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Beast Mode Trio story - January issue of Palm Beach Arts Paper
Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be drummers in South Florida.
Miami-born Jonathan Joseph has toured and recorded with vocalists Ricky Martin and Joss Stone -- two pop artists with oversized name recognition -- but even that hasn't made him a comparable star despite his own oversized technique, taste, and speed around the drum kit.
The 58-year-old Port St. Lucie resident has also worked with rock, jazz and fusion names like Jeff Beck, Pat Metheny, Joe Zawinul, Al Jarreau, David Sanborn, Richard Bona, Martin Barre, Randy Brecker, Mike Stern, Betty Wright, Nestor Torres, and the Yellowjackets.
Trained by the incomparable instructor Steve Rucker at the University of Miami's Frost School of Music, the drummer's talent is comparable to current percussive icons like Vinnie Colaiuta, Dennis Chambers, Dave Weckl, and Omar Hakim.
And although his home base being near the bottom of the Sunshine State means he's seen and heard less than his peers, Joseph's every new project could shine more light on his world-class dexterity. Like his latest venture, the Beast Mode Trio (beastmodetrio.com), with keyboardist Tal Cohen and bassist Armando Gola.
The group has a forthcoming self-titled debut album that's being mixed and mastered by Gola, and appears at Crazy Uncle Mike's in Boca Raton on Jan. 12.
"It's mostly originals, written by all of us, with a few cover songs," Joseph says. "Like 'My Favorite Things' by Rodgers & Hammerstein; 'Lonnie's Lament' by John Coltrane, and 'Yesterdays' by Jerome Kern, which we play in a 7/8 time signature. They all have our unique rhythmic approach."
Grammy Award winners all, the members of the Beast Mode Trio are also akin to a musical United Nations (fittingly touring to play the Thailand International Jazz Conference on Jan. 24). The Australia-born Cohen's credits include Terence Blanchard, Joe Lovano, and Greg Osby; the Cuban Gola's include Arturo Sandoval, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Eldar Djangirov, plus his own celebrity vocalist association in Jennifer Lopez. But the trio's chemistry stems from years of previous instrumental gigs, jams, and recording sessions.
"The first time I played with Tal was a jam session at Churchill's Pub," Gola says, "the oldest bar in Miami. We also used to play at a jazz club there called Le Chat Noir. And Jonathan and I have done many years of recordings and concerts with different bands, including [the Weather Report tribute act] Weather Underground."
Joseph's drumming is in the league of hummingbird-like speed kings who attract eyes and ears by nature. To some singers and soloists who are used to being in the spotlight, that can be intimidating. There were reasons that such outsized drumming talents as Buddy Rich and Billy Cobham toured under their own names late in their respective careers after shining in bands led by others.
Yet Joseph, Cohen and Gola all understand that surplus technique and beastly chops are only necessary when they suit particular pieces of music.
The drummer's work with the Zawinul Syndicate, Austrian keyboard legend Joe Zawinul's offshoot group from Weather Report, taught him lessons in non-clave-based rhythms and world music. And Joseph's 2015 instructional book, [i]Exercises in African-American Funk[i] (Hudson Music), written with Rucker, illustrates the fusing of Cameroonian rhythms into contemporary music that his playing with the gifted Cameroon-born bassist Bona inspired.
"Richard probably had more impact on me than any other artist I've worked with," Joseph says, "and Armando is probably one of the only other musicians I know who could help create the rhythms we come up with. Tal, who's a tremendous up-and-coming talent, has been fascinated with those rhythms since we first crossed paths. He plays mostly acoustic piano, with occasional Fender Rhodes electric piano figures."
The Beast Mode Trio features the perfect foils for Joseph, and not just because all are deserving of wider recognition. Cohen seamlessly blends his knack for Middle Eastern melody with traditional jazz harmony, and his rhythmic prowess perfectly suits the propulsive rhythm section. Gola sports a deep, massive tone on electric bass, and an ability to match Joseph on everything from stately ballads and jazz standards to complex shell-game rhythmic patterns on original fusion compositions.
