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Just Jazz Guitar by Thomas Cray I've lived in Chicago for 20 years and over that time I've had the fortune of meeting some great Jazz musicians. I've especially treasured the conversations I've had with guitarists; some who were visiting this great city and others living down the block. I've attended in-store appearances/workshops by the likes of Doyle Dykes and Herb Ellis (compliments of Terry Strayker's Guitar Works, LTD.), I've met gypsy stylist Stephane Wrembel, in town performing with local sensation Alphonso Ponticelli at our annual Djangofest, I've heard Fareed Haque practice on his backyard patio, and I've enjoyed many conversations with Neal Alger between sets at the legendary Green Mill where The Patricia Barber Quartet packs the house on Monday nights when not touring overseas. More recently, though, I've found a kindred spirit in Cincinnati transplant Andy Brown, who I initially discovered performing with his wife, vocalist Petra van Nuis, at one of my favorite Chicago bistros, Katerina's, where I was having dinner with my daughter. I hardly noticed the pasta arrive as Andy began playing some cascading chord changes and harp-like artificial harmonics on his ES-175. His wife Petra joined him and from the first song I knew I'd stumbled onto something special. We spoke between sets and through the conversation it became abundantly clear that we shared a love of jazz history, vintage archtop guitars, the Great American Songbook, and all the classic jazz guitarist greats. When we began discussing books I wasn't surprised that we had both read the biographies of Bucky Pizzarelli, Wes Montgomery, Lenny Breau, Les Paul, Martin Taylor, Tal Farlow, Steve Jordan, and even Billy Bauer's (we also both picked up copies of the Summerfield book on Barney Kessel when it was published last year). He also read 'Raise Up Off Me: A Portrait of Hampton Hawes' which I happened to be finishing the week of our interview. How long have you been performing in Chicago? Close to 6 years now. Previous to that I lived and played in New York for a couple of years, and before that Cincinnati for about 11 years. I started playing professionally when I was 17 - the summer before my senior year in high school. Were you playing jazz from the beginning? Initially I was playing blues; Stevie Ray Vaughan and Robert Cray. From there it was Albert King and B. B. King, and from there it was T-Bone Walker and Charlie Christian and from there a leap over to Wes Montgomery. Wes Montgomery was what first helped me make the transition to jazz. I had heard Charlie Christian but I wasn't ready yet... I wasn't aware of what it was yet... how to listen to it and how to relate to it. Looking back I'm really happy that's the path I took - from the blues, because blues really teaches you to play from the gut. How many days a week do you perform? 6 or 7 days a week. Do you follow any sort of practice regimen? I don't do a lot of warm-up sort of calisthenics. I do that a little bit, but for me practice is more learning tunes, or licks, or new chord voicings that I may have heard. I might set up my recorder with a goal of playing a few tunes on solo guitar and see if I can get through them. I'm into playing my instrument by itself and having it be a legitimate musical performance. So I think it's good when you're practicing to work on what you actually do on a job, as opposed to trying to get all your scales and arpeggios and so forth in. I take a song like Sophisticated Lady and play an intro, a nice ending, maybe a modulation or whatever, and practice that. Is your Sophisticated Lady of June, 2009 different than your Sophisticated Lady of June, 2007? For sure. I don't have set arrangements. That's what I practice. I may pick a key where a song lays well but I try to improvise the voicings and counterpoint and the treatment of a tune so it's different each time. You know, another thing I consider as practicing is listening to music. I might turn off my cell phone, and other distractions, and listen to a particular CD or, for instance, a Ted Greene or George Van Eps concert. The more I do that the more my palate grows, the more colors I'll have to choose from. Do you ever hear something that causes you to stop and rewind it, and try to work out how it's played? Yeah. I keep a little notebook where I write licks, phrases, intros, chords. It's full of those things. The hard part is opening it again and revisiting things rather than just turning the page and writing down the next thing. Sometimes I go back but I should do that more. It just takes time to go back and drill it into your playing. Imagine how many things we could get into our playing with more time. Do you think the act of writing things down helps you learn? I think that the act of writing it down means it doesn't get lost... and maybe the half hour it took you to figure it out helps... but I also think, sometimes, that writing something down is contrary to you learning something, because if you write it down you think, "Oh yeah, I got that", but then you never actually go through the process of learning it and being able to call upon it and play it. Many famous guitarists have been known to advise younger players to listen to other instruments for ideas and to reference as they learn. Do you subscribe to that thinking? That's an interesting topic because you hear that all the time but I feel there's merit in both. There have been so many guitarists over the years who have contributed with chordal playing and single note playing that you could certainly just listen to guitar and be fine. I think it's somewhat of a cliché. Maybe it was applicable when there was Charlie Christian, or Jimmy Raney and Tal Farlow and that was it for single-note playing. Even that would have been enough. But nowadays you can get all the harmony you’ll ever need from Ed Bickert and George Van Eps