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What live music are you going to see tonight?


mikeweil

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Brandon Lopez’s “Sun Burns Out Your Eyes”

at Roulette in Brooklyn - I’ve been told it’s 2 full sets

Lopez on double bass, Cecelia Lopez (related??) on electronics, Steve Baczkowski on saxophones & Gerald Cleaver on drums

the recent trio recording with all except the electronics called “Old Smoke” on Relative Pitch might be the best high energy sax/bass/drums trio recording I’ve heard in a few years. The saxophonist (from Buffalo) is new to me save for that recording so I wouldn’t miss this no matter what. Seems his main axe is the baritone but I think tenor is his number 2 although he plays at least 1 other horn (soprano) on the record. 

To my ears Brandon Lopez is just about the most exciting younger bassist I’ve heard over the past couple of years and Cleaver is an absolute beast in this type of context.

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  • 3 weeks later...
37 minutes ago, David Ayers said:

Just back from a pleasant evening with Sarah Gail Brand, Steve Beresford, John Edwards and Mark Sanders. The best improv quartet in the world? Quite possibly. 

Sounds great. 4 of my all-time favorites. 2 sets? How many in the crowd?

at least I can say I’m seeing a different 3 of my all-time favorite improvisors next Tuesday @ The Stone @ New School

Ches Smith with Mat Maneri & Craig Taborn

plus with a “very special” guest guitarist

not all-improvised as it will be a set based on Ches Smith’s sketches/guideposts 

maybe the 5th time I’ve seen the trio and the first with a guest. All performances have been A minus to close to the best sets of music I’ve ever seen. Best show was their first concert March 2013 on a Sunday night 2 sets @ Cornelia Street Cafe when it WAS fully improvised. For sure one of the best 2 sets of music I’ve ever experienced. At least 2 of the other sets I’ve seen them play rivaled that blistering performance.

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Just now, Steve Reynolds said:

Sounds great. 4 of my all-time favorites. 2 sets? How many in the crowd?

at least I can say I’m seeing a different 3 of my all-time favorite improvisors next Tuesday @ The Stone @ New School

Ches Smith with Mat Maneri & Craig Taborn

plus with a “very special” guest guitarist

not all-improvised as it will be a set based on Ches Smith’s sketches/guideposts 

maybe the 5th time I’ve seen the trio and the first with a guest. All performances have been A minus to close to the best sets of music I’ve ever seen. Best show was their first concert March 2013 on a Sunday night 2 sets @ Cornelia Street Cafe when it WAS fully improvised. For sure one of the best 2 sets of music I’ve ever experienced. At least 2 of the other sets I’ve seen them play rivaled that blistering performance.


Glad you approve! This was a very local gig played at the St Gregory Centre for Music at Canterbury Christ Church University - as part of Sarah’s PhD submission to an audience of about forty including her supervisor and examiner! They played for an hour and a quarter, first as a quartet, then Sarah and Mark (maybe the highest of an evening of high points), then Sarah with Steve and John, then a sprightly duet of those two while Sarah took a ‘chops break’, and a final quartet section. The whole group is just the best, as needs hardly be said, and Sarah is so clever and refined. As good as it gets. 
 

The Ches Smith trio I know just from The Bell. I can only imagine how good they can be live!

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54 minutes ago, David Ayers said:


Glad you approve! This was a very local gig played at the St Gregory Centre for Music at Canterbury Christ Church University - as part of Sarah’s PhD submission to an audience of about forty including her supervisor and examiner! They played for an hour and a quarter, first as a quartet, then Sarah and Mark (maybe the highest of an evening of high points), then Sarah with Steve and John, then a sprightly duet of those two while Sarah took a ‘chops break’, and a final quartet section. The whole group is just the best, as needs hardly be said, and Sarah is so clever and refined. As good as it gets. 
 

The Ches Smith trio I know just from The Bell. I can only imagine how good they can be live!

Not to get into an ECM sound discussion but I’ve heard versions of the pieces of The Bell live and instead of music that is soothing and somewhat interesting, what that music or other pieces of music by the trio sounds like live has little in common with that watered down gauzy recording. Especially Mat & Ches. When Mat starts playing doom metal chords it’s all over. 

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1 minute ago, Steve Reynolds said:

Not to get into an ECM sound discussion but I’ve heard versions of the pieces of The Bell live and instead of music that is soothing and somewhat interesting, what that music or other pieces of music by the trio sounds like live has little in common with that watered down gauzy recording. Especially Mat & Ches. When Mat starts playing doom metal chords it’s all over. 

I hear you...

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4 hours ago, ghost of miles said:

At NYC Winter Jazzfest’s Detroit event right now, Le Poisson Rouge.... Johnny O’Neal, Ron Carter, Louis Hayes and Dwight Adams playing, with Sheila Jordan set to soon take the stage. 

I really wanted to go again this year, but couldn't make it. Maybe next year.

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7 hours ago, BFrank said:

I really wanted to go again this year, but couldn't make it. Maybe next year.

Mark Stryker kicked off the Detroit event last night with a panel discussion that included Bob Hurst, Karriem Riggins, and Joan Belgrave. So LPR is apparently in the same basement space that the Village Gate used to occupy? That’s what a friend told me. 

