kh1958

Tuba Skinny, Magnolia Stroll

Pat Matshikiza, Sikiza Matshikiza Antonio Carlos Jobim, Wave (A&M) Louis Armstrong, A Musical Autobiography, 1928-1930 (Decca)

Last night at Ruins in Deep Ellum, Bombino. The small club had a surprisingly good sound system. The crowd was a whopping 25-30 people. It was a pretty awesome set.

I did see Bud Shank once late in his life, at the Jazz Showcase in Chicago. It was an excellent set and I recall he was also an entertaining host.

The lineup looks pretty good to me. I would be interested to see: Terence Blanchard (I just saw the E Collective with the Turtle Island String Quartet in New Orleans) Nicholas Payton (Just saw him in New Orleans; not a staid young lion but highly experimental these days) Shabaka Hutchings (from London; Shabaka and the Ancestors, The Comet is Coming, Sons of Kemet; was at Big Ears Festival this year) Theon Cross (Tuba player for Sons of Kemet; was scheduled at Big Ears Festival but cancelled) Thana Alexa (I've heard her at the 55 Bar in NYC and just heard her in New Orleans with Antonio Sanchez; very beautiful voice) Sons of Kemet (London version of a New Orleans brass band with Shabaka Hutchings) Jack Dejohnette (I've seen him many times; always great) Maria Schneider Makaya McCraven (terrific drummer/leader based in Chicago; just heard him in night concert in New Orleans which was fantastic) Yussef Dayes (another from the London scene; I haven't heard him but have heard good things about him) Sullivan Fortner (pianist has pretty good album on Impulse and plays with Melissa Aldana) Antonio Sanchez (great drummer; just saw him in New Orleans) Celebrating George Wein (just heard the Newport All Stars in New Orleans celebrating George Wein; terrific set) Ron Carter Nubya Garcia (from London; I missed her set at Big Ears) Jason Moran (solo set at Big Ears was the best concert I heard there) Mononeon (heard him a few years ago in New Orleans with Terrace Martin; flamboyant bass guitarist who played with Prince) Melissa Aldana Vijay Iyer Tuba Skinny (fun street band from New Orleans whose star is Shaye Cohn on Bixian cornet (Al Cohn's granddaughter)) Emmett Cohen (excellent young pianist; just saw him in New Orleans with Herlin Riley).

Alexey Marti, Live at the 2022 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival (Munck)

I don't know Cameo. I caught the end of a Dianne Reeves set at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival three or four years ago and regretted not hearing the whole thing. This Riverfront festival is very weird, like smooth jazz fans are in control but they toss a tiny bone every now and again to actual jazz. I had some interest in Gerald Veasley, but it looks like he is not leading his own band, but rather is in the Masters of Smooth, which does not sound promising. They also have Shelley Carrol in an organ trio. 4th annual WINE & JAZZ FETE Thursday, June 2, 2022 - Saturday, June 4, 2022 LowDown (formerly Duet) , Tulsa , OK The iconic CHARLES LLOYD TRIO headlines the 4th annual Wine & Jazz FETE—three consecutive nights of top-shelf offerings at LowDown, Tulsa’s premier listening room. Guitarist MARC RIBOT and jazz-hip hop collective JAZZ IN LITTLE AFRICA will play, plus a special Sustainable Wine Tasting. We are jazzed to return LIVE to the Tulsa Arts District with a world-class lineup. SCHEDULE All shows are at LowDown, 108 N. Detroit, Tulsa, OK Thursday, June 2 7:00-7:45 – Wine Tasting (ticket includes Marc Ribot concert) – GET TICKETS 8:30-10:00 – MARC RIBOT – guitar virtuoso – GET TICKETS Friday, June 3 JAZZ IN LITTLE AFRICA – jazz-hip hop – GET TICKETS Saturday, June 4 8:00-9:30 – CHARLES LLOYD TRIO – NEA Jazz Master – GET TICKETS featuring Reuben Rogers & Anthony Wilson

Youtube is your friend. Check out recent videos of any band/artist you are not familiar with. There will almost always be some.

