{ title: 'The Spectrum (Buffalo, N.Y.) 1955-current, October 26, 1979, Page 15, Image 15', download_links: [ { link: 'http://www.loc.gov/rss/ndnp/ndnp.xml', label: 'application/rss+xml', meta: 'News about NYS Historic Newspapers - RSS Feed', }, { link: '/lccn/np00130006/1979-10-26/ed-1/seq-15/png/', label: 'image/png', meta: '', }, { link: '/lccn/np00130006/1979-10-26/ed-1/seq-15.pdf', label: 'application/pdf', meta: '', }, { link: '/lccn/np00130006/1979-10-26/ed-1/seq-15/ocr.xml', label: 'application/xml', meta: '', }, { link: '/lccn/np00130006/1979-10-26/ed-1/seq-15/ocr.txt', label: 'text/plain', meta: '', }, ] }
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James Clark, veteran guitarist of the James Clark trio which heads off a jazz jam every Monday at the Central Park Grill, also observed the movement of jazz. \Music changes, but some things stay the same -.. I don't think jazz changes —it expands to other forms, but the basics never change.\ Their popular vocalist, Joanee McDuffee, sees the direction as \going towards a funkier, rock-orientated jazz,\ ','away from be-bop' is the way their other guitarist put it. Jazz jams Tralfamadore Cafe's • planetary music I Jazz survives It appears unanimous that jazz is either changing or expanding, or both, and most of-the musicians see this as the major cause for the latest upswing in jazz awareness and appreciation. It seems, therefore, that jazz has been able to survive through the decades by finding its position in the times. But like keyboardist Tommy Schuman of Spyro Cyra said, \Back then jazz was IT; it was the times.\ Nevertheless, jazz is finding its place in the music world all over again. With the eighties approaching, it comes to us now in the form of \fusion.\ I by Scott Swick | A descending flight of red carpeted stairs awaits your commitment 7 to 2610 Main Street Seated at the bottom is the hostess. The cry of an J echoing saxophone releases the day's hostilities concealed within your - body You have entered Buffalo's premier jazz club, The Tralfamadore Cafe £ Cafe owner Eddie Lawson purchased the present housing of the a Tralf in a partnership with his brother in 1975. By summer, the once Dirty Dick's Bathhouse had been transformed into a reputable night ® club, saving only two toilet seats. \The Tralf was nothing before we “ purchased it It was primarily a motorcycle type hang out We had some idea on what our intentions were, but I didn't think it would progress this far,\ said Lawson Lawson took over full control of the Tralf two years ago \My reason for centering on jazz is because I like jazz. I try to be open to all forms, as long as it is played well But it should be played whether I like it or not, for the exposure,\ Lawson said \My preferences include Be-bop, contemporary, and more recently European jazz . .\ he added It is fair to say that those new recruits or patrons to the jazz scene are not there because they have suddenly developed a driving thirst for be-bop music, although this may later develop. It is more likely that a contemporary artist fusing rock or classical music with some jazz artistry will capture their attention and imagination This combination may have promoted the person to listen harder and look further for more of the same, more of that thing called \jazz\ as it is fused with other styles But is this disenchanting to the jazz musician? To the purist? Is today's jazz merely a compromise with the classic forms of 25 years ago just for the sake of wider acceptance? No Stu Weismen of the James Clark group sees the advantages in both the past and present: \Everything's got to progress; the new jazz music is getting better but the old jazz was a good foundation.\ (The James Clark group, I might add, does some of the most experimental fusion work moving through disco songs like \Boogie Oogie,\ contemporary numbers like \You Are The Sunshine of My Life,\ and jazz-rock tunes by Robben Ford and Larry Carlton without ever leaving their foothold-feel of jazz.) Tom Reinhart of Loosely Tight, also views the progression favorably: \There's more different kinds and branches (of jazz) today I think music always gets better, improving and developing \ Tommy Schuman, who describes jazz is being in a state of \entropy explains that, \Music started with basic blues but then spread in all directions from one minute to the next it's — changing but definitely moving forward . . it's infinite.