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The scene is nothing like it was a few decades ago, but the music lives and can still be found night after night

Friday, May 24, 2002

By Nate Guidry, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

Beneath the cascading current of polyrhythms, there's a conversation taking place.

	Bobby Jones (far left), Tony Campbell and Chris Hemingway jam with Roger Humphries Big Band at Dowe's on 9th on Wednesdays. (Annie O'Neill, Post-Gazette)

Can't you hear it? You don't have to be a drummer to understand.

Just listen to the beat -- it's swinging, low to the ground, crawling.

Shoo-bop.. Shoo-bop ... Bam!

At the James Street Tavern recently, during his weekly Tuesday night jam session, Roger Humphries took a drum solo that was so riveting that one can easily see why he is the drummer of choice for many fans and musicians who are swept up in jazz's excitement.

There was a time -- 60, 70 years ago -- when much of America was part of that craze. Jazz was popular music, ascending from the brothels and the juke houses into a sense of high bearing.

It was the "embodiment of the American experience," to paraphrase novelist and jazz scholar Albert Murray. Jazz spoke about America, where the country had come from and often where it was headed.

At one time, more than 50 Pittsburgh area clubs, restaurants and theaters spotlighted jazz nightly.

There was the Arch Tavern in Monessen, and the Smith Hotel and the Downbeat Club in Clairton. Brentwood played host to the Bali Kea and the Point View Hotel. The American Legion Hall in Sewickley featured artists as diverse as Hank Jones and Stan Getz.

In Pittsburgh there were the Copa, Encore, Pirate Inn, the Stanley Theatre and the Savoy Ballroom, and the Midway Lounge.

Dwayne Dolphin with the Roger Humphries Big Band. (Annie O'Neill, Post-Gazette)

In the early 1950s, Birdie Dunlap opened the Hurricane in the Hill District. The small club became known for spotlighting organ groups, including those led by the great Jimmy Smith.

Few nightspots offered more thrills than the Crawford Grill, which has recently reopened and is offering live jazz again after closing for repairs..

In its heyday, the Hill District nightclub featured groups ranging from Miles Davis and John Coltrane to Charlie Mingus and Eric Dolphy. It was after an engagement at the Grill that drummer Max Roach hired Pittsburgh bassist Bobby Boswell, trumpeter Tommy Turrentine and his younger brother, Stanley.

"The Grill was a procurer of major talent," said trumpeter Chuck Austin, who recently turned 75. "But there was so much going on everywhere. There were clubs and after-hours joints from Rankin to Monessen. Musicians always had work."

In the '80s and '90s there were clubs like Harper's, Stolen Moments, Dizzy's and the Balcony, which spotlighted H.B. Bennett and the Balcony Big Band, as well as other local and national entertainment.

Many of those clubs are gone. Long gone.

Jazz is no longer ubiquitous, coming out of every restaurant and after-hours club, but it's still alive in Pittsburgh. You may have to look a little harder, but the music can be found in clubs, bookstores and restaurants where younger musicians get to perform with more seasoned ones in jam sessions.

The one constant in this flux has been the musicians, who are too often underpaid and underappreciated, but continue to perform at a high level.

Here is a sampling of some of the places you can hear some of these musicians. Most of the venues are free -- it's OK to leave a tip. Others are modestly priced -- it's OK to leave a tip. No matter where you choose to go, the odds are good you'll be rewarded with some spontaneous, heartfelt, sophisticated musical excitement..

FRIDAY
Valhalla, Strip District

When you go in, the music is the first thing you hear. Yet you can't immediately locate it.

That's because you're right underneath the bandstand, which you have to climb a ladder to get to.

And some of the material that bassist Mark Perna's quartet, which includes a drummer and two alto saxophonists, performs is over everyone's head. Pun intended. A little bebop, a little modal -- the guys seemed to be playing for themselves, which isn't a bad thing considering this is a place where the music is pretty much an afterthought. It's also a microbrewery, which would explain the vats that dominate the room.

Perna, who is best known for his work with folk singer Leslie Smith and jazz singer Mavis Logan, takes the foreground in this quartet, which is one of the most adventurous in the city.

