What live music are you going to see tonight?

[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.

[jlhoots]

James McMurtry, Dave Alvin, Jimmie Dale Gilmore tomorrow.

[Steve Reynolds]

Last night at Close Up in NYC

two very strong sets from Ingrid Laubrock, Brandon Lopez & Tom Rainey

[T.D.]

Couple of small local things this weekend

Paul Pinto and James Ilgenfritz Saturday, part of a new improv series @ a revived venue

Tani Tabbal Quartet Sunday

[Rabshakeh]

Saw Kahil El Zabar at Ronnie's last night. 

A good gig. I have seen him often in the last few years as he has become a biggish star in the UK recently. He was with Corey Wilkes on trumpet and Kevin Nabors on tenor plus cellist Ismael Ali. There seemed to be some tension in the group which I read as being centred around Wilkes, who seemed a little bit off. But enjoyable nonetheless. 

It is a good summer and autumn for gigs here in London and I have lined up quite a few.

[Steve Reynolds]

Last Thursday night one of the best sets I’ve ever seen.

at The Stone at The New School in the Glass Box Theatre:

Kochi Makigami on wood flute, vocalizing, cornet & theremin

Sana Nagana on violin

Ned Rothenberg on alto sax, clarinet & wood flute

Tim Dahl on electric bass

Ches Smith on drums

explosive, dynamic 52-53 minutes. 4 pieces each unique yet connected in some odd way.
wowza on a million levels. Fully improvised yet seemed like a suite. 
 

the following night was very good with Myk Friedman, Erik Frieadlander & Nava Dunkelman joining Kochi. But after Thursday it paled in comparison. Tim Dahl & Ches Smith are an unstoppable force. And the violinist was a radical voice & Kochi didn’t over do his mind blowing vocal technique which he tended to do last night. 
 

as many times as I’ve seen Ches, he continues to astound me. And I’ve probably seen him in various groups about 40-50 times over the years. In some ways like John Henry Bonham. Meant as the highest compliment. It’s also great to be 10 feet from his bass drum. After Phil Lesh, Tim Dahl is the best electric bassist I’ve ever heard. Live in a small room, it’s life changing every time. He’s insane. 

Edited June 7 by Steve Reynolds

[kh1958]

Yesterday afternoon, in a Plano, Texas strip mall, Ravi Chary (who is on Miles from India) on sitar and Amit Davthekar on Tabla, for a rather wonderful concert of Indian classical music.

[EKE BBB]

[Steve Reynolds]

Last Thursday at Solar Myth in Philly 

Gerry Hemingway, Reggie Workman & Miya Masaoka 

astounding 75-80 minute set

Reggie turns 88 in 2 weeks. Channelled the ancients. Hemingway was brilliant as always. Their use of alternate instruments (especially Workman with bells, tubes & soft breaths) was organic & deeply psychedelic. This is what avant-garde is.

28-30 minute piece followed by a 38-40 minute improvisation. Shortish 6-7 minute encore left some if us stunned. Munificent. 

deeply moving & life affirming 

 

on Friday a great set: Michael Foster with Strings with Nava Dunkelman being even better than the last 2 shows I saw with her. Rocio Sanchez on cello & Jessica Pavone on viola are two new additions to the group & the young virtuoso on cello destroyed atoms. They employ shards from Ellington, Strayhorn & McPhee with freely improvised sections to great effect. Concise 42 minute continuous set. 

[ejp626]

Saw a group of local musicians playing hard bop compositions of Horace Silver at the Rex.  The main notable thing about the group was there was no piano and was more guitar led by Reg Schwager, perhaps the best known member of the group.  It was a lot of fun but not "challenging."

Next week is Arooj Aftab, as part of the Toronto Jazz Festival (the only thing I am paying to see, unless I swing by the Rex again).