T.K. Blue: Eyes of the Elders- Press Release

Perhaps the most important lesson the elders imparted to saxophonist/flutist/kalimba player/composer T.K. Blue (Talib Kibwe) is the imperative to remain steadfastly in the moment, while forgetting nothing of the past.

T.K.'s direct mentors are among the elite of post-Charlie Parker improvisers. One was Billy Mitchell, the legendary tenor saxophonist with Count Basie and Dizzy Gillespie, who began whipping T.K. into shape when he was still a Long Island teenager. Around then, through a retired tap dancer named Conrad Buckner, T.K. met Eddie Jefferson, the king of jazz vocalese, and Jefferson's close friend James Moody, whose immaculate multi-instrumentalism and voracious curiosity for the new inspired the young aspirant. While he attended New York University (1971-1975), T.K. met and absorbed information from sax masters Jimmy Heath and Frank Foster and the great composer-arranger Ernie Wilkins at Saturday Jazzmobile workshops. He simultaneously partook of the raucous downtown scene, encountering Afro-American pandiasporists Don Cherry and Nadi Qamar (aka Spaulding Givens), the Zulu percussionist Ndikho Xaba and, through Xaba, the South African pianist-composer Abdullah Ibrahim, who, attracted to the young saxman's sound, hired him from 1977 to 1980.

After traveling extensively with Ibrahim, T.K. moved to Paris in 1981. He thrived in the wide-open musical culture of the City of Light, and based himself there, traveling extensively through Africa. By 1989, when he returned to the U.S., T.K. had cemented an enduring, essential friendship with the iconic pianist-composer Randy Weston, who heard him during a performance with Ibrahim at Ornette Coleman's Artists House, and hired him in 1980.

T.K. long ago made the transition from acolyte to master. Throughout Eyes of the Elders, his second Arkadia release, he brings a hard-earned ancient-to-the-future sensibility to a program of wholly contemporary material. For one thing, he gets a tone with personality on each of his horns, any one of which sounds like his main axe, and he phrases with the ebullient bounce of a dancer. Because he concentrates on melody as a first principle, the harmonic sophistication of his compositions and arrangements can be obscured; they might sound pedestrian if performed by musicians who are less than peers. No problems here; an ensemble of all-star team players who span three generations help T.K. put his stamp on five well-crafted originals and five reshaped classics of the less traveled variety. Each tune raises a specific eldercentric experience; the album begins with a tip of the hat to Charlie Parker and ends with a tribute to John Coltrane.

"Wee" is a Denzil Best rhythm line on which Bird took an unforgettable solo in the classic 1953 Jazz At Massey Hall concert. T.K. adds a shout chorus and deploys a ferocious Calypso beat (think Blue Mitchell's popular "Fungii Mama") with a steel pan flavor. "Jimmy Heath turned me on to Bird in the early '70s," says T.K., whose roots are in Jamaica and Trinidad. "I was a John Coltrane fanatic; the first saxophone I owned and started playing was a soprano saxophone, based upon listening to Trane. When I got to Jazzmobile, Jimmy Heath showed me a photograph in which he's conducting his big band back in the '40s, Bird is playing his alto, and Trane is in the picture with a cigarette about to drop out of his mouth, looking at Bird in ecstasy. That was a turning point for me. That's when I started concentrating on the saxophones and intensively studying the masters."

T.K. first recorded a relatively unembellished "Dance Of The Nile" on trombonist Benny Powell's excellent Why Don't You Say Yes Sometime? from 1991. Here he crafts another shout chorus which, thanks to "Tain" Watts, morphs smoothly between African flavored 6/8 and propulsive Funk-Nouveau Swing beats. After a T.K. chorus that features his huge, edgy alto sound, Stefon Harris lends an African flavor with a kinetic marimba solo. "I've always been a big fan of Tain, he's so open and experienced in playing different styles," T.K. says. "Stefon Harris is another cat who's very open, not to mention being a virtuoso, with great technique and reading ability."

There follows the ballad "Frozen Mist" by Hale Smith, another of T.K.'s elders. T.K. opens and closes with yearning blues-drenched variations on the melody, framing a pithy solo by Harris and a chromatic turn by label-mate Joanne Brackeen.

T.K. composed the lively title track, "Eyes of the Elders," in recognition of "all the older brothers who influenced me and helped to guide my life, who took an interest and wanted to give me a chance to grow." He makes special mention of the contribution of pianist James Weidman, a musical partner for two decades. "I want a very specific sound in the chord voicings for a lot of my music," T.K. notes. "With many piano players, I have to write out the voicings, just to show them what I'm looking for. James looks at the melodies I write, and knows exactly what to do."