\ But Lawson's love for jazz doesn't stop once he steps foot out of the door He found himself producing this year's Artpark Jazz Festival in Lewiston, N Y “At first I assisted producer Bill Hasset until he was appointed as State Commerce commissioner and had to drop his work So my total involvement came about two months before the fesitval began,\ he said. was. The professional life of a jazz musician does not appear, at least at these stages, to be an extraordinarily lucrative endeavor. Simple proof is the fact that talented bands like Loosely Tight and the James Clark Group have only one gig a week they can coynt on. And if they are the most popular jazz bands in Buffalo, what about the less popular ones? Richard Shulman, pianist and leader of both the Richard Shulman Quintet and Quartet, said, \Unless-you're doing something commercial you can't work six nights a week.\ And none of them are. The key factor is demand, for a growing \interest\ won't move a bar owner into booking bands until he sees growing revenue. Planet waves In choosing a name for his establishment, Lawson pegged a classic. The name Tralfamadore possesses a certain oddity unique to the Cafe Tralfamadore is a planet from the Kurt Vonnegut novels, The Sirens of Titan and Slaughterhouse Five, where the inhabitants communicate non-verbally, much the way jazz musicians perform Could it have been the mysterious name that drew Gregg Allman to the Tralf in the Fa|l of was in Buffalo with ever popular wife Cher seeking guidance from their tharriage counselor. On the night of Allman's visit, a UB student named Douglas Cameron was on Tralfamadore Is a planet from the.Kurt Vonnegut novels. The Sirens of Titan' What's important Growing revenue • The cultivators of the jazz scene are proud of the final product as well as the developing interest it has spawned. But \exists\ is not thrives amt' \growing\ is not flourishing. So even as .the interest in jazz increases, it is far from what it once and 'Slaughterhouse Five/ where the Inhabitants communicate hon-verbally, much the way jazz musicians perform. stage jamming with some friends. Cameron's display of violin skill was enough for \Allman to sign him up with The Gregg Allman Band. Cameron's unexpected success led to his move to Los Angeles, and eventual television appearances including a'part on ABC's Fantasy Island as a gypsy violinist A Tralf-initiated success story The Trail's reputation is well deserved. The no nonsense approach to music allows serious musicians'!© perform in a comfortable, well- appreciated atmosphere And it also accounts for the fact that well- known performers in town occasionally play the spectator role One of those serious musicians is the legendary Dexter Cordon. Lawson reflected that Gordon's first gig at the Tralf was for economic reasons. \When Dexter Cordon first came to the Tralf about three years ago, he was looking for work having just returned from Europe \ Y'p «*• ;; , v Calm - . m, however, on the ival can continue among mers on-stage, the ihouses would be our * not see the lack of >le for the sometimes out if it is a national icts because they be good.\ This is an for the jazz scene in ively promotes It discreetly draws you casual manner, that That's all part of the leties which are tTfi-T The atmosphere known to the Tralf is enlightening to say the least The crowd is not rowdy by any means, instead they are a crowd that came to listen, enjoy, and find refuge against the hectic pace of other Buffalo night spots. \We haven't had a fight in four years,\ remarked the owner proudly. And bartender Joe Tynan added a very basic principle, \Jazz is something you listen to . . A young female listener boasting a black felt hat swayed eye level to the bass player as he tugged his instrument's callous strings On the opposite side of the Tralf, a middle-aged man sported long hair and a beatnik style beret He seemed content sipping his transparent glass of intoxification A suspected loved one rested at his side Their And why is “today's\ jazz so enticing to a new generation? Tony Genovese said it best: “It is a bridge between both (the old and the new)/' one which doesn't stop the.“current\ but allows it to ebb and flow with the times as it moves by. Loo««ly Tight at tha Katharine Cornell Theater Local jazz outfit promotes originality occasional glance-and-nod said it all After Burton's breathtaking solo, Chick took to the piano for a little of his own “music magic.