What live music are you going to see tonight?

[Pim]

Barry Altschuls 3Dom Factor with Joe Fonda and Jon Irabagon. With a guest appearance by no other than the 87 year old Alexander von Schlippenbach!

I feel so ashamed that there was hardly any crowd. I think probably less than 50 so more than three quarters of the seats were empty. What the hell? If these guys can’t fill those seats this must mean it’s the beginning of the end of improvised music in NL. And in the meanwhile tens of millions were watching Eurovision. What a strange world.

Anyway the guys played 60 minutes of the finest improvised music. I’d say the only downside was the small amount of space for Mr. Schlippenbach. He was in great form but looked fragile. Great gig. 

 

 

[T.D.]

A local offbeat venue presents good Indian music (mostly Hindustani) concerts.

Next week: santoor (hammered dulcimer) / tabla duo with Vinay Desai (who I've seen 3 times before) and Sapan Anjaria (tabla).

[kh1958]

9 hours ago, T.D. said:

A local offbeat venue presents good Indian music (mostly Hindustani) concerts.

Next week: santoor (hammered dulcimer) / tabla duo with Vinay Desai (who I've seen 3 times before) and Sapan Anjaria (tabla).

I'm hoping to hear  some live Indian Classical music very soon. This one in about three weeks: Pt. Ravi Chary (Sitar) & Amit Kavthekar (Tabla), ICMC, Dallas

[Kevin Bresnahan]

There's an interesting show coming up at Scullers on May 30th. The Levin Brothers (Tony & Pete) with Pat LaBarbera and drummer Jeff Siegel rounding out the quartet. I've seen Tony live a few times when he was touring with Peter Gabriel but not as a Jazz bassist so this should be interesting. I haven't seen LaBarbera play live in decades. In fact, I thought he was retired since he really hasn't shown up on my radar in such a long time. There are plenty of tickets for both sets. I am going to the 7:00 show.

7:00 - https://www.ticketweb.com/event/the-levin-brothers-featuring-pat-scullers-jazz-club-tickets/14291203

[Steve Reynolds]

16 hours ago, Pim said:

Barry Altschuls 3Dom Factor with Joe Fonda and Jon Irabagon. With a guest appearance by no other than the 87 year old Alexander von Schlippenbach!

I feel so ashamed that there was hardly any crowd. I think probably less than 50 so more than three quarters of the seats were empty. What the hell? If these guys can’t fill those seats this must mean it’s the beginning of the end of improvised music in NL. And in the meanwhile tens of millions were watching Eurovision. What a strange world.

Anyway the guys played 60 minutes of the finest improvised music. I’d say the only downside was the small amount of space for Mr. Schlippenbach. He was in great form but looked fragile. Great gig. 

 

 

My experience with Irabagon is he plays too much. Doesn’t lay out enough. The *great* Alexander von Schlippenbach deserves more space. The saxophonist should have deferred more. Fonda & Altschul are a great pairing. I enjoy them more with a more humble saxophonist. 

[mjazzg]

2 hours ago, Steve Reynolds said:

My experience with Irabagon is he plays too much. Doesn’t lay out enough. The *great* Alexander von Schlippenbach deserves more space. The saxophonist should have deferred more. Fonda & Altschul are a great pairing. I enjoy them more with a more humble saxophonist. 

I've never been able to listen to more than 5 minutes of Ibragon for precisely this same reason.

Also a player that I hear as technique over content but we all hear differently.

von Schlippenbach, one of the absolute masters indeed

[Pim]

2 hours ago, Steve Reynolds said:

My experience with Irabagon is he plays too much. Doesn’t lay out enough. The *great* Alexander von Schlippenbach deserves more space. The saxophonist should have deferred more. Fonda & Altschul are a great pairing. I enjoy them more with a more humble saxophonist. 

That is exactly what I meant. He hardly let anyone solo. Even when Altschul, von Schlippenbach or Fonda were soloing briefly he couldn’t resist to pick up his horn and play right trough it. It annoyed me a bit but the others made it up. Altschul is 82 but still plays very energetic and powerful. I already said enough about von Schlippenbach  

[Steve Reynolds]

Last night

Pulverize the Sound

Peter Evans, Tim Dahl & Mike Reed

short intense 35 minute set

worth the silly traffic / they hit it intense & keep the energy up the whole time

 

1 hour ago, Pim said:

That is exactly what I meant. He hardly let anyone solo. Even when Altschul, von Schlippenbach or Fonda were soloing briefly he couldn’t resist to pick up his horn and play right trough it. It annoyed me a bit but the others made it up. Altschul is 82 but still plays very energetic and powerful. I already said enough about von Schlippenbach  

One time with Mary Halvorson & Tyshawn Sorey he became irrelevant next to those two grand masters. He must think he’s really great to not give Alex space. My god, it’s fucking Alexander von Schlippenbach. Does he not know that Evan Parker lays out? 
 

as an aside my wife hated him:)

 

she wasn’t a learned listener but she could listen. She didn’t love saxophone, but she loved Tony Malaby, Darius Jones & Kidd Jordan:) 

 

 

“you got ears, you gotta listen”

Don Van Vliet

 

my Barbara had ears:)

[Niko]

22 hours ago, Pim said:

Barry Altschuls 3Dom Factor with Joe Fonda and Jon Irabagon. With a guest appearance by no other than the 87 year old Alexander von Schlippenbach!

I feel so ashamed that there was hardly any crowd. I think probably less than 50 so more than three quarters of the seats were empty. What the hell? If these guys can’t fill those seats this must mean it’s the beginning of the end of improvised music in NL. And in the meanwhile tens of millions were watching Eurovision. What a strange world.