and all the single-note lines from Wes Montgomery and Joe Pass. On the flip side, of course, I have gone through periods where I didn't listen to guitar and it takes a minute for your brain to adjust. You might be listening to solo piano, for instance, and at first you might feel you can't relate to it, but then, all of the sudden, you start to hear it as if it were a guitar, and you start to wonder, "Well, what if this weren't Dave McKenna or Hank Jones but instead it was Joe Pass or Ted Greene pulling off all this stuff" and you start to realize this pianist is pulling off way more than the best solo guitarist that ever played. If you can get into that mode it'll blow your mind. How so? There are still things at the disposal of pianists, like basic everyday vocabulary, that have yet to be worked out on the guitar. Time, for instance. Time/feel/groove can be the hardest to achieve playing unaccompanied guitar. To be successful you need to create something that feels as good groove-wise as a band or a solo pianist. As a rule, pianists seem to achieve a better groove than guitarists. They seem to be able to create a better relaxed yet forward propulsion. What is an average week of your schedule like? It varies. Chicago is a great city to play the kind of jazz I play. There's a fair amount of work. Much of it falls under the category of Service Industry - we play a lot of restaurants, parties, events where the music may not be the focal point of the evening... but Chicago has a lot of great Jazz clubs, too, where I can bring my group. I recently broke down gigs into four categories; Concerts, Jazz Clubs, Restaurants/Bars and Hotels, and Private Events (weddings, corporate parties). It's like a pyramid, too - the Private Events are at the base, and pay the most, then the Bars & Restaurants which might be a little more musically interesting but pay a little less, then the Jazz clubs, which allow for more creative focus, and then at the top are the concerts - theaters, halls, university concerts. The ideal is to draw from three or four of those every week. What have been some of your career highlights? Definitely playing with Harry Allen this past year (twice actually - in Chicago at the Jazz Showcase, and then in Europe). Anytime you play with a world-class player it's a great experience. Playing with Kenny Poole, who was one of my mentors and favorite musicians, was always a highlight. Playing with Cal Collins was always fun as well, early in my career. There's been a lot of players that have been inspiring to play with; Howard Alden, Joe Cohn. Moving to Chicago was good too. When I first got here I went to see a lot of great musicians and before I knew it I was on stage with them, at places like The Green Mill - playing there every week is definitely a highlight. That's a club with a lot of history... a place that I knew about before I moved here, where lots of great people played, and where I dreamed about playing someday. Have you released any recordings? I've done one album under my own name called “Trio and Solo” that I'm proud of. I have done an album with my wife Petra, and some great Chicago horn players featuring arrangements by bass player Joe Policastro. Right now Petra and I are working on a new duo album that I'm really excited about because we've been performing together now for 10 years so it's about time we did a duo record. We have some good stuff in the can already so I'm looking forward to releasing that this year. How does working in Chicago compare to New York? I love New York. I lived there, my dad lives there still, I grew up near there... but I don't really feel there's an epicenter anywhere, right now, for what I'm interested in. New York may have more marquee, showcase-type gigs, but Chicago has more of a grass roots, working scene. I play 5-7 gigs per week, 52 weeks a year here, and I don't have to go completely out of my mind to get those gigs... and I think at this stage in my life the best thing I can do is to work all the time. New York might be a better place to launch an international career but Chicago is a much better place if you're looking to play, and not have to supplement your income doing other kinds of work. What do you think international musicians/guitarists should know about the Chicago jazz music scene? I think they should know that Chicago is a healthy, functioning American city, which is, unfortunately, rarer than you might think these days. Chicago is a real hot bed of culture; art, theater, writing, visual arts, and music all thrive here, much like in New York. Do you play anywhere outside Chicago? Yes, I’m lucky to be able to travel a bit. This year I will have played in Europe twice, as well as traveling a fair amount regionally. I play in New York once or twice a year, and I always enjoy playing clubs like the Blue Wisp in Cincinnati, the Firefly in Ann Arbor, and NightTown in Cleveland. Do you have any students? Not really... I mean, the main student I’m teaching right now is myself. It's enough effort right now to find time to do my own homework and complete the assignments that my teacher has assigned me (laughs). I suppose that if a student approached me and loved the music and seemed to think I had something I could give to him I would consider it... but I'm not necessarily interested in opening shop at a guitar store, or even a university. I'm more interested in it as an oral tradition that's passed down. I was lucky to learn in this way. Can you describe the kind of Jazz that you play? Sure. The title I most prefer is Mainstream. It's that core that runs from Lester Young, Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Art Tatum, Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster... all the guys that I love. To me, it's the heartbeat of all Jazz. I remember reading Nat Hentoff's liner notes for the first Poll Winners album - he said no matter what style of jazz you listen to you will always find at the heart of it what Barney Kessel, Ray Brown, and Shelly Manne did on that album. These days it's a very specialized, smaller sub-genre, but it reaches a large audience and is what many think of when they hear the word Jazz. The repertoire is largely from the Great American Songbook and jazz compositions written in that era. It's played with a certain feel and approach to playing. There's a swing to the music. It's less brooding and self-conscious than other genres. Happy, maybe... it's accessible. I like playing for audiences and interacting with people who like music. I think it's in our job description - making music for people. I think when you see me, or others playing this kind of music, you get authenticity. We, as artists, have found our medium. We've put honesty and authenticity above versatility and I believe our audience benefits from it. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? What do you think is or will be your contribution to this genre? I think if you pursue your career honestly then you can't help bringing something new to it. I don't, however, feel any need to reinvent the medium. There seems to be the idea that you have to do something new these days, not only in jazz but in other mediums. I don't feel that way. I think there's already plenty to work with there already. Plenty for me to play around in. I just want to do it well. I want to do it the best I can. I think being "good" is vastly under-rated... buried under what's new or never been done before... but I think it's underrated. With all the accompanying you do, you must know a lot of songs. How many do you think? Probably 1500, more or less, in varying degrees. Some I might know the changes but not the melody. Sometimes I'll use sheet music though I prefer not to read on stage because I think you use a different part of your brain to read than to play. I took piano lessons as a kid and learned to read music early on (my dad encouraged me) but I think it's better for improvisation if you have the chord structure of a song internalized because you'll use that other side of the brain to play. Tell me about your gear. My two main guitars are a Tal Farlow reissue from 1999 and a 1981 Blonde Gibson ES-175 that I tune down a whole step for solo and vocal accompaniment - it has heavier 14-59 strings on it that allow for a fuller sound and more sustain. I learned that early on from Kenny Poole, George Van Eps, & Ted Greene. Both guitars are plywood, which I like because I can play them loud and they won't feed back. I usually play through a Peavy Bandit - it seems to give me a warm, rich sound that I can't get out of a tube amp of the same size. A Vibrolux I sometimes use seems to distort at too quiet a volume for me... I've tried Evans, Polytone - they're great, but the Peavy gives me the most tube-like sound, with the extra headroom... plus it's only worth like $60 so I can keep it in the trunk of my car which actually makes a big difference. What advice can you give young guitarists that might be interested in a career as a mainstream jazz guitarist? Well, the word”career” is an interesting term. One thing I've learned over the years is that there are two things; your music, and your career - and they are almost separate. Your music, your passion, the material, your musical goals... they are really separate from your career. I mean, they can help you - you need to learn songs, in all the keys, and that will help your career, but you need to love the material if you're going to pursue this. Many teachers will tell you, “You gotta learn the tunes...,” but not if you're not passionate about the music. Having a career in music is something in and of itself. Business, politics, ambition - it's really a separate thing, and should be treated as such. Most of my favorite guitarist's careers were really secondary to their music. Even Wes Montgomery - he lived in Indianapolis with his family... but every time you saw him play he had a big smile on his face. A career is a serious undertaking - it's important to balance your career, your passion for the music, and your life. Thanks for taking the time to share with us from your experiences. Thanks for the interest. Guitar International By Matt Warnock Far Away Places is a hard swinging and enjoyable album from the Chicago duo of guitarist Andy Brown and vocalist Petra Van Nuis. When one thinks of a guitar-vocal duo in a jazz setting the great albums and concerts of Joe Pass and Ella Fitzgerald immediately come to mind. While the soul and inspiration of these jazz titans can be heard in Van Nuis’ vocal lines and Brown’s fret-work, this is not a tribute album, or an attempt to imitate or emulate anyone else. This album stands on its own two feet as a solid contribution to the jazz guitar-vocal catalogue. The tunes on this album represent a wide view of the traditional and, to a certain extent, more modern jazz repertoire. There are songbook standards, such as Cole Porter’s “From This Moment On,” Latin Jazz standards, “Caravan” and “Invitation,” and just enough hidden gems, such as the tragically underperformed “Destination Moon,” “Bim Bom” and “I’ll Never Stop Loving You,” to keep any jazz fan happy. Combined, these classic tracks, mixed with Latin grooves, underplayed standards and newer material, provide an intimate look into the duo’s musical tastes and backgrounds, while at the same time ensuring that the album never becomes monotonous as each new track brings with it a new musical excursion into the creative minds of these two talented jazzers. Maybe it’s the fact that Van Nuis and Brown have spent years sharing the bandstand, or the fact that away from their careers they also share their lives together as husband and wife, but their interaction is incredible to witness. Brown is always right there when Van Nuis takes an unexpected turn on the melody or twist of the time in a rubato