bebop into his arrangements for the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra, the precursor of the Vanguard band. This kind of playing by necessity belies nostalgia, and as such the Vanguard's show should provide a tonic for those fed up with the mummification of large ensemble jazz. Bernice Lewis and Mark Kelso celebrate the third annual Earth Day/Birthday concert (it's their birthdays as well as Earth Day) this Sunday at 5 at the Richmond Congregational Church in Richmond. Both of these nationally-known touring and recording artists have called the Berkshires home for over 15 years.

Lewis's fifth album, Religion and Release, came out last year. Kelso has performed his contemplative piano music in appearances with Michael Jackson, Christopher Reeve and Ram Dass. He recently released his 18th recording, "The Only Real Thing." Lewis and Kelso will perform separately and together. Before guitarist/composer Gary Lucas reinvents his instrument tonight at Club Helsinki, the equally inventive opener, Gideon Freudmann, will show the audience how he has utterly reconceived the potential of his chosen axe: the cello.

On his latest album, Ukrainian Pajama Party (Gadfly) Freudmann is a witty, inventive songwriter and composer. The aptly titled "Camel Sutra" is a perilous musical journey through the Sahara Desert, and "Fellini's Martini" is a clownlike dance tune. Freudmann turns his cello into a blues guitar on "Japanese Car," which includes the gem of a couplet, "I used to drive a Yugo/Now I drive a Serbo, and it's pretty hard to get parts." Freudmann's inventive approach, which he calls "Cellobop," is seen and heard to best effect in concert, where with the aid of digital loops and samples the solo performer morphs into a duo, a trio and even a string quartet with a horn section. Freudmann's Cellobop, "melding classical precision with the power of technology," can be heard on half-a-dozen other albums, including Banking Left, Adobe Dog House, Sound of Distant Deer and Cellobotomy.

Don't overlook a few mid-week shows at Club Helsinki next week. On Wednesday night, Chris Ardoin, the spawn of zydeco royalty going back to his great uncle, Amede Ardoin, who has been called the Robert Johnson of the genre, leads his modern outfit, Double Clutchin', into the Great Barrington nightclub.

Judging from Ardoin's new CD, Best Kept Secret (Rounder), Ardoin builds upon his firm musical and familiar foundation in the music – his father and grandfather were also zydeco musicians – but blends it with contemporary influences, including rock, blues, soul and heavy dose of funk. The album includes a steamy version of the Temptations's classic "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" and a surprising, ska-juiced cover of Sheryl Crow's "If It Makes You Happy." The 18-year-old multi-instrumentalist – Ardoin plays accordion, guitar, rubboard and bass – is a gritty, soulful vocalist, too. On Thursday night, Helsinki turns its stage over to two of the Berkshires' best: Vikki True and Bobby Sweet. True will be performing with her group, Sweet Sisters of Mercy, emphasizing the ensemble's blues and R&B vocal stylings. Sweet, whose original compositions have aired on TV series including "Touched by an Angel," "Walker Texas Ranger" and "Judging Amy," will be debuting a host of songs from his brand-new CD, Already Home, several of which were inspired by his recent stay in the Andes of Patagonia, Argentina.

Radio Beat

Another in our series of periodic tallies of the most-played recordings -- most new, some old – on our imaginary radio station:

1. Jessica Lurie, Motorbison Serenade (Zipa!)
2. David Krakauer, A New Hot One (Label Bleu)
3. Drums and Tuba, Vinyl Killer (Righteous Babe)
4. Laco Tayfa, Ciftetelli (Traditional Crossroads)
5. Don Byron, A Fine Line (Blue Note)
6. Swinghammer, Vostok 6 (Righteous Babe)
7. Adam Michael Rothberg, All the Whispering
8. Robbie Fulks, The Very Best of Robbie Fulks (Bloodshot)
9. Roy Nathanson, Fire at Keaton's Bar and Grill (Six Degrees)
10. John Zorn, Taboo and Exile (Tzadik)

[This column originally appeared in the Berkshire Eagle on April 20, 2001. Copyright Seth Rogovoy 2001. All rights reserved.]