I saw Richie Cole once at the Caravan of Dreams; it was fine, better than I expected, but nothing to write home about.

Leyla McCalla, Breaking the Thermometer (Anti)

Not that I noticed but I also replaced the old paper sleeves. I was quite happy with the order.

Lalo Schifrin, Bossa Nova (Audio Fidelity)

May 26, 2022: Kingfish Ingram, Audubon Park, Garland May 27, 2022: Jackie Venson, The Rustic, San Antonio Tutu Jones, The Goat, Dallas May 29, 2022: Jackie Venson, Antone's, Austin Son Rompe Pera, Ruins, Dallas June 2, 2022: Marc Ribot, 4th Annual Wine and Jazz Fete, Tulsa, OK June 4, 2022: Charles Lloyd Trio, 4th Annual Wine and Jazz Fete, Tulsa, OK June 2-4, 2022: Randy Sandke, Harry Allen, West Texas Jazz Party Odessa June 9, 2022: Cedric Burnside, Kessler Theater, Dallas Ally Venable, Audubon Park, Garland June 12, 2022: Cedric Burnside, Heights Theater, Houston Bobby Rush, Granada Theater, Dallas July 9, 2022: Lurie Bell, John Primer, Carl Weathersby, Antone's, Austin August 6-7, 2022: Satchmo Summerfest, Old Mint, New Orleans September 2-4, 2022: Eddie Palmieri, Robert Glasper, Dianne Reeves, Shelly Carrol, Gerald Veasley, Riverfront Jazz Festival, Dallas September 17, 2022: Abhishek Borkar (sarod), Shakir Khan (sitar), Houston September 23-24, 2022: Gili Yalo (Ethiopia/Israel), Son Rompe Pera (Mexico), Dacha Brahka (Ukraine), Al Bilali Soudan (Mali), Madalitso Band (Malawi), Kirin Aluwalla (India), Globalquerque, Albuquerque, New Mexico September 24, 2022: Purbayan Chatterjee (sitar); Rashesh Chaurasia (flute), Bates Recital Hall, Austin Seun Kuti, The Comet is Coming, Yuseff Dayes, Format Festival, Bentonville, Arkansas September 25, 2022: Herbie Hancock, Vieux Farka Toure, Format Festival, Bentonville, Arkansas November 4, 2022: Branford Marsalis, Cullen Theater, Houston December 5-6, 2022: Sullivan Fortner, Menil Collection, Houston January 21, 2023: Miguel Zenon, Cullen Theater, Houston March 4, 2023: Christian McBride, Cullen Theater, Houston March 30-April 2, 2023: Big Ears Festival, Knoxville, Tennessee April 13-16, 2023: French Quarter Festival, New Orleans April 26-30: Festival Internationale de Louisiane, Lafayette, Lousiana April 28-May 7, 2023: New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival May 12, 2023: Kendrick Scott, Cullen Theater, Houston

Terence Blanchard, Live at the 2022 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival (Munck)

Mal Waldron and Davide Friesen, Enccounters (Muse) Johnny Lytle, Fast Hands (Muse) Eric Kloss, Doors (Muse)

Charles Mingus, The Lost Album From Ronnie Scott's (Resonance)

Albert Dailey, Textures (Muse) Jaki Byard, Family Man (Muse)

Yes, once. I also had trouble finding it. It is separate from the big outdoor mall, though you could walk to it from the mall in terms of it being a short distance. It has its own parking lot. It is closer to the freeway than the mall. Its a nice place; someone spent a lot of money on it. I haven't tried the food. As far as a music listening room, it was okay but not really optimal; decent sound but lots of distractions (a loud bar) and people walking by all the time. I've been meaning to go back as they have had some offbeat bookings. Maybe this weekend.