section. Brown’s ability to know exactly when to pluck solid chords, fingerpick arpeggios, or just play single-lines behind a melody line should be commended. Brown never gets caught up in trying to do too much, like constantly walking a bassline and comping. Instead, he manipulates the harmony through a diverse range of textures that provides comfort for the singer, as well as interest for the audience. This is where the spirit of Joe Pass can be felt in Brown’s playing. Not in his note choices or incredible chops, but in his ability to let the accompaniment breathe and react to Van Nuis. It’s no wonder Brown has been making a name for himself as one of Chicago’s rising young jazz guitarists. Far Away Places takes the listener on an engaging and enjoyable journey through the musical world of this talented duo. It’s one of those rare albums that would go well as background music for a dinner party, yet it can draw in even the most seasoned jazz fan with its intricacies and elevated musicality. Do yourself a favor and check this album out. You won't be disappointed. All About Jazz By Jack Huntley The combination of a female vocalist backed by a solo guitar is not a heavily- exploited instrumentation, and there's a reason for that—it's very hard to pull off. While Ella Fitzgerald's recordings with Joe Pass are a perhaps the gold standard, overwhelmingly the piano is the stand-alone accompaniment instrument of choice for singers. But vocalist Petra van Nuis and guitarist Andy Brown's wonderful Far Away Places is a reminder of the beauty this form can achieve, and how the inherent openness of a duet setting can add interesting, expectant overtones to the music. To their credit, van Nuis and Brown keep the tracks fairly straightforward, choosing songs with charming melodies and then never straying too far away from them. The tunes are a mix of up-tempo standards, dreamy ballads, and Latin tunes. Their take on a cut like "Me, Myself And I" adds just the right amount of harmonic complexity while maintaining the song's unambiguous melody. The opening track, "Destination Moon," achieves similar results with Brown's savory voicings teasing the ear while pushing the rhythm ahead at a loping pace. Throughout the album, van Nuis' vocal quality is at once strong and wistful. In "A Cottage For Sale," she hangs on notes perfectly, releasing them as if saying goodbye to a good friend. There is also an innocence in van Nuis' voice that she exploits beautifully on the Cole Porter tune "From This Moment On." On the title track, a lovely ballad whose dreamy lyrics seem tailor made for her vocal talents, van Nuis never fails to support the melody's cadences with her range and endearing clarity. It's unfair to term Brown's playing as "accompaniment," because his guitar adds a wholly other voice to the album. In "Born To Blow The Blues," Brown slides into chordings with a sax-like quality on one bar before unleashing a shimmering staccato voicing at the next change. Always mindful of the melody, Brown manages to wrap his rich harmonic style in a unhurried feel that calls to mind the spirit of George Van Eps with a current harmonic understanding. On the Duke Ellington classic "Caravan" and the Antonio Jobim cut "Bim Bom," Brown's dexterous playing really jumps off the disc with its crisp, steady feel that mixes walking bass lines, pulsing chord melodies and even some open string drone passages. Brown's playing throughout is filled with a vibrate fluidity that defines the album and keeps the ear interested track after track. Far Away Places is an unique album with a relaxed feeling that more than handles the acoustic constraints of a duo setting. With smart song choices, engaging vocal interpretations, and captivating guitar work this album creates a beautiful landscape with minimal digressions. Petra van Nuis and Andy Brown's interpretations are over-flowing with skill and imagination. Midwest Record by Chris Spector This isn’t a self conscious/diva/songbag collection, but to make the title track the often overlooked “Far Away Places” certainly gets this pair points. A vocal/guitar duo set by two long time fellow travelers shows that elegance and simpatico can go a long way. It ain’t about the fireworks, it’s about the purity of the performance and that’s what makes this one of those great, low key wonders. When you’ve got it going on, you’ve got it going on and this duo is one of the most ripping good new duos to come along. Check it out when your adult listening ears need something new to fill them. Jazz Lives by Michael Steinman One of the many pleasures of the 2009 Jazz at Chautauqua was hearing Petra van Nuis and Andy Brown perform in front of a live audience, and I think the performance clips I've posted are solid evidence of their talents. I was hoping that the duo's new CD would provide the same experience. Sometimes, of course, magic dissolves in the recording studio amid attempts to make recordings flawless. But I need not have worried. Petra and Andy's new CD is splendid. Where to begin? (Once we've taken in the picture of the happy good-looking couple above...) The songs on the CD are DESTINATION MOON, FAR AWAY PLACES, FROM THIS MOMENT ON, I'LL NEVER STOP LOVING YOU, CARAVAN, BORN TO BLOW THE BLUES, LET'S DO IT, BIM BOM (a solo for Andy), A COTTAGE FOR SALE, HOW LITTLE WE KNOW, INVITATION, ME MYSELF AND I, WITH A SONG IN MY HEART. That song list speaks to a wide-ranging and discerning knowledge of the great songs of the last eighty or so years, a delight in itself: Porter, Ellington, Robison, Rodgers, and some delightful oddities. I know, for instance, that DESTINATION MOON is attached to a film of the same name and it even appears on a Lester Young live date c. 1950, but how many people have ever recorded it? (If you don't know the song, imagine IN MY MERRY OLDSMOBILE updated to the era of fantasy rocket travel.) And BORN TO BLOW THE BLUES is associated