Yesterday’s storms marched across West Michigan pretty uneventfully, but as they moved east, they grew fangs. Moving into better helicity and shear, they began to develop supercellular characteristics from around Saginaw down into Ohio. It was interesting to track them on the radar, but I had no idea what was coming as they moved into Canada.

KDTX showed some small but nicely shaped and very suspect-looking cells moving out over Lake Huron. Evidently a few of them meant business. Tornadoes began dropping in Ontario, with the area around Toronto getting slammed, and with one fatality recorded in the town of Durham.

Here’s a video of the strong tornado that hit Vaughan, just north of Toronto. Looks like the person who posted on YouTube lifted the footage off of the news. I looked for other footage, but while there’s plenty out there, much of it isn’t of very good quality. This is some of the best I could find. There is presently one pretty dramatic, close-range clip of the Durham tornado which a young woman shot with the video cam on her cell phone, but I’m not confident that the link will last very long. Maybe this one won’t either, but I’m crossing my fingers and hoping it does.

Before there was cool jazz, there was Grover Washington. If you ever want to find out just how much you can pull out of a pentatonic scale in a one-chord jam, Grover is the guy to listen to.

That simplicity was the reason I felt lukewarm toward him back in my coming-up days when I was cutting my teeth on bebop. Charlie Parker was my man back then. Grover was pabulum. Not that I could play like him, but I felt confident that I could easily reproduce what he was doing if I wanted to.

Evidently I had a lot more ability back in college when I was just learning my horn than I have today.  Then again, there’s the possibility that I was just plain dumb. Listening to Grover today reminds me that music doesn’t have to be harmonically dense and lightning-paced in order to be both challenging and good. Grover Washington had a beautiful sound, fabulous chops, and a distinctive,  personal approach–and what he could do with a simple groove is by no means simple.

Just check out this video of a 1981 performance in Philadelphia and you’ll see what I mean. Here is Grover Washington Jr. playing “Winelight” on the alto sax. I think you’ll agree it’s a sublime rendition.

One year ago today, the second EF5 tornado in the history of the new Enhanced Fujita Scale rating system descended on Parkersburg, Iowa, and obliterated the southern third of the town. I and fellow storm chasers Bill and Tom Oosterbaan and Jason Harris could see the intense rotation moving over Parkersburg on GR3 as we stairstepped southeast from the northern edge of the cell, heading for an intercept. There’s a certain sense of disbelief when you see something like that, a feeling of, Naah, it can’t be as bad as it looks.

But it was. A few miles farther down the road, with the rotation still at least ten miles to our west, debris–some of it fairly large–began to fall from the sky. That was when we knew for sure. Something terrible had happened. Even with pieces of sheet metal clanging down onto the pavement in front of us, I had a hard time believing that a tornado disaster had just occurred, but I think we all felt a certain sober awareness that a community had been hit.

We intercepted the storm near Fairbank, where the NWS indicates that the Parkersburg tornado occluded. Parking on a sideroad, we watched as a large, new wall cloud formed and moved directly toward us. Warning an Amish family who was standing in their yard, watching, to take shelter, we scooted south and then east, watching as the wall cloud lowered and kicked up a ton of dust. A second, enormous tornado had formed, barely discernible through the haze. We tracked with it to the east as it headed on a collision course for Hazleton, mercifully grazing the southern edge of that town. Had it hit head-on, I suspect that the Hazleton tornado’s EF3 rating would have been higher.

It’s hard to believe that a whole year has passed since that event and the several days of Great Plains action that preceded it. What a difference between then and now, with a nasty ridge casting a pall on this May’s peak chase season.

In remembrance of the Parkersburg/Hazleton tornadoes, I’m including a couple visuals. The first is a radar grab of the supercell as it moved out of Parkersburg. The tornado icon is a storm report from the town, just minutes old. You can see our GPS position marked by a circle with a dot in the middle of it on the northeast edge of the storm

The Parkersburg, Iowa, tornadic supercell.

The second is this YouTube link to my video of the Hazleton tornado. My videography may not be the best in the world, but I think you’ll get a sense of the intensity this storm evoked. It was my first really big tornado, and it was close.