At around 10 p.m., only a handful of folks, mostly in their 20s and 30s, were listening to the music. Others were watching sports in the room next door.

Every Friday, 7 p.m. No cover. 412-434-1440.
Web site: www.valhallamicrobrewery.com

SATURDAY
Buskers In The Strip

Tenor saxophone and upright bass isn't the kind of duet configuration commonly seen on the bandstand. It's demanding, risky work requiring a special relationship between musical partners.

But saxophonist Don Aliquo and bassist Dave Pellow appear to have figured it out.Some Saturday nights, the duet can be found entertaining the crowd with songs that transcend the boundaries of time and style.

	Greg Lutz blows with the Balcony Big Band Monday nights at Chapel of Blues. (Matt Freed, Post-Gazette)

The restaurant is intimate. There's no smoking and every seat is nearly close enough to watch Pellow pluck those throbbing, aching notes.

"There's a certain amount of freedom playing in that kind of setup," said Aliquo, who is equally adept at playing the flute. "It also exposes you and requires a great deal of stamina. Not every musician can or wants to play that way."

In a city that continues to produce its share of excellent but woefully underrated musicians, Aliquo is technically and conceptually among the best. He's also known as a generous person and one of the scene's most likable musicians.

Aliquo has been a pervasive presence on the scene for than four decades, and the passion continues to burn. At any one moment he could be playing Kenny Barron's "Voyage" or Joe Henderson's "Inner Urge," or material from "Original," Aliquo's 1999 debut recording.

Live Jazz Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m. No cover. 412-355-0911.

SUNDAY
Foster's Holiday Inn Select, Oakland

A few days after thyroid surgery, Danny Conn is onstage at Foster's, blowing his horn like the rent is due.

Every Sunday night Tony Mowod and the Pittsburgh Jazz Society, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the promotion of jazz, host a concert that shines a light on some of the area's best musicians. The concerts are always free, the food's good, beverages cold and the patrons friendly and attentive.

On this night, Conn, performing with Chuck Spadafore's Little Big Band, is blowing that tattered trumpet the way he's always done. It is what he'll probably do until the good Lord comes calling and someone can kneel at his gravesite like the day his good friend Howard E. "Hud" Davies, former drummer for Benny Goodman, died and Conn played "Taps" and Goodman's theme song, "Goodbye."

The fiery, sequential notes Conn once created have been replaced with lyrical emotional declarations; three notes are followed by two and one.

"It's tough," he says with a smile. "I'm trying to get my chops together. They're not what they used to be." He's a jazz legend -- just two weeks ago, May 12, he was inducted into the Pittsburgh Jazz Society Hall of Fame.

In Atlantic City in the early 1960s, Conn performed in more than 50 concerts with Stevie Wonder and The Supremes.

Later at Atlantic City's 500 Club, he backed up Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. An old sketch of the "Rat Pack" can be found hanging from the walls at his home as a wonderful reminder.

"For me it was always about the music and my family," he says. "No matter where I was performing, I was always home for Christmas. Years ago I made a commitment to this music, and that's all I've ever done."

Now, he purses his lips on the horn's mouthpiece, then launches into "Dizzy Atmosphere," a song made famous by Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker.

Performances 7 to 11 p.m. Sunday. No cover. 412-682-6200.
Web Site: www.pittsburghjazz.org

MONDAY
Chapel of Blues, West End

There's one thing you can say about the Chapel of Blues: It's loud inside. And not just the music, either.

The Pittsburgh jazz institution known as the Balcony Big Band, which re-formed just last month, is performing Monday nights once again. This time around, the 17-piece band has found a home at the former church and converted warehouse on a six-week trial basis, according to several band members.

And the band has perhaps never sounded better, the reeds not even needing amplification to compete with the brass and rhythm. The high, gilded ceiling, which intensifies the sound, certainly is a far cry from the sonic deathtrap that was the Balcony.

The room is so acoustically precise that you can even hear the flutes over the rhythm section on the mid-tempo Quincy Jones number "Stockholm Sweetnin'." Unfortunately, you can't hear the saxophone soloists over the ensemble.

