What live music are you going to see tonight?

[Kevin Bresnahan]

I'm heading out early tomorrow morning so I may not be able to post... I am seeing Danilo Perez with John Patitucci & Adam Cruz at the Regattabar tomorrow night. This is my first show at the Regattabar since they reopened post-Covid. I wonder how much it has changed?

[Steve Reynolds]

Last night at The Stone

Brian Marsella, Peter Evans & Nasheet Waits

Tonight at The Stone:

Marsella, Billy Martin, John Medeski & Cyro Baptista 

the amount of keyboard gear is awesome for this 75 person theatre! Big Leslie amp 10-12 feet from me. Medeski will be 7-8 feet from me and I’m in the second row.

[T.D.]

If the weather doesn't suck (windstorm and/or snow possible, which might be a problem for me traveling from upland west), I want to see Marilyn Crispell and Michael Bisio in Kingston, NY (Lace Mill) on Sunday.

[Kevin Bresnahan]

On 3/8/2024 at 5:48 PM, Kevin Bresnahan said:

I'm heading out early tomorrow morning so I may not be able to post... I am seeing Danilo Perez with John Patitucci & Adam Cruz at the Regattabar tomorrow night. This is my first show at the Regattabar since they reopened post-Covid. I wonder how much it has changed?

The answer to "How much has the Regattabar changed?" is "A lot". The club itself is almost the same except that they moved the tables very far back from the performance space which has created a large empty space in front of the band. It's looks weird & it seems rather dumb as there must be at least another 20 seats they could fit into that empty space.

On the other hand, the Charles Hotel itself has changed quite a lot. The most dramatic change is that the two elevators that flanked the club's entrance are gone. Several bathrooms are moved/gone. A lot of the areas around the club are now closed off for events. It seems as if the hotel underwent a complete renovation during the Covid shutdown.

However, the biggest change was the club staff. There was only one waitress that was there before Covid. I used to know a lot of the staff there, if not by name than at least by familiarity.

All in all, I felt rather old last night. I guess at my age, I am old, but it really sunk in last night when I realized that I had been going to that club for almost 35 years. Many (most?) of the artists I saw there have passed away. Now the club is totally different. It's like the old Regattabar passed away too.

As for the show. Danilo Perez put on a wonderful performance. There was a mix of acoustic & electric jazz and it was very well integrated, with Perez playing a synth with his right hand while playing the acoustic piano with his left. The last 3 tunes of the set were dedicated to Wayne Shorter & the first tune, simply titled "Wayne", reminded me of late-period Pink Floyd. Perez created synth washes for Patitucci to play the upper strings of his electric bass in a sound that really had me thinking David Gilmore.

My View for the night:

[kh1958]

Bnois King with Zac Harmon at Poor David's Pub, followed by Jonathan Fisher Quartet at the Balcony Club.

[Kevin Bresnahan]

I'm heading to NYC later this week for my first visit since the late 90s. I'll be seeing Maria Schneider & her Orchestra at Birdland on Thursday & One For All with George Coleman at Smoke on Friday. We may hit Smalls one or both of these nights after these early sets. I'm really hoping to catch Jerome Sabbagh Thursday at Smalls but it depends on how the night goes.

I am really looking forward to this trip even if it's putting a pretty good dent in my wallet this month.

[Bill Nelson]

Max Raabe und der Palast Orchester tonight at UGA.  Can't believe they chose my little college town to start their 7-city tour which includes Symphony Halls in Chicago and Boston, prior to Carnegie.