Both Cohen and Gola reside in Joseph's hometown of Miami, and the drummer has indeed ventured elsewhere during his career of star associations.
Many of the jazz/fusion artists he worked with came during the second half of the 1990s, when he lived in and around New York City. Joseph then met British singer Stone following the turn of the century; married her mother, and started splitting time between the United States and England.
There, Stone introduced him to Beck (1944-2023). Joseph became the final 2012-2017 drummer, before Colaiuta's return to the lineup, in a scroll of affiliated who's-who percussive practitioners who worked with the guitarist throughout his career. But Joseph's move to Port St. Lucie during that time frame was for reasons non-musical.
"In 2016, I was diagnosed with prostate cancer," he says. "The surgeon that my urologist recommended was based in Celebration, near Orlando. So I sold my townhouse in Boca Raton and moved further north to be closer to where I needed to commute for treatment. I hardly told anyone, and hardly anyone knew me in Port St. Lucie, where I wasn't playing any music. I had surgery in 2017 after my last tour with Jeff, plus a tour with Jethro Tull's former guitarist, Martin Barre. Those were both great distractions, and I've been cancer-free for more than seven years since."
The Beast Mode Trio took shape not long after Joseph's new survivor status did, providing incentive for the seemingly-ageless drummer to break new ground with Cohen and Gola, musicians a generation or more younger.
On the trio's album and at its upcoming area performance, listeners can expect the unexpected in Cohen's harmonic and melodic variations being fused with African polyrhythms like Mangambe and Bikutsi, as featured on cuts like Joseph's composition "Pinda."
Few other than Weather Report have ever created a jazz/fusion beast this heavy -- especially, and similarly, with no guitarist required.
If You Go
The Beast Mode Trio performs at Crazy Uncle Mike's, 6450 N. Federal Hwy., Boca Raton.
When: 7 p.m. Jan. 12
Tickets: $25-$245
Info: 561-931-2889, crazyunclemikes.com
Vibraphone Roundup - Winter 2024-25 issue of Jazziz
Many jazz stars have historically been vocalists, horn players or pianists. Comparatively few have played the vibraphone. Notable exceptions over the past century include Lionel Hampton, Milt Jackson, Gary Burton, Cal Tjader, Terry Gibbs, Roy Ayers, and Bobby Hutcherson.
The under-utilized percussion instrument is played with two to four mallets to create specific notes and chordal patterns, making it as pianistic as it is percussive -- unlike drum sets, congas, djembes and timbale drums, all played with sticks or hands for unpitched beats and accents rather than such exacting notation.
Vibraphonists often find work as session musicians rather than bandleaders, although occasional names have risen to recognition in more recent history, including Dave Samuels, Mike Mainieri, and Stefon Harris. A couple other peers are involved, along with two up-and-coming practitioners of good vibes, among four recent releases.
One such veteran is Warren Wolf, who's [i]History of the Vibes[i] (Cellar Music) qualifies as truth in advertising. Teaming with saxophonist Tim Green, keyboardist Alex Brown, bassist Vicente Archer and drummer Carroll "CV" Dashiell III, Wolf covers several mallet-bearing forefathers. A tribute disc, to be sure, but one paying homage to worthy names. "Django," by pianist John Lewis (of Jackson's famed Modern Jazz Quartet), features a dramatic intro and coda; Hutcherson's "Herzog" is an energetic romp highlighted by the solos of Wolf, Green, and pianist Brown, who switches to Fender Rhodes for an atmospheric "Sad Eyes" by Tjader. And Green goes from alto to soprano for the disc's centerpiece -- "Captain Senor Mouse," a darting Return To Forever composition by Chick Corea on which the entire quintet shines.