It's hard to say whether the half-full house on the band's fourth performance since its comeback is a harbinger of things to come. During the previous three weeks, owner Joe Michels said the place, which offers rhythm and blues several other nights of the week, was jammed.

The audience, about 35 or so on this night, pretty much watches the band -- by necessity because it's even more difficult to talk than in your average joint. Not only that, but when the music stops you often can hear the conversation at the next table. (Not that anyone's listening, of course.)

Every Monday from 8 to midnight. $5. 412-937-9270.

TUESDAY
James Street Restaurant

The creative nurseries -- the late-night jam sessions and the big bands that cultivated many of the classic stylists -- are all gone.

But in this North Side restaurant every Tuesday night, Roger Humphries and RH Factor are doing their part to ensure a generation of new players have a platform for growth and challenge.

The restaurant has wonderful New Orleans-style cuisine, red beans and rice, gumbo and shrimp creole. The bread pudding isn't too bad, either.

Restaurant owner Craig Poole is a jazz fan and a gracious host. Every patron is treated the same.

Some weeks there may be 15 to 20 young players eager to demonstrate their skills. From time-to-time, visiting professional musicians may stop by for a set. Recently, trumpeter Jon Faddis, who was in town for a clinic, sat in with the band.

Humphries is quite liberal about who he allows onto the bandstand. His only prerequisite is that you have an understanding of the jazz language, which some young players in their eagerness to demonstrate their skills sometimes forget.

Over the years, Humphries' jam session has been an incubator for many emerging young performers, including drummer Tom Wendt, who regularly performs with organist Gene Ludwig, and fellow drummer James Johnson III, who is now performing with pianist Ahmad Jamal.

Live entertainment every night except Sunday. No cover. 412-323-2222.
Web site: www.jamesstreet.citysearch.com

WEDNESDAY
Dowe's on 9th

If you're a fan of big band music, Dowe's is the place to be on Wednesday night. Roger Humphries Big Band hits promptly at 8:30 p.m., performing songs that cover nearly the spectrum of jazz. It's OK to dance, although thelindy hop may seem a little dated.

The band presents tightly orchestrated music, emphasizing the strengths of each soloist. One moment it can be heard performing "Quincy and the Count" and "Sophisticated Lady," then "Satin Doll."

Al Dowe, who opened the posh Downtown restaurant two years ago, presents a rotating roster of respected acts nightly, from local favorites to big names, and the music ranges from straightahead jazz, to Latin music with Puerto Rican roots.

He has spotlighted bassist Ray Brown, saxophonist Donald Harrison and South African flugelhorn player Hugh Masekela. Guitarist Larry Coryell will be appearing for one night in June.

But on this night, the charismatic drummer Humphries and his big band is captivating the small crowd.

"I'm just happy to be playing the music I love," said Humphries. "This music has always been a huge part of my life. I am just thankful I can share it with others."

Every Wednesday, 8:30 p.m. to midnight. $5. 412-281-9225.

THURSDAY
Martini's Restaurant, Jefferson Hills

There's always a lively spirit in the air when drummer Spider Rondinelli is in the house. Fans and musicians laud not just his technical ability, but also his ability to involve everyone in the music. Some years back, when he held court at Sweet Basil's in Squirrel Hill, he would drum and sing and allow everyone to sit in.

Now, every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, he can be found at Martini's performing with Pittsburgh Jazz Giants, a group that also features pianist Craig Davis and Kenny Blake and Kenny Karsh.

The nightly charts feature a heavy dose of Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis and Pat Martino. The band even gets to perform John Coltrane's "Giant Steps," which in addition to being a classic, is famous for causing musicians to be fired.

"We can open a set with 'Giant Steps' or close it with the tune," said Rondinelli with a chuckle. "The song has caused many musicians to lose gigs." It's a complicated piece that takes some close listening, not often expected in restaurants.

Ed Bloskis, restaurant owner, said the nightly crowd has come to appreciate the musical variety.

"The area where they perform is really intimate," he said. "There's an incredible amount of energy that feeds back and forth."

Every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. 8 to 11:30 p.m. No cover. 412-384-5910.

Staff writer Rick Nowlin contributed to this report.