Anyway the guys played 60 minutes of the finest improvised music. I’d say the only downside was the small amount of space for Mr. Schlippenbach. He was in great form but looked fragile. Great gig. 

 

 

accidentally saw the announcement of that show yesterday morning (not following things the way I should) and was surprised to see that there were still tickets available, could hardly believe it... guess I should have gone spontaneously nevertheless... 

[Pim]

14 hours ago, Niko said:

accidentally saw the announcement of that show yesterday morning (not following things the way I should) and was surprised to see that there were still tickets available, could hardly believe it... guess I should have gone spontaneously nevertheless... 

it surprised me that it wasn’t sold out but that there were THAT little people shocked me. You know the Bimhuis of course Niko so both the right and left section were completely empty and the middle section was probably filled only half. I seriously think there were less than 50 people. I felt secondhand embarrassment… Artists of this stature don’t deserve that. 

[Rabshakeh]

Last night for a sequence of bizarre reasons I ended up being guilt tripped into going to watch a touring "collegiate a capella" singing group from an Ivy League university at a gentlemen's club in the West End.

Very impressive in its own way. These kids had worked up 15 part harmonies and stale little comic skits, and they were able to perform songs and complex arrangements impromptu in different languages (there were some Norwegians there and they dropped into a perfect version of the Norwegian national anthem, with harmonies). One kid was clearly a bit early music fan and that came out in some of the arrangements. 

Still, I did feel like I had been abducted by aliens and forced to take part in a cruel experiment in human social anxiety. The kids were fine with it, but the British audience (entirely friends and family) was visibly struggling with the awkwardness. 

Edited May 21 by Rabshakeh

[Steve Reynolds]

Last night:

Fred Frith with Tom Malmendier on drums

astounding 47-48 improvisation 

tonight:

Frith with Nava Dunkelman 

[Steve Reynolds]

13 hours ago, Steve Reynolds said:

Last night:

Fred Frith with Tom Malmendier on drums

astounding 47-48 improvisation 

tonight:

Frith with Nava Dunkelman 

On another level tonight. Nava rules the world. A PLUS set. Incredible.

 

peace and blessings 

[Steve Reynolds]

On 5/22/2025 at 10:32 PM, Steve Reynolds said:

On another level tonight. Nava rules the world. A PLUS set. Incredible.

 

peace and blessings 

Second set last night with Billy Martin might have been even better. Fred brought out the fire the last 20 minutes. 
 

Billy matched his force & energy. Wowza. 
 

Fred Frith is a genius on multiple levels. Peaking at 75. 

[Pim]

Yeah! So glad to have seen them. Evan Parker, Barry Guy and Paul Lovens.  They only played for like 45 minutes but it was worth the long drive. Their playing was amazing, still at the same level as ten, twenty, or thirty years ago. 
 

the whole setting was lovely. Admission was completely free, a festival setting in the middle of a park in Gent, Belgium. I walked in a half hour before the start, got myself a nice Belgian Tripel, sat down listening to the birds for a while and then these guys started playing. Unforgettable experience. 
 
After the concert I was able to buy three cds by them for only 10 euros a piece from Barry Guys wife

Edited May 30 by Pim

[mjazzg]

9 minutes ago, Pim said:

Yeah! So glad to have seen them. Evan Parker, Barry Guy and Paul Lovens.  They only played for like 45 minutes but it was worth the long drive. Their playing was amazing, still at the same level as ten, twenty, or thirty years ago. 
 

the whole setting was lovely. Admission was completely free, a festival setting in the middle of a park in Gent, Belgium. I walked in a half hour before the start, got myself a nice Belgian Tripel, sat down listening to the birds for a while and then these guys started playing. Unforgettable experience. 
 
After the concert I was able to buy three cds by them for only 10 euros a piece from Barry Guys wife

Glad you got to see them and they lived up to expectations

[Steve Reynolds]

6 hours ago, mjazzg said:

Glad you got to see them and they lived up to expectations

Same here. Glad they are playing well. 

[adh1907]

Henry Lowther tonight at the Bull and Gate London NW5, the new home for jazz in Kentish Town. Last band I saw here was Half Man Half Biscuit in the early 90s….

[sidewinder]

2 hours ago, adh1907 said:

Henry Lowther tonight at the Bull and Gate London NW5, the new home for jazz in Kentish Town. Last band I saw here was Half Man Half Biscuit in the early 90s….

Presumably that will be the 'Still Waters' Band? I caught them at Swanage last year - always a delight. Instead of Pete Hurt on tenor they had Tori Freestone subbing on that occasion. I don't think Henry will be appearing at the seaside this year, although he has done for the previous 3 years I think.

[adh1907]

Yes, Still Waters. Veteran Dave Green on bass. Pete Hurt on tenor. 

[mjazzg]

3 hours ago, adh1907 said:

Henry Lowther tonight at the Bull and Gate London NW5, the new home for jazz in Kentish Town. Last band I saw here was Half Man Half Biscuit in the early 90s….

Possibly The Woodentops for me

Lowther plays local to me quite regularly, I really should go and see him

[adh1907]

Yes, that would have been in the side room to the pub, now unrecognisable as a restaurant. Music is now upstairs. Henry Lowther was on great form (nearly 84). I knew he had played at Woodstock (for the only band not recorded or filmed) but I hadn’t realised the range of artists he had played with over the years, ranging from Elton John to Buzzcocks. 

[sidewinder]

Also in the old Top Of The Pops Orchestra. He can sometimes be seen in the section on BBC repeats.

[GA Russell]

3 hours ago, adh1907 said:

I knew he had played at Woodstock (for the only band not recorded or filmed) but I hadn’t realised the range of artists he had played with over the years, ranging from Elton John to Buzzcocks. 

 

[adh1907]

Great! Henry deserves a thread in the Artists section.