Another vibes vet, Joe Locke, appears in a supporting role as mentor to Art Baden on the young tenor saxophonist's all-original debut [i]How Much of It Is Real[i] (Rainy Days). Alternately adding his bass clarinet and flute skills, Baden's quartet includes bassist Jay Anderson, drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts, and Locke, who doubles on keyboards on his lone compositional contribution, the closing, aptly-titled ballad "Silky." The Russia-born bandleader becomes a one-man wind instrumentalist by overdubbing himself on the tentative opening track "4th Cycle" and the frenetic "Chaotic Neutral." Locke inadvertently sings into the instrument microphones while soloing as Watts and Anderson create the playful rhythms of "Bogo," and the propulsive drummer downshifts with mallets on the brief, spacious title track.
French vibraphonist Simon Moullier's [i]Elements of Light[i] (Candid) displays why he's touted by industry heavyweights like Herbie Hancock and Quincy Jones. Influenced by singers, horn players and pianists, Moullier displays melodic gifts with his quartet, featuring pianist Lex Korten, bassist Rick Rosato and drummer Jongkuk "JK" Kim. Trumpeter Marquis Hill guests on the shimmering "Lotus," and pianist Gerald Clayton on the title track, on which he and the vibraphonist create give-and-take dialog within the piece's percolating rhythm. Moullier's standout compositions also include the Brazilian-themed "Jiwa," plus "Olympus," a bop-influenced showcase for his quartet. Another major influence is unearthed on the album's closer, a beautiful rendition of Wayne Shorter's "Oriental Folk Song."
Rarer than a star jazz vibraphonist is female one, but Patricia Brennan displays the prospective goods on her third album, [i]Breaking Stretch[i] (Pyroclastic). Touching upon multiple tonal, rhythmic and brass-driven themes, the native Mexican super-sizes her quartet with bassist Kim Cass, drummer Marcus Gilmore and percussionist Mauricio Herrera by adding alto and soprano saxophonist Jon Irabagon, tenor saxophonist Mark Shim, and trumpeter Adam O'Farrill. Brennan accompanies more than solos, and the wisely intermittent use of electronic embellishments by the bandleader and O'Farrill serve as more textural than distracting. Her compositional gems on this all-original offering include the style-stretching title tone poem, the fiery, percussive "Five Suns," and the evocative, building closer "Earendel."
Jazz Season Previews 2024-25 - October issue of Palm Beach Arts Paper
If all music forms encompassed a herd of prey animals, jazz might be the unfortunate member struggling to keep up at its rear flank. It's unfortunate, and not the way it should be, but sadly the way it is in the modern music biz. South Florida has numerous music schools producing quality jazz musicians, yet many need to go into teaching, perform and record popular music, and/or join the tribute bandwagon to make ends meet.
Labeled by some as "America's classical music," jazz now has much in common with its distant European cousin in that it's largely become a vehicle for nostalgia acts like Armstrong, Ellington, Goodman, Dorsey and Basie. What's missing are the audiences attending orchestral and symphonic classical presentations -- or at least were attending them before our governor spitefully slashed all statewide arts grants for 2024.
Jazz [i]was[i] popular music a century ago. And swing was indeed king more recently, allowing big bands and small groups to fill dance floors until the advent of instrumental subgenres like bebop and fusion emerged in the 1940s and '60s, respectively. For better or worse, and perhaps even a bit of both, each of those is a more complex style that emphasizes listening and thought over dancing and singing.
And instrumental non-classical music has always been a tough sell, even more so within the attention deficit disorder of the vocal-worshipping Internet era. Keyboardist and living legend Herbie Hancock is on recent record about the celebrity-over-sound nature of 21st Century music. For all of trumpeter and icon Wynton Marsalis' musical nationalism, sexism and closed-mindedness, he's largely kept traditional acoustic jazz alive since his "Young Lions" movement began in the 1980s. But sparse 2024-2025 seasonal South Florida jazz bookings signal an aging, formerly-lionized genre bringing up the rear in a quest to survive.