 

 

[Niko]

Just to avoid embarrassment tonight, it's "das Palast-Orchester" not "der Palast-Orchester" (Palast = Palace is male but Orchester is neutral and in such a combined noun the last word determines the gender )

 

[mjazzg]

Looking forward to seeing both Ari Brown and Edward Wilkerson for the first time on Thursday. Playing together with an unknown to me UK band at a venue that doesn't usually programme Jazz. All a bit unusual but two masters in London is not to be missed 

[Steve Reynolds]

16 minutes ago, mjazzg said:

Looking forward to seeing both Ari Brown and Edward Wilkerson for the first time on Thursday. Playing together with an unknown to me UK band at a venue that doesn't usually programme Jazz. All a bit unusual but two masters in London is not to be missed 

Wilkerson especially as he rarely leaves Chicago

fwiw Michael Foster with strings this past Sunday was transformative

including Webb Crawford, Deyung Kim, Nava Dunkelman & Anna Abondolo

included Ellington, Strayhorn & Fred Anderson compositions to create a 30 minute suite that organically mixes radical freely improvised music with the compositions.

brilliant to the nth degree

[Guy Berger]

Tim Berne, Greg Belisle-Chi, and Tom Rainey trio

[Steve Reynolds]

2 hours ago, Guy Berger said:

Tim Berne, Greg Belisle-Chi, and Tom Rainey trio

Enjoy. I’ve seen the trio often plus with guests. I think they are incredible. 

[tranemonk]

On 3/8/2024 at 5:48 PM, Kevin Bresnahan said:

I'm heading out early tomorrow morning so I may not be able to post... I am seeing Danilo Perez with John Patitucci & Adam Cruz at the Regattabar tomorrow night. This is my first show at the Regattabar since they reopened post-Covid. I wonder how much it has changed?

I've been going there almost as long as you have. I agree with you that the club itself is still the same. Yea, the hotel is a little better. (Still probably WAY overpriced though....) I'm just very glad it's back. Although Scullers has been consistently around with great artists, I liked the old club before the moved and remodeled it. Other than being tight, I still way prefer the Regattabar.

[Guy Berger]

20 hours ago, Steve Reynolds said:

Enjoy. I’ve seen the trio often plus with guests. I think they are incredible. 

They were indeed great.

They played a Hemphill tune and Berne told a funny story - he’d seen Hemphill playing this tune with Lester Bowie and Don Moye in a venue with 3 people in the audience - Berne, Marty Ehrlich and one other person.  This was the first time Berne and Ehrlich met.

[Steve Reynolds]

6 hours ago, Guy Berger said:

They were indeed great.

They played a Hemphill tune and Berne told a funny story - he’d seen Hemphill playing this tune with Lester Bowie and Don Moye in a venue with 3 people in the audience - Berne, Marty Ehrlich and one other person.  This was the first time Berne and Ehrlich met.

That Hemphill suite (if it’s the one I’ve heard them play twice) is very challenging but it sure paid off in the end. Glad you got to see the trio. I’m spoiled as they play most Thursdays in Brooklyn in various configurations. I’m especially grateful to be able to see the *great* Tom Rainey live so often with Berne and in many other groups. 

[kh1958]

Last night, Shelley Carrol Quartet with Roger Boykin Play Music of Dallas at the Kawai Piano Center Concert Hall in Plano. 

[Steve Reynolds]

9 hours ago, BFrank said:

Tuesday night at Bird & Beckett Books with the Tim Berne Trio. Gregg Belisle-Chi was amazing. Never seen him before.

Yes / Gregg is very very good by now. He was good early last year. Now he’s getting to a new level. Plus Tim & Tom are grand masters. 

[kh1958]

A fine day of acoustic blues at the Fort Worth African American Roots Music Festival.

I heard the Piedmont Bluz Duo, Corey Harris, Jontavious Willis, Joy Clark, and E.J. Matthews.

[Kevin Bresnahan]

I had a blast in New York City these last few days. Maria Schneider's orchestra was phenomenal and I had great seats at Birdland. Afterward, we headed to Mezzrow and saw pianist Wilfie Williams. Mezzrow is a tiny club. I don't know how they make any money in that place as it looks like it has about 35 seats. But at the same time - what a great club! The acoustics are really good and the band is right there, a few feet from us.

