BANJOJAZZ 2010
Howard Alden
Jack Convery
Here is yet another project from the very busy Jack Convery. He's partnered up with an old friend of mine -- the exceptionally gifted Howard Alden. I remember the first time I laid eyes on the guy. It was way back in the 1970s when Ed Woodward and Jeff Wood were running the OME banjo company. I had started endorsing OME's in 1972 and so I was hired to sit in the OME booth at the NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) shows and demonstrate their instruments. During that time they also made a few mandolins.
I was at a NAMM show in Anaheim, California playing away when up walked a young fellow with a badge on his chest that read Howard Roberts. I said "wait a minute, you aren't Howard Roberts, he's upstairs playing with Herb Ellis and Joe Pass. He said, Mr. Roberts is my teacher, my name is Howard Alden. I asked him if he played any banjo and he said "I'm a tenor banjo player," so I asked him to set down and join me in a tune. He said "what do you want to play?" and I told him I was just upstairs and those guys were playing "Days Of Wine And Roses." He said, "okay," and away we went. I was astonished and when we finished I said: "I knew there was someone out there who could play like that—I just never thought I'd meet him today!" I remember saying to Ed Woodward "give this guy a banjo and hire him to play these NAMM shows with me." He did and the next stop was Chicago for the eastern NAMM show. By the way David Holcomb (the H in GHS), was observing this and he immediately signed Howard and me to endorse GHS strings.
All of this is by way of me saying that Howard Alden, whom today is most known as one of the world's best guitarist, started out at the age of ten as one of the world's best tenor banjo players.
I am now putting the CD in my machine. I always expect a lot from a Convery project, so here goes. Ah, one of my favorite tunes—"I'll See You In My Dreams." I'm now adjusting my machine a bit—it's a live recording. The tune starts out with Howard swinging away. Mostly great single string jazz work. A bit into the tune the group riffs into a bass solo by my old band mate Steve Hanson. We were in the New York Jazz Repertory Company together which was in residence at Manhattan's Michael's Pub. The group uses the riff once again for the ending of the tune.
The layout is pretty much the same on track two "Just A Gigolo," but here you can hear the group play some interesting harmonies under Howard's solo work. Boy, I like that tempo. I'm very pleased with that cadenza ending. On the third track Jack leads off in a manner of the great Eddie Peabody on the perennial favorite "Deed I Do." Then Howard jumps in swinging away. Jack, Steve, Gary Neuman on piano and Bob Scott on drums are backing up strongly. Gary swings in on piano and then it's Jack's turn on single string plectrum banjo. Howard takes the bridge and then it's Jack on out.
Next is Duke Ellington's "Caravan." It starts with two bars of what I picture as a Camel walking. Then both banjos start to work over the tune. There's some James Bond sounding minor movement and a hint at "Sweet Georgia Brown" on the second bridge. As you would expect the song goes into a drum solo, then the two banjos go crazy and add an extended ending, where I hear a ninth tone.
Well, here's an unexpected pleasure. A medley of two tunes "Morning Of The Carnival" and "Samba de Orfeu" from the Brazilian film "Black Orpheus." The music was written by the great guitarist Luiz Bonfa. Howard plays some brilliant single string jazz and Mr. Neuman rises to the occasion. This shows how good banjo can sound on Brazilian music. Going on Jack leads off with an intro into a Benny Goodman favorite written by Will Hudson titled "Moonglow." Howard beautifully jazz's up the second chorus with Gary swinging in on the third and back to Jack for the out chorus with Howard backing him up.
Next Jack starts with the verse of the old standard "San." Just as you would expect, Howard swings in with his brand of single string and then Gary's in on piano and back to Jack for the verse again and the band bangs out the last chorus with a chromatic ending. Oh-Oh, look out here comes Ellington's "The Mooche." There's banjo tremoloing the minor melody of the first theme into the nice lilting second interlude strain, then they reach the main strain in minor and Howard takes over and plays thru this blues strain in major. Then Jack plays a couple of choruses into a nice bass solo by Steve that leads back to the top of the tune with a short bass vamp, that leads into the first and second strain much as before.
The last two selections are a master class in tenor banjo—a "tour de force" for Mr. Alden! It starts with the very involved tune "Shreveport Stomp" by Jelly Roll Morton. Howard proves his prowess on the infamous second strain. Between Howard and Gary they certainly "tear up" this great Morton tune.
On to the second of this "tour de force"—It's Felix Arndt's great piano piece "Nola." NOW, remember as you are listening to these two pieces —this is a jam session situation that has been recorded—it's not something that has been refined in a recording studio. This master class was made up on the spot. WOW! Jack you've done it again!
— Eddy Davis
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"Banjojazz 2010" is available for $17.00 ppd., from Jack Convery, P.O. Box 508, Benicia CA 94510.
Eddy Davis can be reached at: greenmeat@mac.com
Banjojazz Featuring Howard alden and Jack Convery: Press
Eddy Davis - The Resonator December 2010
(Dec 10, 2010)
Put reminders in your smartphones and calendars for Banjo Madness at the Inn at Morro Bay on May 24 from 7:30 to about 10 p.m. Jam with several banjo “all stars” for free.
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