Paquito D’Rivera: From Carne y Frijol to Carnegie Hall, on PBS

He is arguably the greatest clarinet player since the two swing giants, Goodman and Shaw. He has the Downbeat clarinet poll first places to prove it. He also plays some mean sax. Yet, performing at Carnegie Hall has particularly special meaning for clarinetists, because of Benny Goodman’s history-making concert. Paquito D’Rivera has played there several times and he comes back again to pay tribute to the “King of Swing” at the conclusion of this documentary. Juan Mandelbaum celebrates the musician’s life, his music, and his passion for both in Paquito D’Rivera: From Carne y Frijol to Carnegie Hall, which premieres this Tuesday on PBS, as part of the current season of Voces.

D’Rivera first discovered Goodman when his father, a classical musician, brought home the Carnegie Hall Concert album (which the young boy misheard to be “Carne y Frijol”). Seeing his son take to the reed instruments, his father soon promoted him as a young phenom. Yet, all the best opportunities were outside the country, because they lived in post-Revolutionary Cuba. In fact, it was his mother who first warned the musician their new dictator would be worse than the old one.

However, D’Rivera managed to rise to international prominence while still living in Cuba, thanks to his role as one of the major musical voices in the Cuban fusion band Irakere, co-led by his longtime friend Chucho Valdes. Dizzy Gillespie’s recognition didn’t hurt either. Unfortunately, after D’Rivera defected, politics kept the Irakere bandmates apart, until Valdes also cuts ties to his homeland and joined D’Rivera’s criticism of the Communist regime. Now, they jam together regularly, as viewers can see and hear.

Indeed, Valdes is one of Mandelbaum’s very short, but exceptionally distinguished cast of commentators, which also includes classical cellist Yo-Yo Ma, Israeli jazz clarinetist Anat Cohen, and D’Rivera’s longtime sidemen (who are leaders in their own right) Diego Urcola (from Argentina) and Alon Yavnai. That is quite a lineup.

RJFF et al: The Case for Israel

Though allowed little more than a cameo appearance in The Man from Plains, the fawning documentary recording Jimmy Carter’s book tour for his incendiary anti-Israel polemic, Prof. Alan Dershowitz still nearly undermined the entire exercise in secular hagiography. While Carter still refuses to debate him, the celebrated jurist is at least granted sufficient time to state his full case in Michael Yohay’s The Case for Israel: Democracy’s Outpost (trailer here), which screens at several Northeastern film festivals in the coming days.

In a provocative opening argument directed squarely at Israel’s detractors on the left, Prof. Dershowitz states unequivocally: “I am pro-Israel not only because I’m a Jew, I am pro-Israel because I am a civil libertarian, because I have devoted my life to fighting for human rights, because I am a feminist, because I’m an environmentalist, because I’m a gay rights supporter, because I’m a lover of peace.” As he rightly implies, Israel is not just the only state in the Middle East which shares all of these ideals—it is the only nation in the region which values any of them.

In his over-riding thesis, Dershowitz argues peace will only be possible when the Palestinians want their own state more than they wish to deny Israel’s right to exist, pointing to lost opportunities for a Palestinian state in 1938, 1948, 1967, and during the infamous 2000-2001 Camp David negotiations. While generally criticizing Carter for willful ignorance and deliberate distortion of the historical record (a charge supported by Prof. Kenneth Stein, the former head of the Carter Center) his most serious question regards what advice, if any, the former president might have volunteered to his good friend Yasser Arafat, just before the PLO strongman reignited the intifada, despite the historic concessions offered by Israel at Camp David. According to Dershowitz, it is a question Carter has steadfastly refused to answer, leading him to conclude the Man from Plains “has blood on his hands—the blood of 4,000 Palestinians, the blood of over 1,000 Israelis.”

Yohay’s film offers a welcome crash course in Israeli history from 1948 through Talba, dispelling many pernicious myths. He calls on several leading figures of Israeli politics, from both sides of the aisle, including Benjamin Netanyahu and Tzipi Livni. Some of Dershowitz’s key witnesses make perfect sense, like former Soviet Refusenik Natan Sharansky and Dore Gold, the former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations. However, the appearance of Dennis Ross, the Clinton Administration’s Middle East point man, is a bit of a surprise, considering his years of blind allegiance to Arafat as a supposed partner in peace. (With friends like these . . .)

Outpost clearly illustrates why Dershowitz has been such a successful advocate throughout his career. He marshals the facts into a logical, understandable case, which he cogently argues. When he shows emotion, it is never to obscure the facts, but simply to emphasize his sincerity.