with Marilyn Moore - but I haven't heard it in ages. But this CD isn't a high-toned musical archeology lesson, either. Andy Brown, first: barring a half-dozen I admire, most jazz guitarists have become entranced, Narcissus staring at their own reflection in the shiny body of the Gibson or Macaferri, with the endless possibilities of their own technique. (You could blame Charlie Parker or Jimi Hendrix for this, but we're here to celebrate.) So the notes pour out in what sound like endless streams; the fingers fly. Few guitarists seem to understand the value of space, of breathing pauses, of logical solo construction - with music delivered at an intelligible rate. Andy could cover the fingerboard, digits a blur, if he chose to. But he knows better. So his playing unfolds beautifully in its own song, no matter what tempo or what chords. He loves melody; he can swing any band several steps closer to Heaven with his chordal strum, and he is an absolutely flawless team-player, never fixated on the limelight. Accompanying a singer isn't easy, either, but Andy is rather like a tactful, energized conversationalist at the party: he has things to tell us, he has comments to offer and support by the bucketful, but he never tries to outshine Petra. And Petra? The first thing I noticed about Petra (before I had heard her in person) was the focus she brought to her songs. She isn't one of these gospel whoopers; she hasn't channelled Aretha or Billie; she isn't a Broadway belter. All to the good, let me assure you. It means that she doesn't overact, that she fits the word to the deed and the notes to the emotion, never smudging a lyric to appear hip, never landing in the wrong place. She can romp very happily (her enunciation is flawless, even in fourth gear) and she has a speaking presence. And before I had heard this CD, I would have praised Petra for avoiding the dramatic excesses I hear from so many singers. But then I heard her version of A COTTAGE FOR SALE, and I was just about stunned by its great dramatic range, mixing ruefulness, poignancy, and loss - without overacting so much as a hair. It was pure feeling, captured beautifully. I might never hear that song sung so heartbreakingly again. Both Petra and Andy get first place in my imagined TALENT DESERVING COSMIC RECOGNITION category! Check out their websites to find out such useful information as “May I hear some audio clips?” and, following quickly,”How can I buy these CDs?” Michael Steinman is a freelance jazz journalist whose writing can be found in such publications as Cadence, All About Jazz, Coda, the Mississippi Rag, as well as in liner notes for many jazz labels. For more information, please go to www.jazzlives.wordpress.com Jersey Jazz by Joe Lang One of my favorite vocalists of all time was Beverly Kenney, a unique stylist who had a career in the 1950s that was cut short far too soon. When I started to listen to Far Away Places by vocalist PETRA VAN NUIS and guitarist ANDY BROWN, I was reminded of Kenney, and particularly of the album that she made with the legendary guitarist Johnny Smith. As I continued to listen, I became more impressed with both van Nuis and Brown. They have selected a program that is tasty, comprised of tunes that are not overdone, and includes a few surprises like "Born to Blow the Blues," a Bob Russell/Jack Segal song previously recorded only by two relatively unknown, but hip vocalists, Marilyn Moore and Lucy Reed. Also refreshing to hear again is a ditty associated with Billie Holiday, "Me, Myself and I." Always welcome are "Destination Moon," that opens the album, "Cottage for Sale," and the title track, "Far Away Places." She gives "Let's Do It" the suggestive edge that makes it most effective. This recording will find an immediate place in my stack of must hear again and again discs. Chicago Jazz Magazine by Randy Freedman Far Away Places is the title of the first recording by guitarist Andy Brown and his wife, vocalist Petra van Nuis, that features them together as a duo. This CD has a beautiful wrap-around cover with striking photos, and insightful liner notes by Chicago/Phoenix jazz icon pianist/vocalist Judy Roberts. It is worth noting that days before this CD’s release, Brown’s abilities as an accompanist––so evident on this recording––were put on national display as Brown and a small group of local musicians accompanied legendary vocalist Barbara Streisand as she performed a song on the Oprah Winfrey TV show. Brown has such a vast repertoire of varied guitar techniques and textures at his command that his ability to choose between them and employ the correct ones with impeccable timing might be his greatest talent of all. But I suggest you pay special attention to the dynamics of his guitar performance. It may seem simple, but Brown uses the full measure of dynamic range from soft to loud, a skill seemingly lost by many of his contemporaries. The intimate microphone placement and high recording quality of Far Away Places will allow you to appreciate this and other subtle audio nuances as well. The voice of van Nuis is effervescent, yet refined and classy. She can sound hopeful without being overly sweet, or serious with out any sense of manufactured drama. Van Nuis sings the lyrics as she feels they were intended to be sung, adding only the “salt” of her enthusiasm and the “pepper” of her charm. There is a sense of sincerity in every note that even that the most jaded of listeners could not fail to hear. My favorite tracks include the title song, “Far Away Places.” Brown and van Nuis succeed in believably expressing a musical sense of childlike wonder at travel in our era where “far away” can just mean the fifty-six inch HD TV in the living room, set to the Discovery Channel. Van Nuis does this with inspired phrasing, while Brown provides some homespun chords flavored with the slightest touch of the exotic. His solos on “Caravan” (suggestive and