It's telling that one of this season's featured jazz artists has a house gig, with no admission charge, at an area restaurant. Greenacres-based veteran pianist Copeland Davis has written arrangements for vocal group the Fifth Dimension; recorded three albums under his own name, and performed in jazz and symphonic pop settings from locally to Las Vegas. Born in Orlando, Davis has become a fan favorite in South Florida since he relocated here to attend Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton in the 1970s. For the past four years, his trio (with bassist Val Shaffer and drummer Bill Alexander) has been part of Italian restaurant Cafe Centro's entertainment calendar, and currently plays instrumental jazz standards, show tunes and pop covers most Thursdays through Saturdays in one or the other of the establishment's two live music rooms. The music-friendly cafe also features Alexander's trio and an open mic on weeknights, and a Sunday jam night with bassist Susan Merritt's trio.
6:30 p.m. Thursdays and 6 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays at Cafe Centro, 2409 S. Dixie Hwy., West Palm Beach (561-514-4070, free).
Salsa music might fall somewhere in-between jazz and popular music, but with its emphasis on horns, percussion and sashaying rhythms, jazz gets the nod. And the Puerto Rican group El Gran Combo is the style's premier veteran practitioner. The 13-piece ensemble was founded in 1962 by musical director and guitarist Rafael Ithier, who still remarkably performs at age 98 as the only remaining original member. Having outlived scores of his former bandmates, Ithier's orchestra has released an incredible 77 albums, and is now completed by pianist Willie Sotelo, vocalists Jerry Rivas, Anthony Garcia and Joselito Hernandez; saxophonists Freddie Miranda and Virgil Rivera, trumpeter Luis "Taty" Maldonado, trombonist Moises Nogueras, bassist Freddy Rivera, and percussionists Miguel "Pollo" Torres (on congas), Domingo "Cuqui" Santos (timbales), and Richie Bastar (bongos). South Floridians can experience what's made El Gran Combo superstars in their island nation.
8 p.m. Oct. 11 at the Au-Rene Theater at the Broward Center, 201 S.W. Fifth Ave., Fort Lauderdale (954-462-0222, $45-$185).
Jazz has accurately been described as "the sound of surprise." Pump up the volume, and you have its comparatively-youthful electrified update, jazz/fusion. And you're unlikely to find sounds more surprising than the ones produced by drummer Adam Deitch, trumpeter Eric "Benny" Bloom, bassist Brad Miller and keyboardist BIGYUKI. Deitch is best-known for his work with renowned jam band Lettuce, and has also collaborated with artists ranging from fusion guitar icon John Scofield to pop star Justin Timberlake. The drummer's production credits even include hip-hop artists 50-Cent, Redman, and Talib Kweli. The New Orleans-based Bloom joined Lettuce in 2011, and has worked with artists from Dave Matthews and the Tedeschi Trucks Band to Questlove and Christian McBride. Miller and his band's BIGYUKI round out the quartet. The 30-year-old bassist has become a rising star since moving back to his native New York City 10 years ago after growing up in South Florida.
6 and 9 p.m. Oct. 26 at the Funky Biscuit, 303 S.E. Mizner Blvd., Boca Raton (561-395-2929, $30-$45).
Like made-up individual stage nicknames, band names have increasingly become about advertorial novelty and gimmickry. But at least with Black Violin, there's truth in advertising. The group's "BV20: Then & Now" presentation is part of the Arts for Action organization's "Black Voices Series," and features Florida-bred talents in violinist Kev Marcus and viola player Wil Baptiste. Both attended Dillard High School in Fort Lauderdale, and they formed Black Violin 20 years ago to bridge the wide chasm between classical music and hip-hop, often meeting in-between in the jazz realm. Their band name, after all, was lifted from a 1965 record by Stuff Smith (1909-1967), the trailblazing African-American jazz violinist. Along with drummer Nat Stokes and turntable artist DJ SPS, the two string players are likely to perform unique and creative originals from their multiple CD releases. "Brandenburg," for one, features improvisations amid the framework of Bach's Third Brandenburg Concerto.
6 p.m. Nov. 17 at the Au-Rene Theater ($20-$169.50).
