The Next Generation of South African Jazz Innovators: Bokani Dyer Trio

The term “full circle moment” has recently catapulted into wider consciousness. I suppose people are responding to the symmetry, the roundness of the concept, which builds on the well-worn phrase, “what goes around, comes around”. We had a 360 degree experience on June 21, as the South African pianist Bokani Dyer and his Trio gave a robust, crowd-pleasing concert for 70 listeners at the Community Music School of Springfield. Sunday’s Father’s Day event was our 25th and final gathering in Season 14 of Pioneer Valley Jazz Shares.

We had produced Bokani’s father, Steve Dyer, in October, in the same elegant Robyn Newhouse Hall, and we dedicated the concert to our dear friend, Awotunde Judyie Ella Al-Bilali, who had attended Steve’s quartet performance. Judyie, who passed in January, was a talented theater maker and UMass professor who lived in South Africa for many years and was immersed in the jazz music of her adopted home. She was so looking forward to Bokani’s gig.

The trio, featuring Tim Norton (bass), Lumanyano Mzi (drums), and Dyer (piano, voice), is in the midst of an extensive tour that includes stops at Dizzy’s and Small’s in New York, as well as Keystone Korner (Baltimore), Chris’s Jazz Cafe (Philadelphia) and concerts in Austin and Minneapolis.

The concert began with "Dollar Adagio," Dyer’s tribute to South African piano legend Abdullah Ibrahim, who died on June 15 at the age of 91. First recorded on Dyer’s Neo Native (2018), the piece started slowly, before building in tempo and intensity. Without direct reference to the late pianist (known early on as Dollar Brand), Dyer wove lyricism and strength in equal measure. Other highlights included “African Piano Suite”, which also appears on Neo Native. A series of vignettes, the suite began with Dyer placing two sheets of paper on the piano strings, producing a wonderful, harpsichord-like buzz that accentuated the rhythmic power of the composition. After removing the paper, Dyer played a series of crystal-clear melodies that rung with lilting clarity.

Bokani Dyer is a 40-year old pianist who was born in Botswana, where his father, South African saxophonist Steve Dyer, lived in exile because of his activist stance against the apartheid regime. The younger Dyer moved to South Africa as a child to be with his mother, where he eventually studied music at the University of Cape Town. He won multiple country-wide awards and scholarships, one of which brought him to New York to study with Jason Moran. Dyer’s career spans electronic, R&B and classical music, but for his Springfield concert he placed himself firmly in the jazz realm, where he combined intricate, single-note runs and gospel-inflected block chords, all colored by South Africa’s deep jazz tradition.

Fellow South African Lumanyano Mzi is a 31-year old drummer who started playing in his father’s reggae band, the Mighty Ethiopians, at age seven. After graduating from the University of Cape Town, with the help of scholarships and private donations he made his way to Boston’s Berklee College of Music, where he graduated in 2024. He now lives in New York, where he has performed with Marquis Hill, Elena Pinderhughes, and a slew of ex-patriated South African musicians. Mzi took traditional South African rhythmic traditions like Mbaqanga and Ghoema and used them to serve Dyer’s modern interests. His energy and forward momentum propelled the band through the 75-minute set of Dyer originals and one Bheki Mseleku composition.   

Tim Norton coaxed a deep resonant sound from his bass. Not being able to clearly hear the bass is a recurring theme at jazz concerts, but this was not an issue on Sunday. His lines, so important in a piano trio context, reverberated with rock solid sturdiness and a dancing demeanor. Working for City of Gold Arts, a three year old non-profit dedicated to spreading the gospel of South African jazz in the United States, Norton was my point of contact for the concert, and he made it easy to get things right. He grew up in Hartford where he was mentored by Paul Brown and Dezron Douglas, and he knew Maurice Robertson, who was in the house. He’s been in New York since 2010, and is not only gigging  3-4 times a week, but through the jazz advocacy organization KEYED UP! and his curation at DiWine in Astoria, Queens, he is making music happen in the world capital of jazz.

As we close the book on season 14 of Pioneer Valley Jazz Shares, we extend our supreme thanks to our shareholders, business sponsors and grantors, who continue to enable us to present some of the finest, most creative musicians in the world for audiences in western Massachusetts. Thank you.