I doubt this year has anything in store for us  like what we saw that day. But who knows? I’m not ready to write off this chase season yet–though I certainly hope it doesn’t hold a catastrophe like the Parkersburg tornado.

My tornado videos to date aren’t of the best quality, but I’ve decided to put my footage of Wednesday’s tornadic supercell up on YouTube anyway. It’s not the greatest, but it’s not terrible, either, and it does provide a record of the storm from our vantage point on SR15, approximately two miles north of Edina, Missouri, that other storm chasers may find of interest.

Please note that I do know the difference between a beavertail and a tail cloud–I just got my terminology turned around. Also my sense of direction, in saying “counterclockwise” when I meant “clockwise.”

Nuff said. Hope you enjoy the video.

How about a romp through Rhythm changes? I’m always intrigued to see the different ways that master musicians handle that most contrafacted of all chord progressions besides the blues. The tune in this case is “Oleo,” and the band is Herbie Hancock, Buster Williams, Al Foster, Bobbie McFerrin, and Michael Brecker.

The YouTube video you’re about to see is a truly weird, creative, and delightful rendition, with McFerrin scat singing and acting a total goofball…and obviously having a blast. But I don’t think there’s any doubt that while these guys are just dinkering around, loose and laughing, the level of musicianship and interplay is monstrous. And need I say, Brecker delivers on the tenor sax.

This is a funny, fun, and really insane musical excursion that I think you can only loosely call “Oleo.” But you’ve heard enough from me. Give the band a listen.

The chest congestion that has dogged me since Saturday has blossomed into a very nasty cold, with a cough that concerned me enough that today I finally went to see the doctor. He slapped the stethescope to my chest, I breathed deep, and he said, “Oh, yeah.” Meaning, meds needed.

I now have two pills under my belt out of a 10-day, 30-dose prescription. If there’s any consolation to this, it’s knowing that I’m in the process of finally knocking this bug out after it has done such a thorough job of making my life miserable these last few days.

So I’m not going to write much. Instead, I’m going to share with you this YouTube link of tenor saxophonist Rick Margitza playing My Foolish Heart with the John Fedchock New York Big Band. Rick is an astonishing player–a stunning virtuoso with a magnificent command of the altissimo register, a beautiful and inventive use of angularity, and always, a very pretty, almost delicate tone that treats a ballad with great tenderness and sensitivity, even in the midst of  a torrent of ideas. Listen and be amazed.

And with that, I’m signing off and making myself a cup of tea.

Ho.

Lee.

Cow!

Monte Montgomery is an unbelievable acoustical guitarist!!!!!

Please note that I, a professional writer, have just used five exclamation marks, a breach of good grammar and nothing the inexpert or fainthearted should attempt unsupervised. But last night was definitely a five-exclamation-mark event.

Monte’s little trio is a gnarly bunch. His backup players are young musicians, and Monte and his bass man look like they could have been cast as the two mountain men in the 1970′s movie Deliverance. But man, can they play! It was an honor to open for these guys with Ed and the band.

I’m pleased to say that our own quartet performed seamlessly, and we sounded about the best we’ve ever sounded. For homegrown talent, we were a great first act. But Monte’s band sounded exactly like what they are: well-rehearsed, seasoned road warriors who play the living bejeebers out of their instruments night after night, have spent plenty of time tightening down some imaginative and challenging arrangements, and communicate well with each other onstage.

The concert was held in the performance room at the front of The Intersection in downtown Grand Rapids, not the huge concert hall in back. This smaller venue made for an enjoyable, intimate setting that seemed to draw the best out of Monte. He has a comfortable, easy manner with his audience and clearly enjoys interacting with them, trading banter and showing none of the airs that I’ve seen some of the musical aristocracy display. Just a down-home cat you could sit down and drink a beer with and who, by the way, happens to be phenomenally gifted.

But “gifted” doesn’t mean Monte’s guitar chops–and, I should add, his superb vocal abilities–were handed to him on a silver platter. No one plays at that level without working hard to achieve it. I don’t know why Monte and his band aren’t far more widely recognized, but I have the sense that he’s doing exactly what he wants to be doing and cares less about fame and fortune than about playing world-class music in venues where he can connect with his listeners.