May 13, 2022: Artemis, Cullen Theater, Houston Shubh Saran, Windmills, The Colony Jackie Venson, Continental Club, Houston May 14, 2022: Shubh Saran, Windmills, The Colony May 15, 2022: Ustad Shahid Parvez (Sitar), Bates Recital Hall, Austin May 18, 2022: Bombino, Stateside at the Paramount, Austin May 19, 2022: Bombino, Heights Theater, Houston May 20, 2022: Bombino, Ruins, Dallas May 21, 2022: Bombino, Fresh Grass Festival, Bentonville, Arkansas May 27, 2022: Jackie Venson, The Rustic, San Antonio Tutu Jones, The Goat, Dallas May 29, 2022: Jackie Venson, Antone's, Austin June 4, 2022: Jackie Venson, Deep Ellum Art Company, Dallas June 9, 2022: Cedric Burnside, Kessler Theater, Dallas June 12, 2022: Cedric Burnside, Heights Theater, Houston August 6-7, 2022: Satchmo Summerfest, Old Mint, New Orleans September 2-4, 2022: Eddie Palmieri, Robert Glasper, Dianne Reeeves, Shelly Carrol, Gerald Veasley, Riverfront Jazz Festival, Dallas September 17, 2022: Abhishek Borkar (sarod), Shakir Khan (sitar), Houston September 23-24, 2022: Gili Yalo (Ethiopia/Israel), Son Rompe Pera (Mexico), Dacha Brahka (Ukraine), Al Bilali Soudan (Mali), Madalitso Band (Malawi), Globalquerque, Albuquerque, New Mexico September 24, 2022: Purbayan Chatterjee (sitar); Rashesh Chaurasia (flute), Bates Recital Hall, Austin

The 51st New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival is complete. On Locals Thursday, I spent the entire day in the Jazz Tent. First up, Blodie's Jazz Jam, which is present and former members of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, plus a few friends (Marlon Jordan, Rod Paulin), playing a straight ahead jazz set. Quite a good set in fact. Otherwise, the last two sets of the day were the clear highlights. Herlin Riley's group, with Emmet Cohen in piano, Godwin Louis on alto, and Bruce Harris on trumpet, played an outrageously hard swinging set. It could hardly have been better. This was followed by the very different Antonio Sanchez and Bad Hombre. Also an excellent set, with Big Yuki performing on a wall of keyboards and synths, Thana Alexa on vocals and loops, and Lex Sadler on bass guitar and bass synthesizer. On Second Friday: The clear highlight was the Newport Jazz All Stars, playing a tribute to George Wein. Except for a couple of standards, it was an all Ellington set. With Randy Brecker, Lew Tabackin, Anat Cohen, Christian Sands, Howard Alden, Lewis Nash and Jay Leonhart. They all sounded fabulous. Also good that day were Uncle Nef (jazz drummer Shannon Powell's blues band), Steve Pistorius playing a tribute to the New Orleans Rhythm Kings (great to hear their material played by a group live), and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra (another good New Orleans based big band). On Second Saturday, the closer in the Jazz Tent was David Sanborn. He played basically a straight ahead jazz set, with trombone, acoustic bass, drums and Geoffrey Keezer on keyboards. A pretty good set. Also that day I heard some Louisiana blues from Kenny Neal, yet another good big band from New Orleans, the Jesse McBride Big Band, a fine hard boppish set by Jason Marsalis, and the end of a set by the powerful New Orleans based vocalist, Meschiya Lake. I have mixed reactions to her material, but she has pretty spectacular pipes, and she unleashes them at full force on her last and best song, the traditional gospel song, Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down. On Sacred Sunday, two sets at the Lagniappe Stage. First, Mahmoud Chouki, making his debut at the Festival, with his New World Ensemble. He is from Morocco, and plays acoustic guitar, oud, and banjo. This set was one of the best heard at the festival, really beautiful and intense fusion of jazz and Moroccan music. That set was thrilling. Followed by comparable excellence from pianist Tom McDermott and Aurora Nealand (vocals, soprano sax, Clarinet, piano). Set started with the Maple Leaf Rag, included two Sidney Bechet compositions, and a four handed piano duet. A second clarinetist and conga player were added for a few of the songs. Also a wonderful set. Next is Nicholas Payton in the Jazz Tent for a highly unconventional set (Quarantinin' with Nick). His band is himself on trumpet, bass, and keyboards, with Sasha Masakowski on looping, and Cliff Hines on synths and guitar. More wires than I have ever seen on a stage. Payton actually sounded great on trumpet. He cycled through all of his instruments, against a background of synths and loops. Actually, I rather enjoyed the set. Next up in the Jazz Tent was Norah Jones, but I bailed out. There were way too many people coming to hear her by the end of the Payton set (I didn't need to be one of them).

