All Activity

Just to round off things: Here is a review from a 1955 Down Beat: (Not initialed so it's by Nat Hentoff)

February 14, 2026: Shelley Carrol & Brad Leali, UnityFest, San Antonio February 17, 2026: Peter Bernstein Quintet, Parker Jazz Club, Austin February 19, 2026: Bruce Saunders Quintet with Peter Bernstein, Monk's Jazz Club, Austin February 20, 2026: Shemekia Copeland and Ally Venable, Granville Arts Center, Garland February 21, 2026: Shelley Carrol, Scat Jazz, Fort Worth Branford Marsalis Quartet, Robinson Fine Arts Center, Plano Davy Mooney, Dan's Silverleaf, Denton February 22, 2026: Branford Marsalis Quartet, Wortham Theater, Houston February 24, 2026: Larry Goldings, Peter Bernstein, Bill Stewart Trio, Parker Jazz Club, Austin February 25, 2026: Larry Goldings, Peter Bernstein, Bill Stewart Trio, JazzTX, San Antonio February 26, 2026: Larry Goldings, Peter Bernstein, Bill Stewart Trio, Scat Jazz, Fort Worth Februaryn 28, 2026: Bnois King, Balcony Club, Dallas March 5, 2026: Pat Metheny, Charline McCombs Empire Theater, San Antonio March 6, 2026: Pat Metheny, Paramount Theater, Austin Jackie Venson, Windmills, The Colony March 7, 2026: Pat Metheny Side-Eye, Wortham Theater, Houston Jackie Venson, Windmills, The Colony Ashwani Shankar, Amit Kavthekar, Kuchibhotla Sai Giridhar, Dhananjay Hegde, Kathak Rhythms Studio, Plano March 8, 2026: Bnois King, Poor David's Pub, Dallas March 13, 2026: T.K. Blue and African Rhythms Alumni, A Tribute to Randy Weston, Walton Arts Center, Little Rock, Arkansas March 14, 2026: Bnois King, Blues and Tattoos Festival, Gainesville Larry Lampkin, Troy's, Arlington March 20, 2026: Sarah Hanahan, Monk's Jazz Club, Austin Chirag Katti (sitar), Windmills, The Colony March 21, 2026: Sunny War, Anne Harris, Sable Sisters (Kaia Kater), Buffalo Nichols, Jake Blount, Justin Robinson, Fort Worth African American Roots Music Festival, Southside Preservation Hall, Fort Worth Chirag Katti (sitar), Windmills, The Colony March 22, 2026: Sarah Hanahan, Eldorado Ballroom, Houston March 26, 2026: Pat Metheny Side-Eye III, Marc Ribot, Ches Smith Clone Row, Isaiah Collier, William Hooker Quartet, Big Ears Festival, Knoxville, Tennessee March 27, 2026: Chucho Valdes Royal Quartet, John Scofield Trio, Roscoe Mitchell and Tyshawn Sorey, Ghost Train Orchestra: The Music of Moondog, Jeff Parker Expansion Trio, Miles Okazaki Trickster, Nate Smith, Ned Rothenberg, Nik Bartsch, Sullivan Fortner Trio, Tim Berne, Thomas Fujiwara: Dream Up, Saha Gnawa, Big Ears Festival, Knoxville, Tennessee March 28, 2026: Darius Jones Trio, Either/Orchestra, Marquis Hill Blacktet, Mary Halvorson, Miles Okazaki: The Compete Monk, , Nate Smith, Nik Bartsch Ronin, Hania Rani, Patricia Brennan Septet, Shabaka, Yasmin Williams and William Tyler, Incerto, Electrical Field of Love, L. Shankar, Big Ears Festival, Knoxville, Tennessee March 29, 2026: Brandon Woody's Upendo, Chicago Underground Duo, Dave Douglas Gifts Quartet, Either/Orchestra Plays Eithiopiques, Hania Rani, Julian Lage Quartet, Marc Ribot, Matt Mitchell's Zealous Angles, Miles Electric Band, Nels Cline: Lovers, Openness Trio, Tom Skinner, Big Ears Festival, Knoxville, Tennessee May 30, 2026: Jackie Venson, Beer City Music Hall, Oklahoma City April 1, 2026: Samara Joy, Winspear Opera House, Dallas Pat Metheny Side-Eye III, Majestic Theater, Dallas April 2, 2026: Kaia Kater, Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, Little Rock, Arkansas Samora Joy, Austin City Limits April 4, 2026: Samora Joy, Tobin Center, San Antonio Melissa Aldana, Bates Recital Hall, Austin April 10, 2026: Coltrane at 100 (Joe Lovano, Melissa Aldana, Ndudzo Makhathini, Matt Garrison, Jefftain Watts), Cullen Theater, Houston April 11, 2026: Rakesh Charaurasia (flute) and Amit Kavthekar (tabla), Matchbox4, Houston April 12, 2026: John Beasley's Unlimited Miles (John Beasley, Mark Turner, Sean Jones or Marquis Hill, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Ben Williams, Terreon Gu)), Eisemann Center, Richardson April 23, 2026: Nicholas Payton featuring Butcher Brown Presents the Supreme Blue, Monty Alexander "Jamericana", Charlie Musselwhite, Kyle Roussel, Kenny Neal, Vieux Farka Toure (Mali), Nidia Gongora (Columbia); Yusa (Cuba), Aurora Nealand and the Royal Roses, Jamil Sharif, Peter Harris Presents Firm Roots, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival April 24, 2026: Hiromi's Sonicwonder, Adonis Rose and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra featuring Andromeda Turre, Astral Project, Parlor Greens (w/Jimmy James), Tribute to Ragtime Piano Legends feat. Terry Waldo, Tom McDermott, and David Boeddinghaus, Lil Ed and the Blues Imperials, Sevana (Jamaica), Joy Clark, Wendell Brunious, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival April 25, 2026: Mahmoud Chouki, Louis Ford, Little Freddie King, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival April 26, 2026: Ron Carter Quartet, Catherine Russell, Roger Lewis and Baritone Bliss, Love Is Supreme: A Tribute to John Coltrane feat. Derek Douget, Trevarri Huff-Boone and Ricardo Pascal, Chris Thomas King, Tuba Skinny, People Museum, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival April 28, 2026: Robert Cray, Empire Theater, San Antonio April 29, 2026: Robert Cray, Heights Theater, Houston April 30, 2026: Isaiah Collier (The World is on Fire), Steve Masakowski Family Band, Sasha Masakowsti as Trash Magnolia, Helen Gillet, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival May 1, 2026: Terence Blanchard with Ravi Coltrane; Charlie Gabriel; Victor Campbell, Stephen Walker, D.K. Harrell, Meschiya Lake and the Little Big Horns, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival Jackie Venson, Main Street Crossing, Tombull May 2, 2026: Dianne Reeves; Uptown Jazz Orchestra; Alexey Marti, Leroy Jones, Tribute to Jelly Roll Morton’s Red Hot Peppers feat. Dr. Michael White and Shaye Cohn, Larry McCray, Leyla McCalla, , New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival Kenny Garrett, Jazz and Blues Market, New Orleans Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan (sitar), Unity Church of the Hills, Austin May 3, 2026: Herbie Hancock; Jason Marsalis, Trumpet Mafia featuring Keyon Harold, Jackie Venson, Lila Ike (Jamaica), Doreen's Jazz New Orleans, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival May 9, 2026: Hiromi's Sonic Wonder, Cullen Theater, Houston May 16, 2026: Chucho Valdes, Paramount Theater, Austin May 17, 2026: Lucia, Eldorado Ballroom, Houston June 6, 2026: L Shankar (double violin), Unity Church of the Hills, Austin August 22, 2026: S. Akash (flute) & Vivek Pandya (tabla)/ Manas Kumar (violin) and Ojas Adhiya (tabla), Unity Church of the Hills, Austin August 27, 2026: Buddy Guy, Majestic Theater, San Antonio August 28, 2026: Buddy Guy, Austin City Limits August 29, 2026: Buddy Guy, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, The Woodlands August 30, 2026: Buddy Guy, Majestic Theater, Dallas October 10, 2026: Niladri Kumar (sitar), Stafford Center, Houston October 11, 2026: Niladri Kumar (sitar), Austin October 18, L. Shankar (violin), Selvaganesh Vinayakram, Swaminathan, Amit Kaythekar (percussion), Matchbox4, Houston