seductive) and “Me, Myself, And I” (breezy and fun) are totally different from one another, yet are both so cool as to be worth the price of the CD all by themselves. “Let’s Do It” provides a perfect showcase for van Nuis’s charming vocal style, and I cannot think of another version of this Cole Porter classic that I have enjoyed as much. “A Cottage For Sale” casts our duo in the role of sad storytellers, with van Nuis using inflection and nuance with scalpel-like precision to evoke just the right amount of pathos from her listeners. The eerie and mysterious introduction by Brown to “Invitation” sets the stage for van Nuis to make her musical entrance as a woman caught in a dark delusion of shadow and desire. With their new album, Far Away Places, Andy Brown and Petra van Nuis have given their audience a musical time capsule reflecting the hopes, dreams and aspirations of twentieth century Middle America for its own future. With the clarity that only hindsight can provide, we can see where those dreams actually came true or crashed and burned along the way. Perhaps there are even a few of those hopes and dreams left on which the final verdict has not yet been decided. I highly recommend that you bring Far Away Places home and open this enjoyable musical time capsule for yourself. ChicagoJazz.net by Brad Walseth Vocalist Petra van Nuis and her husband, guitarist Andy Brown have released their new CD - Far Away Places a sensitive duet recording with just the two in an intimate setting, and it is a sparkling gem. Entering this duos' world is like stepping into a time machine and revisiting an era when the song was the thing and Coltrane-like deconstruction was just a glimmer in your daddy's eye. The songs range from beloved standards: "Cottage for Sale" "From this Moment On," "Let's Do It," "How Little We Know," "Invitation," "Caravan," "Bim Bom," "With a Song in My Heart" to lesser known pieces like the jaunty "Destination Moon," "Born to Blow the Blues," "Me, Myself and I" and the stunning title track. This world of innocence, romance and peaceful melodies is carried by van Nuis' honeyed voice and Brown's exceptional old-school guitar support (who needs a rhythm section? - check out his bass lines on Cole Porter's "From This Moment On" - there are bass players who would kill to play that well). The partner's subtle interplay on Sammy Cahn & Nicolas Brodszky's "I'll Never Stop Loving You" is another delicious highlight. While most modern singers will cover a song or two from the golden age - usually jazzing it up with rock and roll and disco beats, screaming guitar solos and incessant vocal somersaults, van Nuis and Brown have found a niche in presenting the songs of the bygone eras straight and allowing the melodies to hang relatively unadorned. The quaint and clean presentation is utterly charming: in this case it is hip to be square. Old Jazz Express by Cor De Pater The American vocalist Petra van Nuis and guitarist Andy Brown were guests last April at the Jazz Festival Gorinchem 2009. The name Petra has a very Dutch ring to it; her father, at age nineteen, left Den Bosch to immigrate to America. At the beginning of November 2009 appeared a CD featuring the couple Petra and Andy Brown. Although both have performed on previous CDs, this is their first CD done exclusively as a couple. An initial reaction might perhaps be to question: "Isn't this risky?" I can, however, immediately reassure you that this is a beautiful CD. Because both listen to each other very well, their CD is wholly balanced. With her delicate voice, Petra often sounds romantic but also sometimes dramatic as in "A Cottage For Sale." She renders a good interpretation of text and possess good timing. Petra makes a unique sound which can not, despite instinctive wishing to do so, be compared with that of notable predecessors. However, as far as interpretation is concerned, she sometimes does remind me of Ann Burton. She has selected her repertoire very mindfully; hence, it lies well within her reach. Andy Brown is a fine guitarist. Both as accompanist and soloist, he achieves a velvet tone and has exceptional timing; his beautiful harmonies and perfect technique are carefully weighed and considered. While sitting by the fireplace with a good drink in hand, I will often insert this CD into my player. Then I will dream "With A Song In My Heart" while I am in a "Caravan" on the way to "Far Away Places," searching for "A Cottage For Sale." And then an "Invitation" will steer me to "Me, Myself, and I." There you have a number of titles appearing on this CD. Would you like to sample? Then visit Petra's website: www.petrasings.com "Let's Do It!" Jazz Lives by Michael Steinman Petra and Andy are long-time sweethearts (now married) who make lovely intimate swinging sounds together. I caught them at their two morning sets at Jazz at Chautauqua, and they kept a roomful of people (otherwise busily dropping their heavy silverware) rapt. Petra is a find: she has a delicate focused voice, doesn’t overact or emote, has beautiful lilting time and musical wit. She honors the songs and their emotions. And she’s no Imitation: when I first heard her, I didn’t instantly think, “Oh, she’s been listening to the Complete Recordings of _ _ _ _ _,” which is a relief. Andy impressed me immediately with his lovely chording, subtle melodies, and generous accompaniment. Many guitar players spatter the room with notes, gangster-style: Andy makes music. He can also provide incredible drive and subtlety to a band. He has a lovely tone and a quiet pulse. And — even better — this duet shows just how well this pair of expert musicians listen to one another. They are worth listening to! Playing a wistful SERENATA, a song I associate with big names (Sinatra and Nat Cole), Petra makes its yearning her own as Andy chimes behind and around her. A surprisingly jaunty BLUE TURNING GRAY OVER YOU shows how well Mr. Waller’s