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October 19, 2019: Jenny Scheinman and Allison Miller, Duet, Tulsa Rachella Parks Washington, Scat Jazz, Fort Worth October 26, 2019: Jackie Venson, Big Al's Down the Hatch, Waxahatchie November 2, 2019: Dr. L Subramaniam, Westlake Community Performing Arts Center, Austin James Carter, James Francies, Wortham, Houston Anjan Saha (Sitar}, Pt Arup Chattopadhyay (Tabla), Allen Public Library November 8, 2019: Mr. Sipp, Guitar Sanctuary, McKinney November 10, 2019: Sean Jones, McKinney Performing Arts Center November 15, 2019: Miguel Zenon, Duet, Tulsa Jason Marsalis, Walton Arts Center, Fayetteville, Arkansas November 22, 2019: Kara Grainger, Six Springs, Richardson November 26, 2019: Gary Smulyan/One O'Clock Lab Band, Winspear, Denton December 14, 2019: Mike Stern/Jeff Lorber Fusion, Dosey Doe, Houston December 15, 2019: Mike Stern/Jeff Lorber Fusion, One World Theater, Austin January 10, 2020: Stanley Clarke, One World Theater, Austin January 17, 2020: Andrew Cyrille Quartet, McCullogh Theatre, Austin January 17-18, 2020, Winter Jazzfest Marathon, New York January 25, 2020: Branford Marsalis, Wortham, Houston January 29, 2020: Hiromi, Arlington Music Hall, Arlington January 31, 2020: Hiromi, Dosey Doe, Houston January 31, 2020: Fred Hersch Trio, Walton Arts Center, Fayetteville, Arkansas February 15, 2020: Joey DeFrancesco, Arlington Music Hall February 29, 2020: Vijay Iyer Sextet, Wortham, Houston March 4, 2020: Lila Downs, Paramount Theater, Austin March 6, 2020: Lila Downs, Jones Center, Houston Marc Ribot, Chaplin's The Kid, McCullough Theatre, Austin March 7, 2020: Lila Downs, Winspear Opera House, Dallas March 14, 2020: Vijay Iyer and Jennifer Koh, Fort Worth Museum of Modern Art March 20, 2020: Messenger Legacy Band (Bobby Watson (alto sax), Essiet Essiet (bass), Geoff Keezer (piano), Brian Lynch (trumpet), Bill Pierce (tenor sax) and Ralph Peterson (drums)), Walton Arts Center, Fayetteville, Arkansas March 21, 2020: Dafnis Prieto Big Band, Wortham, Houston March 26-29, 2020, Big Ears Festival, Andrew Cyrille, Anthony Braxton, Aurora Nealand, Christian Scott, Harriet Tubman, Jason Moran and the Harlem Hellfighters, Marc Ribot,, Mdou Moctar, Moonlight Benjamin, Myra Melford, Peter Brotzmann, Shabaka and the Ancestors, Steve Coleman and Five Elements, The Necks, Knoxville, Tennessee April 3, 2020: Fred Hersch Trio, University of Texas at Dallas April 17, 2020: Miquel Zenon, Wortham, Houston April 18, 2020: Dave Douglas with the Texas Jazz Orchestra, Bates Recital Hall, Austin April 23-26, 2020: New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival April 30-May 3, 2020: New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival May 2, 2020: Christian Sands, Carver Center, San Antonio May 16, 2020: Brubeck Brothers, Wortham, Houston May 17, 2020: Brubeck Brothers, One Worlth Theater, Austin August 28, 2020: Stanley Jordan Trio, Arlington Music Hall

Thanks. I'm glad you enjoyed.

The Jonathan Fisher/Shelley Carrol Sunday night at the Balcony Club engagement is a standing/regular engagement. The calendar on their website is not functioning properly, it would appear.

I liked Boogarins; they have some appealing songs. Their closing number, on which Mdou Moctar joined them onstage, was so good.

Tonight, the Brazilian rock band Boogarins at Deep Ellum Art Company, and Mdou Moctar. Consecutive nights of African music is almost inconceivable in Dallas. Tinariwen, a good band. Mdou Moctar, simply awesome.