If you can judge a musical artist by the company they keep, then veteran pianist Michael Wolff is certainly deserving of wider recognition late in his lengthy career. The 72-year-old California native has been musical director for disparate entities like vocalist Nancy Wilson and TV's [i]The Arsenio Hall Show[i]; has a 30-year solo recording career that includes the Gold Disk Award in Japan for his 1995 trio effort [i]Jumpstart![i] (with all-stars in bassist Christian McBride and drummer Tony Williams), appearances with more than 25 orchestras worldwide, and session credits and concerts with names from Sonny Rollins, Cannonball Adderley and Wayne Shorter to Jean-Luc Ponty, Cal Tjader, and even rocker Warren Zevon. Recent efforts include recordings and shows by the Wolff & Clark Expedition, with former Herbie Hancock drummer Mike Clark. Wolff will perform standards and originals from his latest CD [i]Memoir[i] with bassist Ben Allison and drummer Allan Mednard.
8 p.m. Nov. 22 at the Arts Garage, 94 N.E. 2nd Ave., Delray Beach (561-450-6357, $45-$50).
If you're looking for an authentic and traditional jazz roots concert, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band is the logical choice, even if the theme is "Creole Christmas." Named for the historic New Orleans venue that Allan and Sandra Jaffe launched in the city in 1961, its touring act started hitting the road in 1963 while Preservation Hall continued to feature live performances 360 nights a year in the French Quarter. Son Ben Jaffe is the longtime creative director of the hall, and a tuba and bass player within its touring troupe's rotating personnel. Others include multi-wind instrumentalist Charlie Gabriel, trumpeters Wendell Brunious, Branden Lewis, Leroy Jones, Will Smith, Kevin Louis, Gregg Stafford and Mark Braud, pianists Kyle Roussel and Rickie Monie, and drummers Shannon Powell and Joe Lastie. The group appeared on rock band the Foo Fighters' 2014 album [i]Sonic Highways[i], but concert-goers can expect pumped-up holiday volume more through brass than amplification.
7 p.m. Dec. 1 at Lillian S. Wells Hall at The Parker, 707 Northeast 8th St., Fort Lauderdale (954-462-0222, $55 + up).
The gifted pianist and leader of the Shelly Berg Trio is often overshadowed, especially in South Florida, since he's also been the dean at the University of Miami's Frost School of Music since 2007. With the school's reputation for education, that's somewhat understandable. Yet Berg is also a veteran, under-the-radar recording and touring artist as well as a standout producer, arranger, and a five-time Grammy Award nominee. His new album [i]Alegria[i] features his original compositions, along with covers of standards from George Gershwin to The Beatles, augmented by saxophonist Melvin Butler, bassist Carlitos Del Puerto and drummer Dafnis Prieto. The bassist and drummer, plus special guests, will be on hand in this Gold Coast Jazz Society presentation of the animated and underrated Berg -- whose additional session credits include artists like Patti Austin, Lorraine Feather, Renee Fleming, Monica Mancini, Keb Mo, Arturo Sandoval, and Livingston Taylor.
7:45 p.m. Jan. 8 in the Amaturo Theater at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts ($65).
Pink Martini featuring China Forbes' "30th Anniversary Tour" is much more self-explanatory than the band itself. Pianist Thomas Lauderdale's self-described "little orchestra" will often traverse jazz, classical, pop, and Latin themes -- separately or together -- through any live performance. While working in politics in Portland, Oregon in the early 1990s, Lauderdale decried the live music at such fundraisers as loud, predictable and boring. Literally deciding to take the matter into his own hands, he contacted vocalist China Forbes, a former classmate at Harvard University, to start Pink Martini. With rotating personnel that's since included another stellar female singer, Storm Large, the group has released 11 albums on its own Heinz Records label. Think you'll know what to expect for the ensemble's 30th anniversary? Forbes sings in 15 different languages, and Lauderdale and the remaining 10-12 musicians display the on-the-fly dexterity of the groups fronted by late bandleader Frank Zappa.
7 p.m. Jan. 12 at the Au-Rene Theater ($39.50-$149).