I may go see Artemis tonight—but  am also thinking about catching the Vanguard Orchestra’s Monday-night performance, just because I’ve never been to that long-running institution of VV jazz. 

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Tonight my wife and I will be going to a concert that is a part of The Tucson Jazz Festival. It features David Hazeltine and The New York Jazz Allstars with Eric Alexander.

It will be held in the Louis Rich Theatre, a very nice venue that is where the Arizona Friends of Chamber Music hold their concerts. It seats about 500 people.

 

 

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Went to see the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra—nice run-through of some Thad Jones and Jim MnNeely compositions, and a thrill to hear Bob Brookmeyer’s arrangement of “St. Louis Blues” played live. They wrapped up with Jerome Richardson’s “Groove Merchant,” with trumpeter Terrell Stafford’s solo threatening serious damage to the Vanguard’s ceiling. On to Cafe Bohemia for Wallace Roney tomorrow night.

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Friday and Saturday nights, I attended the Winter Jazzfest Marathons. Sunday night, Globalfest at the Copacabana. 

Friday Marathon:

Jure Pukl at the Dance. Mostly I liked sidemen Joel Ross on vibes and Charles Altura on guitar.

Switching to Subculture for the rest of the evening (a terrific venue with great sound):

Mathew Whitacre: A young (blind) man who effortlessly switches between an acoustic piano, in an engaging piano trio style, to driving B3 organ soul jazz trio, then to Herbie Hancock style funk on electric keyboards.

Connie Han Trio: Another young pianist with some impressive acoustic piano skills. Also plays the Fender Rhodes, and surprisingly i liked those tunes the best.

The Yes Trio (Ali Jackson, Aaron Goldberg, Omar Avital): Some more mature musicians, and a quite fine piano trio, playing some nice original material.

Jazz Gallery All Stars: A high point of the evening; a really smoking set of mostly originals, with Miguel Zenon (alto), Gerald Clayton (piano), Joel Ross and Charles Altura reappear, Matt Brewer on bass, Kendrick Scott on drums [and the tenor sax player I recently saw with Tyshawn Sorey but I forget his name].

Michael Olatuja's Lagos Pepper Soup. A new musician to me; this Nigerian bassist was fantastic, and this set of Afro-beat and Afro/jazz fusion was extremely dynamic. Favorite set of the night.

Saturday Marathon:

Starting the evening at Webster Hall...

Brandee Younger's Soul Awakening: I absolutely loved this band and set. Brandee Younger on harp, Chelsea Baratz on tenor sax, Ravi Coltrane on tenor sax. Anne Drummond on flute, Dezron Douglas on bass and Allan Mednard on drums.

Next up Makaya McCraven, playing Gil Scot Heron Reimagined. With Irvin Pierce and Greg Ward on saxophones, Marquis Hill on trumpet, Junius Paul on bass, Brandee Younger returns on harp, and Joel Ross makes another appearance on vibes. Honestly, this set was thrilling. Between the Brandee Younger set and this set, I couldn't hope for any more in live music.

Nonetheless, I continued to the Zurcher Gallery, to hear the duo of Alan Braufman  and Cooper Moore. In a completely different way, this set was also rather wonderful. Alan Braufman is impressive on alto.

Back to Subculture:

Rene Marie: She sings well, and her trio led by John Chinn sounds nice. Not really my cup of tea.

Closing out the evening with another new to me musician, bassist/composer Gregg August, leading a rather excellent ten piece band, that included some burning tenor sax from J.D. Allen, John Ellis on soprano, Marcus Rojas on tuba, Luis Perdomo on piano, Frank Lacy on trombone, Donald Edwards on drums.

Sunday night:

I decided to attend an industry presented world music festival called Globalfest in order to hear a set by Senegal's Cheikh Lo. I did and he sounded great. I also heard the West African group, Les Amazones d'Afrique, featuring three female vocalists, with guitar, drums and turntables. Otherwise this small festival seemed like a mess, overcrowded and 3 standing venues only.

 

 

Edited by kh1958
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Last nights concert was very good. David Hazeltine on piano and The New York Allstars. The group included Vincent Herring on alto, Eric Alexander on tenor, Peter Washington on bass, and Joe Farnsworth on drums.

The Louis Rich Theatre was 95% full, and the audience was very responsive to the music..The musicians seemed to having fun and the two sets were both filled with a  good selection of tunes played with enthusiasm and passion.

This was the first Tucson Jazz Festival concert I have attended. Tonight we will be going to our second Tucson Jazz Festival event. It will be to hear vocalist Veronica Swift. We have heard her before and she is the real thing.A true jazz singer.

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1 hour ago, BFrank said:

Two shows next week at SFJAZZ in the intimate Joe Henderson Lab. Should be intense!

1) Harriett Tubman: Brandon Ross guitar, banjo, vocals; Melvin Gibbs bass; J.T. Lewis drums
2) Zig-Zag Power Trio: Vernon Reid guitar; Melvin Gibbs bass; Will Calhoun drums

Harriett Tubman is fantastic.

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