The Balcony Club has Jonathan Fisher with guest Shelley Carrol on Sunday nights. I would say that is your best jazz selection in your time frame. The Kitchen Cafe is a very pleasant listening room. Good sound. The food is pretty good. I like the place. It is very vocals oriented--sometimes jazz and sometimes pop oriented. I'm not familiar with any of the artists currently scheduled there for the dates you mention. I've seen some good stuff there--Marvin Stamm, Pete Christlieb, Eddie Gomez Trio, Shelley Carrol, Quamon Fowler. But nothing like that is currently scheduled there. The other live music venue I go to in North Dallas is Six Springs Tavern-a dive bar/concert venue in a run down strip mall. No jazz there but occasionally some pretty good Dallas blues. E.J. Matthews is there September 27.

Last night, Tinariwen at Canton Hall in Deep Ellum.

James Carter Organ Trio, Live From Newport Jazz (Blue Note)

Saturday: Charlie Musselwhite at the Bedford Blues Festival. My modest expectations were substantially exceeded. Robert Kimbrough Sr. at Six Springs. A rare opportunity to see Mississippi Hill Country Blues in Dallas, with Junior Kimbrough's son. Sunday: Nikki Hill Band at Bedford Blues Festival. My high expectations were met. A dynamic singer and band.

Yes, it is good. James Carter fits well with Django material. I have a tape of James Carter playing in Wynton's band back in the 1980s. Talk about an incongruous pair.

A number of the albums referenced above are available on Bandcamp--specifically the recordings including tracks 4, 5, 7, 10, 11 and 14. I kind of like Bandcamp because they have an iPhone app that includes any music you purchase from them. The CDs of any New Orleans based artist can usually be obtained from the Louisiana Music Factory website. The Live at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival is a substantial archive of recordings available as downloads or CDrs through a link on the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival website.