Fearless: Max Johnson Sextet in Amherst

Many of the musicians Jazz Shares presents not only excel on their chosen instruments, they possess impressive intellects and a wide range of interests. That much was clear after spending  quality time with members of Max Johnson’s Sextet. Their June 4th concert at the Drake, featuring Johnson (bass), Nate Wooley (trumpet), Anna Webber (tenor sax/flute), Yuma Uesaka (clarinet/soprano sax), Lester St. Louis (cello), and Jeff Davis (drums/vibes), was our penultimate event of season 14. The hang after the concert and the following day included extensive conversations about movies, books, the state of our democracy and higher education, and of course, music.

Thursday’s concert was the public debut of Johnson’s evening-length composition, “Without Fear”, which he wrote in partial fulfillment of his PhD at the University of Pennsylvania. Now that he has his degree, his bandmates threatened to start calling him Dr. J. The piece was a convincing blend of written and improvised music, equal parts head and heart. Taking full advantage of the instrumental colors provided by reeds and vibes, the music was full of delicate atmospherics, juxtaposed with full throated sections of deep swing. Overall, the piece had the richness of Charles Mingus’ best work. In fact, Johnson was first introduced to jazz was via the 1959 classic, Mingus Ah Um.  

In the middle of their four-date tour, the Sextet planned to record the work at Firehouse 12 in New Haven. However, the recording will have to wait to see the light of day. Johnson told me he has a few finished products in the queue, and he had 14 different titles for sale in Amherst. Pretty prolific for a musician just about to turn 36.

Johnson’s output is not only plentiful, its scope is exceedingly wide. He has experience composing and recording through-composed pieces for chamber ensemble and string trio, and has an extensive history performing with some of the leading lights in bluegrass music. Since his childhood friend, Sean Trischka, took him to see his father’s band, Johnson has toured and recorded with David Grisman, Sam Bush, Chris Thile and the Travelin’ McCourys.

But it is Johnson’s work in the creative music world that first drew my attention. I first met him in 2020, when he performed with James Brandon Lewis in a live streamed, pandemic-era concert at Amherst Media, and again in 2023, when his trio with Anna Webber and Michael Sarin performed at CitySpace in Easthampton. He studied with Henry Grimes (we both have the same Margaret Davis pin of the late bassist), and he has worked with veterans like Karl Berger, Perry Robinson and Simon Nabatov.

Nate Wooley, whose lip issues forced him to miss Jon Irabagon’s concert in November, seems to have made a full recovery and was in full command. Anna Webber, who was making her third Jazz Shares appearance this season, sounded her usual confident self. And Yuma Uesaka, who has two recent duo records with Marilyn Crispell and David Leon, confirmed my first impression when I saw him with Webber’s Nonet at the Iron Horse in January: this dude is formidable. Together they provided a nuanced and responsive horn section that easily handled Johnson’s intricate score.

I was glad to finally get an opportunity to meet and hear Jeff Davis. He is entering his third decade ensconced in Brooklyn’s creative cauldron with a talented cohort of improvisers who have included Tony Malaby, Jon Irabagon, Kirk Knuffke, Kris Davis and Russ Lossing. His long relationship with bassist Eivind Opsvik cuts across much of his career. Davis provided the music exactly what it needed, while making no demand for undue attention. I wish he had more of a chance to stretch out on vibes (considering he lugged it from New York), but the diamond shimmer of vibes and flute during some of the quieter sections, made the effort it worthile.

I love spending time with Lester St. Louis. The 33 year-old cellist stayed with us in 2018, when he performed with Jaimie Branch and Fly or Die, and again last December, when he worked in Holyoke as one-third of sinonó. St. Louis can play anything on his instrument in a variety of styles. I have fond memories of his meaty interactions with Henry Fraser (bass) and Isabel Crespo Pardo (voice) at Holyoke Media. We talked about his work with the experimental electronic rap band, Wrens. He’s composed for, and performed with, the JACK Quartet, International Contemporary Ensemble and the Wet Ink Ensemble, as well as Irreversible Entanglements and Yo La Tengo. His electroacoustic duo with Chris Williams, HxH, creates expansive, sculptural soundscapes. Priscilla Page and I saw him eight years ago playing cello onstage in an Off-Broadway production of An Octoroon at Soho Rep. Perhaps this diversity of experience has turned him into the open and curious person he is.

That this collection of musicians - deep into comic books, distance running, the afterlife and countless other things – was able to come together with clear minds and open hearts to realize Max Johnson’s musical vision was amazing to witness.