My mother and sister made it to the concert, by the way. It was neat and kind of touching to look out into the room and see my mom’s white puff of hair out there in the audience, listening at age 83 to probably her first-ever rock concert. Which is how I’d categorize last night: a rock concert. Monte ain’t about jazz, folks. But he’s got elements of pretty much everything thrown into the mix, and I’d imagine he and his players could hold their own in a straight-ahead setting.

Monte closed with what appears to be his trademark tune, “Little Wing.” His rendition of the famous Jimi Hendrix standard will take your breath away if you’re ever fortunate enough to hear Monte and the band. Here’s a video clip to give you a taste. Get ready to become a believer.

I received a link to a video clip along with the following email today from a musician named Joseph Raciti:

I had a sneaking suspicion that this little short might interest you and the readers of your blog for its jazzy spin on Debussy’s “Clair De Lune” and the windy conditions the main character is in.

I checked out Joseph’s clip, and I agree with him. Joe has put together a jewel-like little piece of creativity with some very cool jazz piano playing.  Naturally, I got curious about Joseph’s blog overall. I was not disappointed. It’s clearly the product of an artistic mind–well-written, colorful, and studded with other video vignettes similar in spirit to the one he’s shared here.

I think you’ll enjoy the clip, and I hope you’ll take time to explore Joe’s blog. Its quality is such that I’m adding it to my blogroll.

I just received my new Storms of 2008 DVD in the mail a couple days ago, and I have to say, it’s fabulous! Having been thoroughly smitten with its predecessor, Storms of 2007, featuring its remarkable coverage of the historical Greensburg, Kansas, EF5 tornado, I was skeptical that any subsequent effort could live up to such high standards. But I have to say, this latest in the celebrated “Storms of…” series has more than met the challenge. Simply put, this is a stellar work, and if you’re at all a fan of storm chasing, you need to buy it, period.

And when you make your purchase, know that your $24.95 goes directly to helping disaster victims across the United States. The “Storms of…” series is an organized effort on the part of the storm chasing community to make a tangible difference in the lives of people who have been directly affected by severe weather and other natural disasters.

Judging by the remarkable footage in this DVD–often sublime and at times mind-boggling–you’d never guess that it is a grassroots effort. Yet, as with all the videos in the “Storms of…” series, Storms of 2008 is strictly a product of the storm chasing community. As such, it is a tour de force of the remarkable talent pool within that community. Videographers, meteorologists, seasoned storm chasers, gifted amateurs…all these and others besides have worked hard and long to produce a world-class video and a true labor of love.

The history-making Super Tuesday Tornado Outbreak that scoured Dixie Alley on February 5…the late-May tube-fest that blotted SPC storm reports with red for the better part of a week…the beautiful Dighton wall cloud…the Quinter EF4 duo…the tragic Parkersburg, Iowa, EF5…they’re all here plus a whole lot more, complete with synoptic analyses and topnotch narration.

Am I saying that you have absolutely gotta, gotta, gotta purchase this exceptional DVD? Yup, that’s what I’m saying. Just do it, okay? You can thank me later for being so pushy. Your money will help to make a real difference in people’s lives, and trust me, you’ll love what you get in return. Storms of 2008 is the definitive anthology of last year’s convective Armageddon in the United States. Buy here. Or visit the Storms of 2008 website to obtain more information and view a video trailer.

To the devoted cast of producers, editors, and engineers who faced the challenges and frustrations of making Storms of 2008 happen–BRAVO! And thanks!

I love playing the Ray Noble tune “Cherokee.” It’s a classic bebop vehicle, and the bridge section represents a respectable knuckle-buster for even the more accomplished players. “Cherokee” is typically played anywhere from up-tempo to way, way, way up-tempo. I like to play it fast, but I’ve got my limitations. Once I hit around 300mm, I’m scrambling to stay on top of things.

Maybe one day, if I practice reeeaallly hard, I’ll be able to play it almost as well as these guys. Here are Phil Woods and Jackie McLean playing “Cherokee.” Sit back and get ready for a real bebop tour de force by two virtuoso, veteran alto sax players. Each is a distinct, mature voice in his own right, but here you can tell they’re both unabashed Bird disciples. The ideas don’t stop, and they’re dripping with classic bop vocabulary. Amazing, and a pure joy to listen to.