As always, this year's Jazz Fest Pompano Beach features marquee names. Day one of the two-day event features Grammy-winning trumpeter Randy Brecker, whose touring and session recording career spans everyone from Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and the Brecker Brothers (with late brother and saxophone icon Michael Brecker) to Parliament/Funkadelic and Frank Zappa. Celebrated saxophonist Joshua Redman's group, with vocalist Gabrielle Cavassa, and guitarist Adam Hawley round out day one's Beach Sand Stage headliners, preceded by locals in trumpeter Fernando Ferrarone's trio, and Bop Shop Brass, on the Great Lawn Stage. Day two headliners are Grammy-winning vocalist Judith Hill, veteran saxophonist Gerald Albright, guitarist Jonathan Butler, and Jazz Funk Soul (keyboardist Jeff Lorber, saxophonist Everette Harp and guitarist Paul Jackson Jr.), with locals in saxophonist Luigi Arredondo, the trio Trad305, and the combo Ginetta's Vendetta.
1:45-10 p.m. Jan. 24, 1-10 p.m. Jan. 25, Pompano Beach (www.pompanobeacharts.org/jazzfest, free general admission; $200 for two-day VIP pass).
The John Pizzarelli Trio is a legacy act. Its namesake vocalist/guitarist is the son of another jazz guitar great, the late Bucky Pizzarelli (1926-2020). The father appeared on multiple recordings by one of the son's influences, late singer Frank Sinatra, but the younger Pizzarelli gets even more inspiration from another late great -- singing pianist Nat King Cole. It was, after all, his 1994 ode [i]Dear Mr. Cole[i] that catapulted the young vocalist and hollow-bodied guitarist into further name recognition. A practitioner of the Great American Songbook, Pizzarelli performs in a lower-volume trio format with acoustic upright bassist Mike Karn and either Isaiah J. Thompson or Tadataka Unno on piano. Pizzarelli's first solo album in 1983 was called [i]I'm Hip (Please Don't Tell My Father)[i], so he's likely to also pay tribute to Bucky, who died from complications related to COVID-19, along with material from his latest album [i]Stage & Screen[i], a nostalgic 2023 collection of memorable chestnuts.
7 p.m. Jan. 25 at the Lyric Theatre, 59 S.W. Flagler Ave., Stuart (772-286-7827, $65).
The Yoko Miwa Trio has become a seasonal favorite at the Arts Garage in Delray Beach. Its namesake pianist and composer is an "only in America" success story who studied classical music in her native Japan, then successfully auditioned on a lark to attend the renowned jazz institution the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Even after arriving in 1997 on a full scholarship, she only intended to stay in the United States for a year. More than a quarter-century later, Miwa is still a favorite in Beantown, one of America's jazz hotbeds. Part of her rise can be credited to the great vocalist Kevin Mahogany (1958-2017), the Berklee instructor who recognized Miwa's gifts and made her an accompanist in his classes and live shows. The pianist's impressive touch and technique have been featured on nine albums -- from [i]In the Mist of Time[i] (2000) through [i]Songs of Joy[i] (2021) -- and her trio is rounded out by acoustic bassist Will Slater and drummer Scott Goulding.
8 p.m. Feb. 28 at the Arts Garage ($45-$50).
Of the historic last names in jazz, including Armstrong, Ellington, Dorsey, Goodman, Fitzgerald, Gillespie, Holiday, Parker, Davis, Shaw, Blakey, Rich and Coltrane, a more recent addition is Marsalis. New Orleans-born saxophonist Branford Marsalis is the eldest of a family of talented brothers that includes trumpeter Wynton, trombonist Delfeayo, and drummer Jason. Even as Wynton gained more celebrity through his virtuosity, artistic direction of Jazz at Lincoln Center and leadership of its orchestra, and appearances in Ken Burns' PBS documentary [i]Jazz[i], the 64-year-old Branford out-cooled him by playing in Sting's band while sidestepping the criticism of popular music by his younger sibling. The eldest Marsalis brother has played every variety of saxophone (soprano, alto, tenor and baritone) during his career, and has hundreds of session recording credits and a Grammy-winning veteran quartet with pianist Joey Calderazzo, bassist Eric Revis and drummer Justin Faulkner.
7 p.m. April 1 at the Lyric Theatre ($85).