The Western Mass Debut of the Jerome Sabbagh Quartet

It’s always nice to expand one’s circle. Despite years in “the business” of producing jazz concerts, there are many musicians whose path I’ve yet to cross, and many worthy constituents who have never played in western Massachusetts. Such was the case on May 14, when saxophonist Jerome Sabbagh brought his quartet to Easthampton’s CitySpace. I was meeting Sabbagh, guitarist Gilad Hekselman and bassist Joe Martin for the first time. I had met drummer Nasheet Waits in 2005 when he performed a duo with Peter Brötzmann at UMass. Sharing the Valley’s rich jazz history with significant newcomers is also important to my project, and having the band eat and sleep at our home gave us more time to connect.

Sabbagh released Stand Up! seven months ago on his Analog Tone Factory imprint. The quartet album features Martin, Waits and Sabbagh’s long-time associate, guitarist Ben Monder. Because of his commitment to the Bad Plus, Monder couldn’t make our gig and the hit the following evening at New Haven’s Firehouse 12, so the saxophonist enlisted Hekselman to take his place. The 80-minute set thrilled the 95 of us shoe-horned into CitySpace’s Blue Room.

As on the recording, the concert began with “Lone Jack”, but while Sabbagh recorded it on tenor saxophone, live he played soprano, which he is using more and more these days. Inspired by Ray Charles’ Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, the piece’s simple, direct theme allowed the band to ease into the evening and take measure of the contours of the room’s acoustics. Playing without amplification, the group’s warm sound and the audience’s concentrated attention created a vibe that enveloped us all, pleasing the assembled.

Hekselman had received the written music in advance and had listened to the recording, but wasn’t afforded a rehearsal; he was playing these compositions for the first time. The only indication he was new to the material was his music stand, the only one on stage. It helped that Hekselman had extensive performing experience with all of the bandmembers. The fact he has considerable chops and a fertile imagination also helped. The 43-year old guitarist just headlined four nights at the Village Vanguard (Brad Mehldau was in his band), and since he moved from Israel in 2004, he has performed and recorded with Mark Turner, Esperanza Spaulding, Chris Potter and Anat Cohen, among others. Throughout the evening, his quicksilver single notes emerged from the pleasing atmospheric resonances he created. Some in the crowd came specifically to see him, and more than one listener thought he stole the show.

Bassist Joe Martin arrived in New York from Iowa in 1994 and has been a mainstay on the scene ever since. Providing reliable, rock-solid support for others means there are lots of favors to call in when it’s your turn to make a record. Martin’s previous three recordings as a leader include Mark Turner, Chris Potter, Kevin Hays and Nasheet Waits. “When I have a gig, Joe is pretty much the first person I call, regardless of the project,” Sabbagh said in 2019, when Martin released Étoilée. “He can do anything.” Without resorting to pyrotechnics or attention grabbing gambits, Martin provided harmonic stability and rhythmic backbone throughout. A big sports fan, Martin was impressed that former NBA guard (and Springfield Central standout) Travis Best was in the audience, and honored when Best complimented him and the rest of the ensemble for their work.

Nasheet Waits, who turns 55 next month, is simply one of the most in-demand drummers in jazz. His father, Freddie Waits, who passed when Nasheet was 18, was a Motown house drummer, can be found on seminal recordings by McCoy Tyner, Freddie Hubbard, Andrew Hill and Sonny Rollins, and with Max Roach, formed the percussion group M’Boom. Nasheet is part of two high profile trios: Jason Moran & The Bandwagon, and Tarbaby (with Eric Revis and Orrin Evans), and has recorded with Marty Ehrlich, Tim Berne, and Dave Douglas. Waits’ flexibility and command was on conspicuous display all evening. Because he was so familiar with the material, he was free to accent dynamically and fill intelligently. His two solos focused awareness on his subtle beat subdivisions, while referencing the shape of the composition.

I was glad to help broker Sabbagh’s concert at Firehouse 12, New Haven’s legendary performance/recording space. Having even one additional gig can make a real difference in getting a band of professional musicians to make the three hour drive from New York. Throughout his career, the 52-year old Parisian-born saxophonist has put himself in the right situations, with the right people. Since moving to New York in 1995, Sabbagh has released records with legends like Al Foster, Daniel Humair and Kenny Barron, along with peers like Ben Street, Ben Monder, Johnathan Blake and the folks we heard on Thursday. For years, Sabbagh has curated a Wednesday series at Brooklyn’s Bar Bayeux, and before our show we compared notes about the joys and frustrations of producing live music. Perhaps seeing so many shows from a producer’s standpoint has helped Sabbagh construct well-rounded sets of music, like the one we heard Thursday in Easthampton.