Torme, Jarrett Among Those Hoping for a Comeback Year

The turning of a new year, for all its rites of passage, never quite manages to tie up all the strings on continuing events. And, in jazz, 1997 ended with a number of jazz stories still in the process of unfolding. Among them:

* Mel Torme: After suffering a stroke in August 1996, the 72-year-old Torme’s recovery continues. “It has been much slower than we anticipated,” says Torme representative Rob Wilcox. “Although Mel was walking a bit at one stage, he is not walking now, although he is speaking clearly, and his mind is fully alert.” Although a compilation of Torme’s ballad singing over the decade from the mid-’80s to the mid-’90s entitled “My Night to Dream,” has just been released on Concord Records, he is not yet able to sing or function musically, and a return to performing is not immediately in the cards. Still, Wilcox says, Torme insists that he intends to recover fully and to revive his singing career. His physicians report that at this stage much of Torme’s recovery is, in effect, in his own hands.

“They tell us,” Wilcox says, “that one never knows with stroke victims, that the process of recovery has a lot to do with their own inner drive. And Mel has plenty of inner drive.”

* Keith Jarrett: Found to have chronic fatigue syndrome late in 1996, Jarrett retired from performing, making no appearances at all, live or on record, in 1997. Jarrett’s representative, Steve Cloud, says he hopes the 52-year-old pianist will be fully active again by the fall. In the meantime, a scheduled appearance in Chicago at Orchestra Hall on April 3 with his trio is still a possibility.

“We hope,” says Cloud, “that will be the first opportunity to have Keith back in action, but we’re going to have to wait another month or so to make that decision.”

Jarrett, in the meantime, has not been doing much, only recently starting to test his energy while he continues on a specially designed course of treatment.

“As I understand Keith’s condition,” Cloud says, “the symptoms are that, in the throngs of chronic fatigue syndrome, activity begets exhaustion, whether it’s energy expended either in a physical or a mental manner, so playing, writing, reading can produce the same effect. But we’re optimistic that we’re going in the right direction, and that he’s eventually going to be fully recovered.”

* Anita O’Day: After nearly dying from pneumonia and blood poisoning, the legendary 78-year-old jazz singer has made a remarkable recovery. Her problems, which began with a broken arm, proceeded through dementia and stays in eight hospitals and nursing homes, have now been largely left behind. In December, she flew to Tampa, Fla., to be inducted into the International Jazz Hall of Fame.

“And now,” says her representative, Alan Eichler, “she’s gotten her music together and is starting to rehearse, determined to resume her career. Christmas 1996, I saw her strapped in a hospital bed; today she’s talking about the possibility of singing again.” Eichler also reports that the movie rights to the story of O’Day’s life have been optioned, and that an album completed just before her accident, “Swingtime in Hawaii,” featuring a “jazz ukulele player,” will soon be released.

* Donald Vega: In April, the talented, 22-year-old Nicaraguan-born pianist was threatened with deportation to his native country, as a result of tough, new regulations by the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996. The recipient of many honors, including a 1991 Spotlight Award and a 1995 award from the Los Angeles Jazz Society, Vega has continued attending USC and working around L.A. while his case has essentially remained in limbo.

According to attorney Carl Shusterman, Vega’s case, scheduled for a hearing on Dec. 23, has been “put over because of a new Nicaraguan amnesty. When the INS comes out with some kind of regulations, we hope to get him before a judge again and get him some kind of green card through amnesty.”

Jazz Masters: The National Endowment for the Arts will honor the 1998 American Jazz Masters--Ron Carter, James Moody and Wayne Shorter--with a concert tonight in New York City as part of the 26th annual gathering of the International Assn. of Jazz Educators. Billy Taylor will host the event, and performers include the Taylor Trio, New York Voices and the Mingus Big Band. Recipients of the American Jazz Masters awards receive $20,000 fellowships. Previous Jazz Masters include Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis and Sarah Vaughan.

Honoring Higgins: Another jazz master will be honored on Monday in New York when drummer Billy Higgins receives the Phineas Newborn Jr. Award. Now back in action after a severe bout with ill health, Higgins--who was awarded an NEA Jazz Master Fellowship in 1997--continues to be a vital player and, through his co-founding of the World Stage, a significant force in the community. The presentation of the Newborn Award at the Merkin Concert Hall on Manhattan’s West Side will include a concert featuring a brilliant all-star lineup. Scheduled to appear are Kenny Barron, Tommy Flanagan, George Coleman, Dave Holland, Ron Carter, Joe Lovano, Renee Rosnes, Eric Reed, Eddie Henderson, Javon Jackson and numerous others.

Signings: Windham Hill Jazz continues to expand its presence in the contemporary jazz arena with the signing this week of guitarist Earl Klugh and saxophonist-composer Tom Scott.

Omission: The year-end wrap-up of the events in jazz inadvertently failed to mention the premature passing of drummer Tony Williams. The talented, 51-year-old artist, who died in February after surgery, was already an icon of the drums, much admired by younger musicians and a constantly probing force. His musical voice, his thoughtful presence and his creative imagination will be missed.