Keep Swingin' The Music of Charlie Banacos-Dial and DeRosa: A Love Letter to a Great Educator

It's hard to imagine the impact an artist can have on those whose lives he  or she touches during their time here. The pianist/educator Charlie Banacos made an indelible impression on those students and musicians he worked with over the years. As a sought after educator/composer he worked at such esteemed institutions as the Berklee School of Music, The New England Conservatory of Music, Longy School of Music in Boston, The New School and The Manhattan School of Music in NY, to name a few. It is an understatement to say that that Banacos was treasured as a teacher. At one time, there was a five year waiting list to study with Charlie in person. Banacos created over one-hundred courses of study for improvisation and composition. Since the nineteen-fifties, these influential studies have become part of the lexicon of jazz education.

Cahrlie Banacos (photo credit unknown)

Banacos transitioned after a short bout with cancer on December 9, 2009. Back in January of 2024, pianist Garry Dial, a product of Banacos's mentorship, and his friend drummer/arranger Rich De Rosa, assembled a star studded cast of musicians to celebrate the life, memory and music of Charlie Banacos titled Keep Swingin' . The album features ten Banacos compositions as reimagined and rearranged by Dial and DeRosa, and over thirty of the jazz world's most diverse and impressive practitioners. Having listened to this posthumous musical letter of love to one of the art's true innovator/educators of the last half century, one can only imagine how proud Banacos would have been by this work of joy and love.

The music predominantly features a core group of Dial on piano and De Rosa  arranging and providing some of the drum work. There is the horn section that includes Nick Marchone (trmpt & flugel), Andrew Gould (alto sax and flute), Chris Oatts (tenor sax & flute), Ryan Keberle (trombone), and Gary Smulyan (baritone sax.) 

The opening number, the title track "Keep Swingin' ," is a funky 12 bar blues that remains pretty true to Banacos' original composition. As the name implies this one swings and features some great horn section work. There is an in-the-groove bass line by Jay Anderson, piano work by Dial  and complimentary accompaniment by De Rosa on the drums. The highlight is the rousing solos by Dick Oatts on his expressive alto and a gut- wrenching, plunger-driven solo by Terell Stafford. As Charlie would say Keep Swingin'!

"The Great Awakening" is a Banacos tune that is reimagined by one of his students, electric bass master Joe Hubbard. Hubbard is joined here by fellow Banacos student and electric guitar master Wayne Krantz. Hubbard's bass opens with a searching rubato solo over some synth work by David Witham. Hubbard's bass takes the line into funky world along with drum work by Thomas Brechtlein, as the horn section deftly accompanies. Hubbard's fluent Jaco-like bass is countered by Krantz's aerial guitar lines. Krantz's work is unique and add another element to this funk fantasy. 

Banacos's office was called the "Bat Cave" and so the next composition gets its name. This one, another blues-based tune, features pianist Gerald D'Angelo whose opening just kills it. Jay Anderson on bass and a percolating John Riley on drums keeps the music on track, as the horn section add color and punctuation. The charging baritone saxophone of Gary Smulyan just light it up increasing the level of the fire on this one.

"Pine Needles" is a slow-paced beauty that features Mike Stern's evocative electric guitar probing. DeRosa's horn section utilizes two C flutes and Anne Drummond's alto flute along with Keberle's trombone and Marchione's Flugelhorn for a more romantic sound that's perfect for this one. Dial on piano, Anderson on bass and De Rosa on drums round out the personnel on this moving song. 

The great saxophonist Jerry Bergonzi was one of Banacos' favorites as a friend who often played, practiced and goofed around together. The album's booklet includes many of Charlie's cartoons-he was a frequent doodler- that feature Jerry in some funny scenes and speak volumes to just how close these two master's were. Bergonzi brings in his quintet for "The Mummy's Curse" and includes Jerry on tenor, Phil Grenadier on trumpet, Plamen Karadonev on piano, Matt Stavrakis on bass and Luther Gray on drums. Gary Dial took bars 5 and 6 of Charlie's blues and turned it into a 16 modal intro, interlude and ending. The beauty of this one is it allows Bergonzi to play in his own inimitably inventive way. Jerry's playing never ceases to surprises and this one is a the treat. Grenadier also adds an impressive trumpet solo. Stavrakas' bass solo is sweet and Gray's drum solo is explosive. This is just top notch all the way.