Thanks for listening. I enjoyed putting this together. Track 1: Dave Burrell and Tyrone Brown (bass), Recital (2000): The Crave (Jelly Roll Morton). I've had the good fortune to see Dave Burrell perform solo concerts twice, and on another occasion a duo with Andrew Cyrille. He has a vast repertoire and is one of my favorite living pianists. In his range and versatility he reminds me of Jaki Byard. His performances of Jelly Roll Morton compositions are a highlight of the live sets. See also his album Jelly Roll Joys. Track 2: Rachella Parks Washington, Meditative Inspirational Suite (2015): And I Cried (Parks-Washington). Rachella Parks Washington, tenor saxophone, Nathan Young, piano, The album is an odd mixture of religious music, spoken word, vocals and jazz that is intended to convey the story of her diagnosis and partial recovery from sarcoidosis. This is by far the best track on the album. Her best representation on record is on Ronald Shannon Jackson's Shannon's House. Years ago, I also saw her perform with the Charles Moffett Family Band. Track 3: Aurora Nealand (soprano saxophone) and Tom McDermott (piano), City of Timbres (2014-2015): Opulence (Tom McDermott). Here we move to contemporary New Orleans, for two of the city's finest musicians. Auoroa Nealand is electric on soprano saxophone and clarinet and is also an excellent vocalist (she also plays accordion). Her range is broad, as her band Aurora Nealand and the Royal Roses performs its own unique take on New Orleans traditional jazz, but she is also an avant gardest (Monocle). Tom McDermott I heard in person earlier this year in duet with the clarinet of Evan Christopher, which was quite impressive. The duo on this recording performs together regularly in New Orleans. Track 4: Derek Gripper, Libraries on Fire (2016): Salama (Toumani Diabate). The South African guitarist on this recording performs West African kora music on acoustic guitar. It seems like an impossible idea. His solo performance earlier this year at the Big Ears Festival was one of my favorites heard at the festival. Track 5: Brandee Younger, The Brandee Younger Quartet Live at the Breeding Ground (2014): Respected Destroyer (Brandee Younger). Brandee Younger, harp. Chelsea Baratz, Tenor saxophone. Dezron Douglas, bass. E.J. Strickland, drums. I haven't seen this group, unfortunately, but Brandee Younger I did see at Winter Jazzfest this year as part of the Impressions of Pepper set, with her solo performance of Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite being the highlight of the set. Chelsea Baratz is also the saxophonist in Maurice Brown's band (and is on his most recent recording The Mood), which I heard to excellent effect in New Orleans earlier this year. Track 6: Jason Marsalis 21st Century Trad Band, Live at the 2017 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival (Munck): Passionate Dancer (Jason Marsalis). Jason Marsalis, vibes. (Others not listed). The elders of the Marsalis family (Eliis, Wynton and Branford), I do find to be mostly pretty dull, but for the youngsters (Jason and Delfeayo) as I've learned from live concerts in the last few years, this is not necessarily the case. Jason is a fine drummer that you are just as likely to find playing drums with a traditional New Orleans Jazz Band in Economy Hall at Jazz Fest as leading a group in the Jazz Tent, but it is his vibes playing that I prefer. Track 7: Sameer Gupta, A Circle Has No Beginning (2017): Innocence in Harlem (Sameer Gupta). Sameer Gupta, drums. tablas. Marc Cary, keyboards. Jay Gandhi, bansuri flute. Arun Ramamurthy, violin. Rahsaan Carter, bass. Marika Hughes, cello. Trina Basu, violin. Pawan Benjamin, saxophone. A couple of years ago, I attended part of the 24 hour, Ragas Live festival in New York. Sameer Gupta's band appeared, I think, at 3 a.m., and was quite compelling. He is the drummer in Marc Cary's group and is associated with the musician's collective, Brooklyn Raga Massive. Track 8: Khari Allen Lee and the New Creative Collective, A New Earth (2016): Redemption Song (Bob Marley). Khari Allen Lee (alto saxophone), Davy Mooney, guitar. Kyle Roussel, keyboards. Geoff Clapp, drums. David Pulphus, bass. Marcus Akiniana, congas. Khari Allen Lee is a ubiquitous sideman on alto and soprano saxophone at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival each year. And I quickly noticed that he was usually the best soloist on stage. You can also hear him on Terence Blanchard's The Comedian. Track 9: Trumpet Mafia, Live at the 2018 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival (Munck): Night Time. This very large trumpet based big band has appeared at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival each of the last five years. Their set has become an annual highlight (this year the Jazz Tent was packed to the rafters). It also headlines at the annual Satchmo Summerfest. This group started as a rehearsal band for New Orleans trumpet players, hosted by trumpeter Ashlin Parker. This track features Maurice Brown and Adam Rapa for the initial solos, then Maurice Brown for the electronically modified trumpet solo. This group presents difficulties for the sound crew (it was 25 plus in size on this appearance). It's a really impressive sonic experience in person. Track 10: Logan Richardson, Blues People (Ropeadope) (2018): Pure Change. Logan Richardson, alto saxophone. Justus West, guitar. Igor Osypov, guitar. De Andre Manning, bass. Ryan Lee, drums. I'm no purist, so fusions of jazz and rock are fine with me. Logan Richardson is a favorite younger alto player. I heard him in New Orleans last year with Christian Scott. Track 11: Sarah Elizabeth Charles, Inner Dialogue (2015): Breathe. Sarah Elizabeth Charles, vocals, Christian Scott, trumpet (and producer). Jesse Elder, keyboards. Burniss Earl Travis, bass. John Davis, drums. This vocalist I heard at Winter Jazzfest earlier this year. Her set at Subculture was really great, one of the best I heard at the festival. Her more recent recording, Free of Form, is equally good. Track 12: Calvin Johnson Jr., Native Son (2013): Midnight in Moscow. Calvin Johnson, Jr., soprano saxophone. Carl LeBlanc, banjo. Gerald French, drums. Lars Edegran, piano. Peter Harris, bass. Kevin Louis, trumpet. Stephen Walker, trombone. Back to New Orleans... Calvin Johnson is another saxophonist I've run across a few times at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival who immediately stood out for me and who plays both modern jazz and traditional New Orleans jazz. Most memorably was last year at Jazz Fest paired with Aurora Nealand playing Sidney Bechet compositions. Track 13: Herlin Riley, New Direction (Mack Avenue) (2016): New Direction. Herlin Riley, drums. Mark Whitfield, guitar. Godwin Louis, saxophone. Bruce Harris, trumpet, Emmet Cohen, piano. Russell Hall, bass. The great New Orleans drummer is the leader here, with Mark Whitfield making a guest appearance. The quintet (without Whitfield) appeared at the New Orleans Jazz Fest a couple of years ago, opening with this composition, which swung so fiercely it was almost unbearable. Track 14: Uncle Nef, Love Songs (Ropeadope) (2019): Saint James Infirmary. Shannon Powell, drums and vocals. Darren Hoffman, guitar. Paul David Longstreth, organ. Topsy Chapman and Solid Harmony, backup vocals. Another group led by a great New Orleans drummer. Darren Hoffman was a drum student of Shannon Powell, who one day mentioned he played a little guitar, leading to the formation of this duo Uncle Nef (augmented on the recording).