The strangest music venue I've ever attended was to see Fela Kuti back in the 1980s. Of all places, he was booked to play in the Sportatorium, no longer standing, but at the time the center of professional wrestling in Texas, and home base of the legendary and doomed Von Erichs. The building appeared to be constructed out of some sort of metallic substance, with no insulation, the same substance the U.S. army used to use to construct temporary barracks. It was not only a sonic nightmare, but as a bonus the power kept failing.

May 5, 2022:: Antonio Sanchez and Bad Hombre with Thana Alexa, Herlin Riley, Mr. Sipp, Tony Dagradi, Blodie's Jazz Jam, Louis Ford, Troy Turner Blues Band, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival Tom McDermott and Aurora Nealand, Buffa's Lounge, New Orleans Herlin Riley, Snug Harbor, New Orleans May 6, 2022: Newport All Stars (Lew Tabackin, Anat Cohen, Randy Brecker, Christian Sands, Howard Alden); Uncle Nef, Cimafunk (Cuba), New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, Steve Pistorius: A Tribute to the New Orleans Rhythm Kings, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival May 7, 2022: Jason Marsalis, David Sanborn, Meschiya Lake, Kenny Neal, Jesse McBride Big Band, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival Nicholas Payton, George Wein Jazz and Heritage Center, New Orleans Billy Harper/Andrew Cyrille: Austin Scottish Rite Theater May 8, 2022: Tom McDermott and Aurora Nealand, Amina Figarova Sextet, Mahmoud Chouki, Buddy Guy, Walter Wolfman Washington, Nicholas Payton, The Headhunters (Donald Harrison, Bill Summers, Mike Clark), Charlie Gabriel, Tuba Skinny, Chris Thomas King, Khari Allen Lee, Norah Jones, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival Delfeayo Marsalis, Snug Harbor, New Orleans May 13, 2022: Artemis, Cullen Theater, Houston Shubh Saran, Windmills, The Colony Jackie Venson, Continental Club, Houston May 14, 2022: Shubh Saran, Windmills, The Colony May 15, 2022: Ustad Shahid Parvez (Sitar), Bates Recital Hall, Austin May 18, 2022: Bombino, Stateside at the Paramount, Austin May 19, 2022: Bombino, Heights Theater, Houston May 20, 2022: Bombino, Ruins, Dallas May 21, 2022: Bombino, Fresh Grass Festival, Bentonville, Arkansas May 27, 2022: Jackie Venson, The Rustic, San Antonio May 29, 2022: Jackie Venson, Antone's, Austin June 4, 2022: Jackie Venson, Deep Ellum Art Company, Dallas June 9, 2022: Cedric Burnside, Kessler Theater, Dallas June 12, 2022: Cedric Burnside, Heights Theater, Houston August 6-7, 2022: Satchmo Summerfest, Old Mint, New Orleans September 2-4, 2022: Eddie Palmieri, Robert Glasper, Dianne Reeeves, Shelly Carrol, Gerald Veasley, Riverfront Jazz Festival, Dallas September 17, 2022: Abhishek Borkar (sarod), Shakir Khan (sitar), Houston September 23-24, 2022: Gili Yalo (Ethiopia/Israel), Son Rompe Pera (Mexico), Dacha Brahka (Ukraine), Al Bilali Soudan (Mali), Madalitso Band (Malawi), Globalquerque, Albuquerque, New Mexico September 24, 2022: Purbayan Chatterjee (sitar); Rashesh Chaurasia (flute), Bates Recital Hall, Austin

Bombino, Live at the 2022 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival (Munck Music)

I like the solo Jeff Parker record better than the group one. Earlier in the day, Brandee Younger and Dezron Douglas also played a duo concert, though I missed that one. All of this was free. I guess the label owners were taking a nice vacation in New Orleans.