The groove is mellow to medium-bounce on "Harold's Theme," dedicated to T.K.'s older brother, a photographer. Pianist Eric Reed and Randy Brecker on flugelhorn speak volumes in a chorus; T.K. offers a soprano sax statement notable for the way in which he conveys deep emotion with profound restraint. "Randy has such a warm sound," T.K. enthuses. "He also has a warm spirit. For me, it's very important to find musicians who have a good vibe, and everyone on this session had it."

Watts' forceful shuffle and two T.K. shout choruses animate "Nostalgia In Times Square" by Charles Mingus, a hero since the leader heard him at the Village Gate in the '70s. Reed takes a churchy locked-hands solo, T.K. gets a big sound not unlike Mingus' great '50s altoist Shafi Hadi, Brecker shouts the blues, and Lonnie Plaxico -- whose assured basslines bedrock every note on the session -- contributes a way-low solo. "A lot of great players in jazz have a forte in specific styles of playing," T.K. states. "Lonnie can play all the styles. He also provides great support for my solos. His lines are simple but so effective and totally in the groove."

Plaxico and Watts put a gentle groove not unlike early '70s Pharoah Sanders on "Matriarch." Following a melody statement by T.K.'s consonant C-flute backed by alto flute and vibes, Brackeen and Stefon Harris on marimba take solos that, in T.K.'s words, "convey the beauty, love and strength of womanhood."

"Rites of Passage" begins with a written melody by T.K.; there follows a free improvisation based upon a rhythmic figure by T.K. on kalimba and Harris on marimba. "Nadi Qamar, who I met in the early '70s, is the one who got me into playing the kalimba," T.K. states. "He plays a version called the Mama Lukembi, which he built himself. It has a hundred and something keys; he can play changes on it! Nadi taught me how to play, and under his tutelage, I constructed my first kalimba with materials that I bought myself, and I started playing it. So this tune and the transitional kalimba interludes are subtle references to his influence."

Steve Kroon and Watts combust on T.K.'s arrangement of Benny Carter's "South Side Samba," imparting to the modern classic the sort of Carnival flavor you might hear in Bahia. "Steve is very specific and knows exactly where every sound should go," T.K. says.

T.K. closes the circle with an extended version of John Coltrane's "Wise One"; he reharmonizes the melody and puts a 5/4 rhythm on the blowing section, on which he, Brecker and Reed pull out all the stops. It ends a cogent, passionate journey predicated on a first principle stated by Randy Weston a few years back: "You have to understand what your ancestors did. From my ancestors comes the truth. Music cannot lie."

- Ted Panken - Down Beat, Jazziz, WKCR-FM (New York)

TK Blue / Talib Kibwe, known for his work with Randy Weston and Abdullah Ibrahim, released his acclaimed Another Blue in 1999, an all-acoustic session presenting a compelling program of originals, and reinterpretative arrangements of iconic standards. The CD has earned wide critical acclaim:

"A truly inspiring and individual vision of jazz" - James Lien, CMJ New Music Report.

"One of the brightest talents in jazz today" - Geoffrey Himes, Washington Post.

"Blue's voice on alto is highly distinctive...whether on his main horn, soprano or flute, he inflects everything he plays with ebullience." - James Hale, Down Beat.

A full-service label started in 1997 by Bob Karcy, Arkadia Jazz has earned four Grammy nominations (the most of any independent label in the jazz category) and acclaim as "The Artists Choice." "Arkadia is a new label whose recordings to date have been meticulous, high-quality productions with focus and purpose" Thomas Conrad, Stereophile. The label has released CD's by Billy Taylor, David Liebman and Joanne Brackeen (both Grammy nominees on Arkadia Jazz), T.K. Blue, Mary Pearson, Benny Golson (also nominated for a Grammy), Kenny Drew Jr. and David Lahm, among others. The twice Grammy nominated "Thank You" series includes tributes to John Coltrane, Gerry Mulligan, Duke Ellington and Joe Henderson. In June of 1999, Arkadia acquired the esteemed Postcards label, and is expanding its catalog into the world and classical music areas. Postcards (www.postcardsrecords.com) new releases are classical pianist Lara Downes, bassist Joris Teepe with Don Braden and Chris Potter, and ethnomusicologist Royal Hartigan.

Arkadia Jazz is a label of Arkadia Entertainment, a natural extension of V.I.E.W. Video (www.view.com) founded by Karcy 17 years ago. V.I.E.W. is widely acknowledged to be the premiere home video producer and label in jazz, performing arts (opera, dance and classical music) and special interest (documentary, parenting, sports, health & fitness) with a catalog in excess of 200 titles that have been honored with over 100 prestigious international awards. For consumers who would like the name of the nearest retailer, or to receive a catalog, call toll-free, 1-888-ARKADIA. www.arkadiarecords.com.