While I could have tried to stump the band with obscure hard bop or west coast or swing era jazz, I thought a different path would be of interest to at least some.The oldest recorded track is the first track, from 2000. All of the rest is from the last few years, all of artists that I have heard in person and found impressive in the last few years at the festivals I've been attending (New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Big Ears Festival and Winter Jazzfest). With nearly all of my musical heroes passing away over time, I have focused in the last few years on finding living musicians to follow. I'm not ready to hide in my house only listening to deceased great musicians.

"Aren't you the guy who played with Charlie Christian?"

Thanks.

Yes, , I'm afraid so, 61.

Thanks a lot!

Concerts at UTD for the 2019-2020 year. https://www.utdallas.edu/ah/programs/arts/musi/events.html

I believe it is the Dean of the Arts School there; he is usually in attendance at the jazz concerts and appears to be a real fan, albeit with pretty conservative tastes. They also have an interesting program of classical concerts, and tickets are pretty cheap for a "senior citizen" which sadly they define as anyone age 55 or over.

FRED HERSCH TRIO Friday, April 3, 2020, 8:00 p.m. Venue: Arts and Technology Lecture Hall Admission: $20 Season: 2019-20 Pianist and composer Hersch performs with bassist John Hebert and drummer Eric McPherson. The Trio garnered Grammy nominations for its most recent albums Sunday Night at the Vanguard and Floating.

Not sure; I don't have and haven't heard East of Athens; I do have Israeli Percussion on LP and like it.

I saw the group in April and quite enjoyed their set. Later that evening, Gerald Gibbs was in the audience for Lonnie Smith's appearance at Snug Harbor and credibly took the good Doctor's seat at the organ for one song.

I find that I usually enjoy Bob Weinstock's choices for World and Folk music, not just his Jazz and Blues taste.

ENJOY FREE DA CAMERA PERFORMANCES –> Cullen Theater, Wortham Theater Center FREE ON SUNDAY, AUGUST 25. 12 PM – 5 PM. 4:00 PM All-star trio led by Houston native, HSPVA grad Walter Smith III, saxophone, with fellow Houston native Kendrick Scott, drums; and renowned bass player Larry Grenadier. Smith is widely recognized as an adept performer, accomplished composer, and inspired educator. He released his 5th album as a leader, Twioin 2018 with his longtime trio of Harish Raghavan and Eric Harland including guest appearances by Christian McBride and Joshua Redman. The prestigious Berklee College of Music recently named Walter Smith III as chair of the Woodwind Department. In Houston, Smith is joined by bass player Larry Grenadier, best known as a member of the Brad Mehldau Trio, and fellow Houston native and HSPVA grad, drummer Kendrick Scott.

I'm finding this release to be highly enjoyable. It seems to be a similar version of Ekaya that I saw in New Orleans in 2017. No name players in the band, but a well-integrated unit expertly playing Mr. Ibrahim's beautiful compositions.