First Weekend of the 51st New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival is complete. First Friday: They seemed to have lost the ability to complete the entry process, resulting in very long lines and delays. First up, Bombino (of Niger) in the Blues Tent. Great set of Saharan Desert blues. Fabulous and ecstatic guitar from the leader. So happy to be here. Second, the very fine New Orleans trumpeter Jamil Sharif leads a tribute to Jabbo Smith. With guest appearances from Louis Ford on tenor sax and Dr. Michael White on clarinet. With Herlin Riley ably manning the drums. Very interesting material. It was a pleasure to hear this live. Third, Aurora Nealand's The Monocle in the tiny venue, the Rhythmporium. Kind of avant jazz rock; very good band. With Aurora Nealand on accordion and vocals, plus guitar, drums and second vocalist. Very unusual original music. Finally, I made a valiant attempt to listen to the day's jazz headliner, Arturo Sandoval. I did not care for the music. Left after 15 minutes and called it a day. Pleasing set fragment: New Orleans bluesman Little Freddie King. First Saturday: Palm Court Jazz Band: The House band from the Palm Court Cafe sounds like the working group it is. Includes Sammy Rimington on alto sax and clarinet, Red Stafford on trumpet, and Shannon Powell on drums. Quite enjoyable in the pleasing venue, Economy Hall. The elderly gentlemen on trumpet, Red Stafford, was quite excellent. Moving to the Jazz Tent for the remainder of the Day: The giant brass band, Trumpet Mafia (with 15 or so trumpets, two trombones, tuba and one tenor sax, plus rhythm section) evidences that New Orleans must have the deepest jazz trumpet bench in the world. Set was electrifying in an overflowing venue. Co-led by Ashlin Parker and Maurice Brown, with strong contributions from John Michael Bradford. Next up, The Cookers (Billy Harper, Eddie Henderson, Donald Harrison, David Weiss, Cecil McBee, Billy Hart). Not surprisingly, a wonderful set. Finally, the Uptown Jazz Orchestra, led by Delfeato Marsalis. Intensely swinging big band with some hot soloists (Rod Paulin, Khari Allen Lee). Herlin Riley on drums. Fun and joyous music. First Sunday; Rick Trolsen's Neslorchestra. Just went on a whim. Leader of this 18 piece big band and composer arranger of this music is a trombone player. An unexpected delight. Sort of a jazz/rock fusion big band, with elements of late Gil Evans, but playing the leader's original music. Yet another interesting New Orleans based big band. Alexey Marti. Unlike Arturo Sandoval's overbearing Latin Jazz, this Cuban conga player presents a much better version of that music, with players from Cuba, Panama, Columbia, Ghana and the U.S. With a guest pianist from Havana, Vic Jacob, who was really fantastic. Very good set. Relocating to the modest Lagniappe Stage, famed producer Daniel Lanois played a mostly duo set on guitar with Brian Blade on drums. A very fun guitar/drums jam ensued. Later in the set a bass player (Daryl Johnson of the Meters) and vocalist joined. Pleasing Lagniappe set fragment: Eden Brent. Back at the Jazz Tent, Terence Blanchard's E Collective joined with the Turtle Island Quartet to play the music from his latest Blue Note recording. Left the festival early to head to the Hotel St. Vincent, where in their lovely courtyard, International Anthem Records was holding an evening presentation. Jeff Parker played a wonderful solo guitar set, then Makaya McCraven played a quartet set with Brandee Younger on harp, Jeff Parker, and Dezron Douglas on bass. I hope they recorded as it It was great. Wonderful sound for both sets. Really awesome concert.