The remainder of the album continues with "Burnie Burnola" that Dial reimagined as a samba. This finds four Brazilian musicians Helio Alves on piano, drummer Maurico Zottarelli, Itaiguara Brandão on bass and soprano saxophonist Paulo Levi. Two musicians who are no  stranger to Brazilian music are Paul Meyer on guitar and Anne Drummond on flute are also on this piece.  The solos by Alves, Drummond, Levi and Zottarelli are a delight. it has a breezy swing that just grabs you and makes you want to have one of those umbrella drinks in you hands as you sway to the vibe. 

Electric bassist Jeff Berlin brings his own progressive arrangement of "A-440." "Nero"  a fine piano waltz trio piece that features Dial, Anderson and Riley is also great. 

"Pluto Language" is perhaps the most musically challenging of the group. Steel pan master Victor Provost uses the music of Zouk, a music originated in the French Antilles, into a ostinato driven piece that uses one of Barnacos' compositions and takes it to another world. Pluto language was created by Banacos to express certain of his concepts. It is fitting Provost envisions this song as a jumping point for proving just how international the music and its language can be. Oatts' soprano sax solo is sinewy and creative. Drummond's flute work floats in the air with suppleness and Provost's pan work is sublime.

The finale is a classic piece that Banacos wrote for two pianos title "Pelaghia". The word  means "Of the Sea' and  Dial and De Rosa collaborated with Charlie's wife Margaret and his daughter Barbara to play this beautiful piece as a fitting closing to this love letter to Charlie. It was last played at a concert at Carnegie Hall back in July of 1984 which Gary Dial attended and it was timely to include this as a coda for this wonderful album.

Wolfgang Muthspiel with Scott Colley and Brian Blade: TOKYO- Playing to the purpose of the music.

Wolfgang Musthpiel Scott Colley  Brian Blade-TOKYO- ECM 

The Austrian guitarist Wolfgang Muthspiel has just released a new trio album this September titled Tokyo on ECM records and it was well worth the wait. This is a continuation of sorts, the third release from this dynamic trio, which includes the bassist Scott Colley and the drummer Brian Blade. The previous, releases Angular Blues from 2020, and Dance of the Elders from 2023, both on ECM, feature this same trio, with Muthspiel as the leader and composer. Both were wonderfully received albums. Muthspiel is an accomplished guitarist that is equally comfortable on both acoustic and electric guitar formats. His compositional work uses elements of folk and classical music as inspiration and his judicious use of electronics brings in yet  another subtle color to his creative palette. 

For those who are unaware of Musthpiel's guitar work, the Vienna based artist studied with and befriended guitar guru Mick Goodrick at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, and while at Berklee the guitarist toured with vibraphonist Gary Burton and his Quintet in the early nineties. Muthspiel worked with the late drummer Paul Motian in his The Electric BeBop Band and was a member of Motian's album Reincarnation of a Love Bird  from 1994.  He was also a member of the second generation of bassist Marc Johnson's Right Brain Patrol on the album Magic Labryinth from 1995. 

Curiosity and drive found Muthspiel playing with pop star Rebekka Bakken and led him into an electronic duo with his brother trombonist Christian along the way. In 2009, Muthspiel helped form the trio of Muthpiel, guitar-master Ralph Towner, and the Khazahstan/Austrian classical guitarist Slava Grigoryan, recording the album Form a Dream. The second acclaimed album of these three guitar virtuosos was released as Travel Guide  in 2013. Further associations brought Muthspiel's guitar together with other jazz players like Brad Mehldau, Ambrose Akinmusire, Larry Grenadier and Peter Erskine to name just a few.

Muthpiel is also an active educator who has since 2004, led the guitar program of the Basel University of Music FHNW.

Scott Colley, Brian Blade , Wolfgang Muthspiel (photo credit unknown)

This recent release came about when the trio was on tour performing at the Cotton Club in Tokyo in 2024, which lent the title's name. When talking about pairing recording in a studio while you are actively performing on a tour, Muthspiel has previously stated "The idea was (is) to capture the live flow from the concert, playing music in the moment, with as little editing as possible. That's what jazz is all about." His intent to produce a recording that is as vibrant and spontaneous as a live performance, is obviously a top consideration for this artist. On Tokyo, there is little doubt that he and his bandmates have certainly been successful in recreating the vibe, excitement and spontaneity of a live performance on this excellent studio album.