Outpost also happens to be a well produced film, featuring a soundtrack composed by Alon Yavnai, one of the best musicians on the contemporary jazz (and salsa) scenes today, with his frequent collaborator, flutist Amir Milstein. While most of the soundtrack is generally supportive in nature, their themes for the beginning and ending titles are more suggestive of their richly textured music. (For a full representative sample of his music, check out Yavnai’s latest CD, Travel Notes.)

Informative but well paced, Outpost is an accessible corrective to so much misinformation uncritically passed along by the gullible western press. It underscores Israel’s importance, both as an American ally and a nation which shares our democratic principles. In fact, Outpost’s screenings could potentially improve the current level of discourse on Israel and the Middle East. Outpost is available for purchase on its website and it will screen at the Rockland Jewish Film Festival tonight (3/30), the Jewish Film Festival of New Hampshire tomorrow (3/31), the Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival (4/28), and the Buffalo International Jewish Film Festival (5/3).

Travel Notes

Travel Notes
By Alon Yavnai
ObliqSound

Not to inject too much of the reviewer into the review, but having listened to Alon Yavnai’s Travel Notes while passing through airports this week, I can say it travels well. Strongly rhythmic, yet also thoughtful and calming, Yavnai’s new release (on-sale yesterday) is a perfect soundtrack for those on the move.

Again, not to overdo the travel metaphor, but Yavnai is no stranger to life on the road, having come to America from Israel by way of Costa Rica, and then playing and touring with Paquito D’Rivera for six years. His music is informed by a wealth of international influences, including his native Israel, the Middle East, and Latin America.

The opening “Bayit (Home)” nicely captures the spirit of the album. Wistful, but not morose, it is an excellent feature for Yavnai as a composer and pianist, propelled along by his rhythm section of bassist Omar Avital and percussionist Jamey Haddad. “Yonatan” nicely continues that meditative but engaging vibe. Yavnai shows loads of technique, but consistently resists the urge to be showy.

Yavnai’s title track has a somewhat brisker tempo, but not jarringly so. It is a striking composition, given slightly exotic accents with the addition of Avital’s oud, building in intensity as Yavnai and Avital trade dazzling statements. “Ilna B’nit (Beautiful Island)” is another richly textured original, evolving in intriguing ways around deceptive rests.

Yavnai’s touch on the keys comes to the fore on four solo features, three of which are the only selections on Travel not penned by the leader. “Numi Numi (Sleep, Sleep),” Shlomo Gronich’s “Shir Ahava Tari (Fresh Love Song)” and Lea Goldberg’s “Yakinton” are given sensitive, almost classical-styled renditions. The aptly titled concluding track “Sof (End)” is a brief ruminative coda on a fresh and original jazz statement.

Though Travel is not Yavnai’s recording debut as a leader, touring as such is relatively new to him. Based the reception to his “pre-launch” at the Jazz Standard, he has a promising career ahead. He already has a distinct sound, and also seems like a nice guy, both of which should auger well for him. Travel is quite a rewarding session—definitely recommended.

Traveling Music

After six years with Paquito D’Rivera, Alon Yavnai is probably well accustomed to life on the road. Of course, having moved to America from Israel, by way of Costa Rica, Yavnai was already something of an accomplished traveler. Now leading his own trio, the pianist previewed Travel Notes, his first release as a leader, with a pre-release celebration at the Jazz Standard last night. Travel Notes releases in May, and will be reviewed here then.

Those at the Standard last night got a preview of how Yavnai’s diverse influences combine into a rich new voice in jazz. Drawing on elements from American jazz, and the music from Israel, Cuba, Brazil, and even Bulgaria, the title of his CD makes perfect sense. Yavnai has spectacular technique but is never pyrotechnical simply for the sake of being showy. Logically, he played many selections from Travel, including the striking title track. Many musicians will manipulate the piano strings for effect, but Yavnai’s method here is more intriguing and melodic, consciously recalling the sounds of distant lands.

Among the departures from Travel were two classical selections from Bach and Lecuona that had a sense of swing, yet remained eminently respectful to the essence of the originals. Generous as a leader, Yavnai gave ample space to his sidemen. Last night he was joined by bassist Haggai Cohen-Milo, percussionist Satoshi Takeishi, and guest Brahim Fribgane on oud, doumbek, and assorted percussion. On Travel Yavnai’s trio consists of Omer Avital on bass and oud, and Jamey Haddad on percussion. According to Yavnai’s itinerary, Cohen-Milo will be on many dates in the near future, with either Haddad or Takeishi handling percussion.

Yavnai sounds great with either the Travel trio or the Standard combo, so check them out if you have the chance. (His next CD launch event is in Philly at World Café Live on June 17th.) Yavnai has a fresh, distinctive sound, and he also seems like a really nice guy, all of which makes one hope Travel is the start of a long discography. (I will actually be traveling the day before Travel Notes releases, but barring complications en-route, look for a full review here May 13th.)