melodies work at any tempo as Andy summons up George Van Eps, which is a real accomplishment. The leaves were beginning to fall on the grounds of the Athenaeum Hotel, so Petra and Andy performed EARLY AUTUMN in honor of the impending equinox. And, just to show that this couple has mischief in its collective soul, they ended with RUNNIN’ WILD, a performance with a sweetly wicked glint in its eye, as Andy and Petra have enough rhythm in their souls to fill the room. Petra and Andy give us hope. Michael Steinman is a freelance jazz journalist whose writing can be found in such publications as Cadence, All About Jazz, Coda, the Mississippi Rag, as well as in liner notes for many jazz labels. For more information, please go to www.jazzlives.wordpress.com Chicago JazzMagazine by Randy Freedman Did you ever wonder where Chicago’s top musicians and vocalists go to relax and enjoy live music when they have a night off? Who are the musical performers that other musical performers are consistently willing to spend their own hard-earned cash to see and hear? About every month or so, two of them hold court at Katerina’s Supper Club on Chicago’s North Side, usually on Monday nights. They are vocalist Jeannie Lambert and guitarist Andy Brown. Their audience on a Monday in late January was filled with local music personalities and fans like myself. Lambert is a seasoned traveler on the Chicago jazz scene. Brown is a more recent Cincinnati/New York transplant, who has steadily gained respect from musicians and fans alike since his arrival in Chicago five years ago. Each brings a unique set of musical talents and skill to their occasional partnership. Though based in Chicago, Lambert’s vocal skills are admired nationally, and her most recent CD ”Alone With The Blues” (with pianist Judy Roberts) prompted this comment from Scott Yanow, one of the world’s most published jazz historians: “The singer has to have lived life enough to completely understand and feel the lyrics, she has to be skilled at perfectly placing each note, and her lived-in voice has to be expressive without ever quite going over the top. Ms. Lambert manages all of that.” Other less experienced or simply less wise vocalists can sometimes wander hopelessly far from a melody. Sometimes they can disrespect classic American Songbook material with vocal histrionics, shrill screeching vocalizations passed off as stylizations, and worst of all, unrepentant attempts at outright imitation of great past vocalists that often embarrass all present to hear them. Instead of these unsuccessful cheap tricks, Lambert gives you double doses of the jazz singer’s “Holy Grail,” phrasing. I am talking about riveting, keep the audience on the edge of their seat phrasing. Phrasing that has the audience wondering at breaks, “How would this song or that song sound if Lambert sang it?” Andy Brown is one of Chicago’s most sought after accompanists and has worked with top vocalists Kurt Elling, Paul Marinaro, Spider Saloff, Kimberly Gordon, and Brown’s wife Petra van Nuis, to name just a few. His guitar playing is always melodic, understated, and involving; drawing the audience in with multiple techniques and textures instead of the guitar pyrotechnics that other players like to show off with. Brown’s ability to seamlessly “walk the bass line” (reinforce rhythm by playing some of the bass notes) while carrying the melody, invariably gives his guitar a fuller, richer, more complete sound that suggests the presence of multiple instruments existing only in the mind’s eye. While skillful and sensitive in all his playing, Brown seems to show a higher level of personal involvement when playing Bossa Nova, and brings a special flair to that music. This was demonstrated that evening during outstanding solos on “How Insensitive” and “Useless Landscape.” Other highlights of that particular Monday included a rousing Dixieland-style rendition of “Sweet Georgia Brown” during which the duo was joined by Lambert’s husband, trombonist Russ Phillips. Lambert’s vocals were exceptionally compelling on “Emily,” “East Of The Sun,” and “This Time The Dream’s On Me.” Also featured was a charming version of “Little Jack Frost,” performed by guest vocalist Petra van Nuis. A city like Chicago offers listeners many options, every night of the week, to hear different kinds of music performed in a variety of venues. If you have only enjoyed live music, and particularly jazz, as part of a crowd in a large, impersonal theater-like setting, or have just moved away from the club scene, I cannot recommend highly enough giving smaller, intimate venues like Katerina’s a try. The Monday night sessions with Andy Brown and Jeannie Lambert are the perfect place to start with the best of talent in a great listening environment. Jazz Journal International Magazine by Bruce Crowther New to me and perhaps also to you, Brown is a New York born guitarist in his early thirties. After a seven year long formative spell in Cincinnati followed by time spent playing in New York, he is presently based in Chicago. There, he leads his own regular trio and also plays in groups led by Kimberly Gordon, Chris Foreman and Russ Phillips, and appears in duo with his wife, singer Petra van Nuis. Brown is a very melodic player with a coolly understated approach to his repertoire. Here, he offers satisfying interpretations of mainly familiar compositions; the two less well known pieces are Jimmy McGriff’s City Lights and George Van Eps’ Scott’s Lullaby. The trio performances are well integrated and both bassist and drummer provide excellent support to the featured guitarist. Left alone, Brown is always interesting and this CD should appeal to all those who like to hear inventive soloing and still like to recognize the tune. This CD might be hard to find but very well worth any effort you might have to make. Just Jazz Guitar Magazine by Matthew Warnock Andy Brown is another example