The album's ten tracks, eight of which are Muthspiel compositions, are bookended purposefully. It opens with Keith Jarrett's "Lisbon Stomp," originally on Jarett's 1968 album Between the Exit Signs. This energetic piece openss with Muthspiel's fluid electric guitar laying out the head before the group opens up into a free improvisational tour of the possibilities. His guitar lines appear like fresh water from a spring, joyful and inquisitive. Colley's bass is plucky in the mid-range, providing intuitive counterpoint and an inspired pizzicato solo. Blade provides an almost rhythm-less accompaniment, wisps of cumulus clouds that float over the proceeding. These guys always play to the purpose of the song. There is musical symbiosis, always bringing fresh interplay to the music without seeking to bring attention to the individual. 

The beautiful ballad "Pradela" was written by Muthspiel while hiking on the Camino de Santiago, in Spain. The guitar sings on this rubato-played piece,  Colley's bass warmly resonates in synch, as Blades subtle accompaniment is almost feather-like in his approach. There is a folk-inspiration to this composition. It feels like Muthspiel's time playing with guitarist Ralph Towner has certainly made its impression on the Austrian and this one is just gorgeous.

"Flight" is another Muthspiel composition, and one of my favorites. The guitarist  said that he had Colley's bass in mind when he wrote this one. The guitarist's classical-style finger-picking on his acoustic guitar is delicate but vibrant. He creates a repeating rhythmic pattern that he likens to the sound of a ride cymbal. Its a whoosh of rhythm and it hauntingly works so well. Colley's bass takes the lead, laying down the line, beautifully played like singing, commanding the mid-range. Muthspiel overdubs his electric guitar and enters the mix ringing through in a higher range like a clarion voice in the wind. The melodicism is stunningly creative as the two match each other lines with precision, tonally distinct yet in simpatico. Blades gently drum work propels the music in the background. Muthspiel orchestrates this music so well. He creates a tableaux skillfully meshing the highs, the lows and every tone in between. The music creates drama, as Colley's bass strings hum with beauty, and the trio brings the music to a powerful conclusion at the coda.

"Roll" opens with Blades pointedly cadenced trap work, before Muthspiel's acoustic guitar-picking and aggressive rhythmic strumming offers a rock-inspired  drive that forcefully flows. The guitarist once observed that Pat Metheny is particularly good at using dramatic strumming effectively. This one, and the other song "Strumming," demonstrates how an inspired Muthspiel can use strumming to create drama and drive. Colley's ostinato bass adds his own urgency to this one. The music is infectious, a musical romp that gets you rolling!

"Christa's Dream," finds Muthspiel's electric guitar accentuated with some tasty  use of chorus and tremelo, creating  a dreamlike aura. Blade's drum and cymbal work embellishes on the atmospheric feel. Colley's bass provides his own buoyant touches to make this one a musical walk in the ether.

"Diminished Augmented" has a modernistic feel with its angular lines complimented by some fleet finger-picking guitar work that just follows it's own muse. Patterns shift, meters change, as Colley's bass work mimics Muthspiels' lines even though its hard to predict where they are going. Blade somehow seems to find his own way, adding precise rhythmic pushes and pulls magically. If you ever doubted these guys possess telepathic powers, this one should put all doubts to rest.

"Traversia" is the second of the compositions Muthspiel penned on that Spanish hike. His work on the acoustic guitar is precise, warm and melodic. Colley's arco bass swells with cello-like beauty, as Muthspiel's classical-like finger-picking shines brightly.

"Strumming" finds Muthspiels' guitar rhythmically strumming energetically creating a whirl of movement, an eddy current of action. Colley's bass bows a moaning counter offer that touches your heart, and Blade's drum anchors the motion. The music wraps you in its intensity with excitement and pathos. Muthspiel's electric guitar lines can excite you or caress you. His probing fluidity and relentless strumming can be mesmerizing.

"Weill You Wait" is a beautiful chamber jazz-like homage to the writing of the composer Kurt Weill, who had a prolific career. His most famous work was "Three Penny Opera" and it's famous song "Mack the Knife" became a pop and jazz standard. Muthspiel was an admirer of Weill's musical compositions and he has said this piece was inspired by Weill's music and by the singing of Lottev Lenya, Weill's wife. 

The closing bookend of this set of music, features a song, "Abacus," a piece composed by the drummer Paul Motian. Muthspiel was inspired by the drummer's unique approach to rhythm.  He has called Motian "...THEE master of rubato." The music is built on the theory that music doesn't always require a set rhythmic base. The music opens with the guitarist and the bassist in a free improvisational conversation. Muthspiel explores lines that inspire his bandmates to free associate in ways that are not predictable, but somehow these guys are in synch. Mid way through, the music fades before Colley's bass takes the lead. The music ends with a gently played finger-picked statement that is responded in like by the bass and the drums to the coda.