Lazaro Vega

Lots of vintage vinyl here: http://199.176.235.218/ondemand/17-1-20150403.mp3

Link only active today: http://199.176.235.218/ondemand/17-1-20150401.mp3

He came to America in the 1970's to play with Art Blakey and was taken under the wing of Gil Evans. Trumpeter Shunzo Ohno kicks of Jazz Appreciation Month on Blue Lake. Avant garde fans will want to go two hours into the file for "Out on Blue Lake" featuring new releases by Milford Graves and Bill Laswell, William Parker and Andrew Cyrille on Tum Records, plus Jack DeJohnette's "Made in Chicago". http://199.176.235.218/ondemand/17-1-20150401.mp3

“The Chicago-based jazz bassist Harrison Bankhead is an avant-garde-leaning musician with a journeyman's ability to fit within an array of jazz styles from straight-ahead to free jazz.” Matt Collar, The All Music Guide. Grand Rapids celebrates the 50th Anniversary of Chicago’s Association For the Advancement of Creative Musicians with a performance by Harrison Bankhead’s Quartet on Sunday, May 3rd at 3 p.m. in The Underground Series, presented in the unique surroundings of the LaFontsee Galleries, 833 Lake Drive S.E., Grand Rapids, in association with www.adventuremusic.org. Bankhead’s quartet presents a high energy two saxophone front line with proven bass/drums rhythm section reaching heights familiar to John Coltrane’s late period -- highly spiritualized, ecstatic hosannas seeking the universal tone – while able, sometimes within the same piece, of introspectively delving into traditional African musical instruments and cultures. Bassist Harrison Bankhead and drummer Avreeayl Ra are a Chicago rhythm section of enormous range and stylistic flexibility, able to lay down a straight ahead groove as they did at The Wealthy Theatre with trumpeter Malachi Thompson and poet Amiri Baraka in 1999, or push the music into free range as you heard at the Wealthy Theatre when Bankhead joined the Roscoe Mitchell/Fred Anderson Quintet in 2003. Appearing in Grand Rapids powering Harrison Bankhead’s Quartet on Sunday, May 3rd at 3 p.m. they’ll reinforce the multi-directional musical possibilities of saxophonists Mars Williams and Edward Wilkerson Jr., two musicians firmly in the post-John Coltrane/Archie Shepp/Albert Ayler/Roscoe Mitchell saxophone continuum who, as A.A.C.M. artists, play a wide range of woodwinds (including Didgeridoo) and African percussion. With Chicago’s Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians celebrating its 50th Anniversary on April 26th, this is a perfect time to experience the spectacular heights of fire and thunder some of the most creative musicians on the planet improvise in the moment. With this concert, The Underground Series seeks to, in the words of Tum Records, “promote more experienced musicians whose work is not favored by the commercial trends of our time.” As series curator Lazaro Vega said prior to the Charlie Kohlhase Explorers Club concert, “The corptocracy will not give you this music: to find it you have to go underground. Thanks for digging.” Bankhead’s long association with Fred Anderson on the bandstand at Anderson’s The Velvet Lounge in Chicago seasoned the bassist to be ready for anything, and to always groove. He plays beautiful, precise, swinging lines on vocalist Dee Alexander’s new release “Songs My Mother Loves,” and ably takes his working quartet through the sonicsphere on the new album “Velvet Blue.” Ticket are $20 in advance, $10 for students with a student I.D. and $25 at the door. Advance tickets available only from www.adventuremusic.org . The phone number at the LaFontsee Galleries is (616) 451 – 9820. The LaFontsee Galleries are wheel chair accessible. To find LaFontsee Galleries please see, www.lafontsee.us/ .

Last night's 5 hour Jazz From Blue Lake broadcast remembering drummer Paul Motian at the start of the hour. Plus "Out On Blue Lake" two hours in celebrating the 86th birthday of Cecil Taylor. http://199.176.235.218/ondemand/17-1-20150325.mp3

Today at 3. Anyone catch them at The Green Mill?

Last night's Jazz From Blue Lake featuring Charlie Kohlhase in duet,trio, quintet and big band settings; recorded at UICA in 2003 with Dead Cat Bounce; and in collaboration with Roswell Rudd and John Tchicai. http://199.176.235.218/ondemand/17-1-20150320.mp3

Sorry: there was a gaff in the recording set up, so this program is actually the Wednesday evening broadcast of Bill Frisell's music, plus "Out On Blue Lake" two hours in with Evan Parker......

Getting ready for Charlie Kohlhase's Chicago Explorers Club concert this Sunday afternoon in Grand Rapids (they're at the Green Mill in Chicago this weekend). Charlie is an original member of Boston's happening little big band, The Either Orchestra: http://199.176.235.218/ondemand/17-1-20150318.mp3

Last evening's Jazz From Blue Lake broadcast. "Out on Blue Lake" is 2 hours in. The link is good for today only: http://199.176.235.218/ondemand/17-1-20150318.mp3 Guitarist Bill Frisell expands on what we expect music to sound like, blending global accents through ever changing instrumental combinations in several ensembles, balancing repertoire from the jazz tradition with "tunes" by Hank Williams or Ray Davies. Featured last night on Jazz From Blue Lake, plus music by Evan Parker after midnight.

Ah, like "kicking the gong around." I don't know. That one always went over my head. Friedwald also says it was Buddy Bregman using 4 trombones and rhythm (liners to the Verve CD of "Anita O'Day Swings Cole Porter").

I always thought it was "minor's gong," as well, as in "time for lunch." Unless there was some talent show or something that had a gong to punctuate the acceptance of what was going down. Seems that was a culturally relevant allusion that's slide out of time.