of why Chicago is becoming a hot spot for world class jazz guitarists. With players like Bobby Broom, John Moulder, Neil Alger, Zvonimir Tot, Fred Miller and Andy Brown, it is no wonder young players are flocking to the Windy City to study under these heavy hitters. With Trio and Solo, Brown firmly establishes himself among the city's top pickers. With his strong sense of tradition and the imagination to carry it forward, Brown will definitely be a name to keep an eye on. Brown's playing is multi-dimensional throughout this album. His ability to mix single lines, octaves, double stops and chords during a melody or solo keeps the listener's attention firmly locked on each tune. His single lines are strongly rooted in the bebop and hard bop tradition, while his chords remind one of George Van Eps or Kenny Poole (with whom Brown studied). His use of counter-melodies, in particular during his chord-melody on My Shining Hour , is reminiscent of the classic Johnny Smith Royal Roost recordings of the 1950s. What sets Brown apart from other straight-ahead players is his ability to comp for himself during a single note solo. This technique was perfected by the late, great Lenny Breau, and Brown manages to pay homage to Breau while not imitating him. His choice of voicings and rhythmic patterns keeps Brown within the tradition, but also brings a fresh sound to time-tested ideas. The second half of the album contains seven solo numbers performed by Brown, and the contrast to the trio tunes is quite refreshing. Instead of simply mixing his solo selections in with his trio tunes, Brown separates the album into two halves. The solo half is a showcase for Brown's multi-faceted approach to the instrument. His solo tunes do contain more single lines than George Van Eps or Ted Greene, or other solo guitarists included, but his ability to switch between techniques helps keep the interest going. If you are looking for a straight-ahead album that has both great trio and solo playing, than Brown's new album is just the thing. Not only does he pay tribute the jazz guitar tradition, but he takes time-tested material to new levels. This album is a great addition to the jazz guitar catalogue, and anyone who hears it will no doubt become an instant fan. JazzChicago.net by Brad Walseth Guitarist Andy Brown shows impeccable taste in song choices as well as musical heroes on this wonderful new release, "Trio and Solo." With outstanding touch and technique, Brown moves through 15 lesser known gems, with only, I would venture, the Gershwin's "Isn't it a Pity," and Joe Young/Bernice Petkere's "Lullaby of the Leaves," all that familiar with modern audiences. And isn't that pity, because these are some great tunes, and Brown deserves kudos for his work in keeping the Great American Songbook alive and dynamic. Ohio Fingerstyle Guitar Club by Palmer Moore You'll never meet a nicer guy than this peach of a jazz guitarist - Andy Brown. In addition, not only did he spend a lot of time learning the finer aspects of classy jazz from his late "professor of jazz guitar," Kenny Poole - he put talent to vinyl (well, CD) by including 7 finger style solos in his latest album as a tribute to Kenny. (Tuned down to D instead of the C that Kenny did.) Whether using a plectrum or just his fingers - Andy Brown never loses sight of the fact that, like his mentor, Kenny Poole, he is playing for his audience - not just himself and/or showing off for his fellow musicians. Machine guns are best left for the likes of Elliot Ness - tact, patience, silky smooth single note lines, bad-ass chord lines, harmonies and an ever present bass line are better used by true jazz guitarists. This album is full of little wonderful chordal nuances that makes the listener look even harder for the next one that happens along - and, they do. He's never far from the familiar melody - but, with twists and "tricks" that sooner or later educate us to the fact that Andy Brown is much more than a very practiced jazz musician - he's the real thing and havin' fun doing it... Chicago Jazz Magazine by Tim Gault Personnel: Excerpt from Chicago Jazz Magazine By Judy Roberts Petra relocated to Chicago in 2003 with her husband, and wonderful guitarist, Andy Brown. Like so many of their fellow Cincinnati musician friends, Petra and Andy still talk about their Ohio roots. And these roots always include the formidable influence of the late guitarist, Kenny Poole. Andy, who is currently performing at star-making clubs like the Jazz Showcase, the Green Mill, and various jazz destinations in between, is fast becoming one of Chicago's hottest guitarists. Like his other Cincinnati cohorts, Andy credits Kenny Poole for his love of jazz. His formative musical years having been shaped by Kenny, Andy speaks of him with reverence. "For a budding guitarist I wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else in the world than with Cal Collins and Kenny Poole in my own backyard," Andy says. "The fact that both these superb talents existed there at the same time blows my mind. I've never heard anything better. Kenny, especially, was my main mentor. He taught me everything you could want to know about the art of jazz guitar. It was a real apprenticeship. He never actually 'taught' me anything; he led by example. I feel so fortunate to have had such close interactions with such a great jazz musician. I saw and played with him two or three times a week for years, and I know I'll continue to learn from him, even though he's gone." Chicagoans on Cincinnatians: Kimberly Gordon: “Andy Brown is the most humble player I have ever met! He swings so hard and sweet, and he plays everything I want to hear.” Judy Roberts, named "Chicago's Favorite Jazz Woman" by the Chicago Tribune, is a Grammy-nominated pianist/vocalist/recording artist who has been serving the Chicago jazz scene for many years. For more information, please go to www.judyroberts.com |