\ With a bit of help from the audience in the form of vocal harmony and hand-clapping, Chick tried out a new piece that he said he plans on writing in the next year. He had a total command over the crowd and, for a change, quiet and silent passages weren't marred by vocal outbursts His piano was impeccable, attaining the purest form of the art. Cary Burton resumed his place on the stage, and the duo proceeded through \Crystal Silence\ (as Chick said, their disco cut) and a Corea composition, \The Duet Suite I'm sure the duo knew that the audience wouldn't let them get away without an encore, and they responded with their most recognizable number, a beautiful rendition of “La Fiesta.\ of my favorite jazz-rock groups and has been for the past five years, and to complicate matters, they performed in the unmatched elegance of Shea's Buffalo Theater. But, since I've committed myself to the art of critique, I must judge the performance on its musical merit. downfall may arrive soon. The music was up to par, but the show's length was downright cheap I looked on Sunday night's show with great anticipation. The band was donating the profits to an extremely worthy cause —public radio station WBFO (BFO was one of the first to recognize and play cuts from Spyro while they were still in their infancy). They booked Shea's, and enough can't be said of the elegance and exceptional acoustics of this Buffalo landmark. The band was opening their tour here, and were apprearing in their hometown for the first time since their most recent album. Success hits bands in many ways, and it seems that Spyro Cyra is feeling the full brunt of its force. Where does a band come off playing one set of seventy minutes? Sure, they essentially played for free, but that doesn't give them the right to cheat an audience that paid six to seven dollars (it doesn't take much math knowledge to figure that if comes out to the inflationary rate of a dime a minute) Such a short show was a total blow to the evening No one in the music world puts on a performance of such short duration, unless it's the first of a two show club act. Jay Beckenstein was honest in admitting that it was the audience's turn to bring them back for an encore. If they continue their miniscule act on the road, they're likely to return with tomato and egg stained clothes Maybe Buffalonians aren't used to paying these prices to see~a \local\ band, but I know they'll never get used to paying such outrageous prices for such a paltry performance You'd think that a hometown crowd is entitled to an above average show I feel Spyro Gyra fertilized their roots Sunday night Spyro Cyra, Buffalo's commercial jazz to fame, used to play gigs at the Tralfamadore Cafe and the now defunct Jack Daniels for the usual two Qot Live... Morning Dance. The band ran through a mix of old material taken from their two albums, and new songs slated for if vjcu wnnf a their next disc. Their current hit \Morning Dance\ brought cheers of approval from the crowd. \Lovin You\ showed off the tasty guitar of Chet Catillo Jazz history occurred last Saturday night in the Buff State gym, and the level of musical excellence attained there probably won't be witnessed in Buffalo again for some time to come to three dollars at the door Now they command six and seven and are privileged to play places like Shea's. The band members say that they usually return to Buffalo to less than capacity audiences, after packing them in on tour (they attribute it to memories of cheaper admissions at the local clubs) Well, Spyro Cyra has made it! If the opening night of their U/S. tour is any indication, their who contributed excellent riffs throughout the set \Autumn of Our Love,\ a slow Jeremy Wall tune, brought the bittersweet saxophone of Jay Beckenstem into focus The choreographic antics of percussionist Gerardo Velez drew everyone's — Doug AI pern Spyro Cyra, Shea's Buffalo Theatre, October 21, 1979 attention throughout the show, with his prancing and gyrating Then the show ended, and the previous seventy minutes of quality music turned to nasty criticism in my mind I honestly hoped for an early audience exit, omitting the call for \encoreIt would have returned the insult How do I go about criticizing a benefit concert? To make criticism more difficult, Spyro Cyra is one — Drug AI pern