Friday night at Smoke with One For All & George Coleman was also a fun time. Again, I had great seats. The club came out of Covid as a "dinner club", which turned out to be a good, albeit expensive thing, as it allowed us to meet the band members before the show. What a great bunch of guys. After the Smoke show (), we again headed down to Mezzrow for Roberta Picket. Unfortunately, this time we got there too late to get seats so we stood in the back, outside the listening room. Acoustics were (obviously) not as good. But what we heard was some great playing, especially by bassist Andy McKee.

[sidewinder]

Sounds wonderful !

[Kevin Bresnahan]

BTW - on both nights, we tried going to Smalls, which is a block away from Mezzrow, but on both nights, they were completely sold out, even the standing room areas. I guess that's good news for these clubs.

[Kevin Bresnahan]

Mezzrow streams their shows too...

 

[jlhoots]

Goldstein / Bernstein / Stewart Organ Trio - tomorrow

[tranemonk]

Not going this weekend but just bought my ticket to see The Cookers at Scullers in May. Not sure how many more times we'll get to see them but I'm looking forward to it.

[kh1958]

This past Thursday to Sunday,  I attended my fifth Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, Tennessee. It was a fantastically fun experience once again.

Opening Night:

Henry Threadgill's Very Very Circus. Mr Threadgill did not play in this band, which included Marcus Rojas, Gene Lake and Brandon Ross. Started off a little slow, but was definitely in sync by the last 45 minutes or so, once they started featuring  Brandon Ross on guitar.

Charles Lloyd Quartet, with Jason Moran, Larry Grenadier and Eric Harland: Mr. Lloyd is 86 and still going strong. A very fine concert of music from his new recording.

Friday;

Jason Moran and the Harlem Hellfighters. This was another top notch concert, an impressionistic dedication to James Reese Europe.

Henry Threadgill and Zooid: Henry Threadgill did play and lead the group in this concert. An extremely welcome opportunity to hear his unique alto sax at length. Fabulously eccentric music.

Christian McBride Quintet: Back towards a more mainstream sound, I had never seen the virtuosic Christian McBride in concert before. This concert also introduced me to Nichole Glover on tenor sax. She was extremely impressive in this concert. 

Tomeka Reid Quartet, with Mary Halvorson. Nice quartet set at the Point.

Darcy James Argue's Secret Society: Closing out the day in the fabulous Bijou Theater with an 18 piece big band (plus conductor). Great sound in the Bijou and interesting and complex compositions from the leader. 

Saturday:

Leyla McCalla:  Leyla McCalla is of Hatiian descent, lives in New Orleans, and plays Creole music on guitar/banjo/cello/vocals. Excellent set.

David Virelles: Solo piano from Cuban born virtuoso.

Myra Melford's Fire and Water: Back at the Bijou and featured some of the best live playing I've heard from Mary Halvorson.

Dave Holland Quartet: Great set. Very impressed with pianist Kris Davis in this set. Also with Jaleel Shaw.

Kokoroko: The U.S. debut concert of this London based, Afrobeat/jazz fusion group. Trumpet/trombone front line. A mixed bag but the best songs had their own sound and were quite enjoyable.

Shabaka Hutchings: At the Bijou; no saxophone was played; Shabaka played a variety of flutes (and at the end, clarinet), coupled with harp, an Indian classical vocalist, bass guitar and drums. It was a stunning and extremely beautiful concert.

Sunday:

Air (Marty Ehrlich, Hilliard Greene and Pheeroan Aklaff): Once again, while Henry Threadgill did not play, his music as played by this group was amazing.

Fatoumata Diawara: Great vocalist and guitarist from Mali put on a thrilling concert. 

Joe Henry and Julian Lage: It was enjoyable, if not my usual cup of tea.

Julian Lage and the Speak to Me Band: Another stellar concert. Kris Davis shines again.

Sadly, that was it; until (hopefully) next year

 

 

Edited March 27, 2024 by kh1958