I quite like his music especially the Bix periode. Favorites: Lonely Melody, Changes, When and most tracks on Bix restored. On CD 9 from track 11 on a string a delightful recordings. And I think Whiteman's recording of Gershwin's Concerto in F is for me the best version I know (not that many).

Disc 1

Would love to hear it! Was the Knitting Factory recorded?

This is the 8 tracks from the debut or Black Lion releases plus five bonus tracks hitherto unreleased.

Charles Lloyd - Figure in Blue (Blue Note) Disc 1

Yes! Also, Dick van der Capellen (1919-2011) and Raoul Björkenheim (b. 1956).

It was recorded at Villeneuve d'Ascq on May 17 1990 with Charles on alto tenor harmonica and voice, Remi Charmasson guitar, Bernard Santacruz bass and Jean-Pierre Jullian drums. I can copy to cdr. Soon afterwards, Charles haha a brief visit to New York, playing the Knitting Factory on July 10 with Denis Charles and Richard Dunbar.

I ordered it yesterday and it is already here? Looks beautiful and can't wait to spin it.

Birthday boy Chick Webb, innovator and master percussionist.

Even for a mobster.

By the way, the Cisco Bradley liner notes are from this book, that will be published soon: I Hear Freedom. The Great Migration, Free Jazz, and Black Power

David Murray Quartet - Birdly Serenade I saw this group at OTO last year and was impressed by the Spanish pianist Marta Sanchez, as well as Luke Stewart, who is more of a known quantity. I might almost prefer the record as a piano trio without the vocals or occasional reed playing, but Sanchez and Stewart are good accompanists too. But still I think one of Murray's better recent records. Mostly because he sits out a lot. I didn't know he looked like that. Great face for a bandleader, or a cop.

Bob Cooper has long been a tenor player who has not received the recognition he deserved.

Disc 3

This is a good taster of Paul Whiteman's production in the 1920-1927 period:

Prompted by the Paul Whiteman thread:

George Russell “Ezz-thetics” Riverside/OJC cd Been too long since I have spun a Russell cd!

Jazz Oracle catalogue was taken over by Upbeat. Their last release (West Coast Jazz 1922-1927) dates from 2016. Frog Records website is alive, but the last release I have been able to identify dates from 2022 (Various – The Frog Blues & Jazz Annual No 6). Retrieval is now part of the Challenge Records emporium, and their latest CD, to my knowledge, was issued in 2018 (Irving Mills And His Hotsy Totsy Gang – 1930). Not a good time for this sort of "boutique labels" in the early jazz niche. On the contrary, it looks like Archeophone Records is alive and well...

Some people might dislike flashy stuff like this, but I actually quite like it. Or maybe I just don't really like the song “Invitation” to begin with...