What live music are you going to see tonight?

[EKE BBB]

Next Friday:

Anthony Braxton “Diamond Curtain Wall Trio”: Braxton (saxes, bass clarinet, electronics); Taylor Ho Bynum (trumpet, cornet, flugelhorn) & Mary Halvorson (electric guitar). At the CMU San Juan Evangelista (XXVI Festival de Jazz), Madrid.

A few other organissimo members are also going to attend this concert... even coming from the Perfidious Albion.

......

Has anybody heard this ensemble recently?

[Guest Bill Barton]

Dafnis Prieto Absolute Quintet Monday turned out to be a bit of a disappointment. He was good, not great. Chops, chops, chops... The guy's an amazing drummer but I didn't hear any stories in the music or get much of an emotional connection. If you're ever in Seattle check out The Triple Door though, it's a wonderful venue: nice acoustics, superb sightlines no matter where you sit and good atmosphere.

Wally Shoup/Gust Burns/Reuben Radding/Greg Campbell and The Gust Burns Trio (featuring drummer Campbell and bassist Jeff Johnson) last night was a whole other story. Free improv at a very rarefied level. Top notch.

Tomorrow night it's off to see/hear the Anat Cohen Quartet and the Dawn Clement Trio.

[kh1958]

Last night I saw the Mingus Dynasty at the Iridium. They were in excellent form--led by Craig Handy, the sextet also included Orrin Evans on piano, Boris Koslow on the Mingus bass, and Kenny Rampton on trumpet. Highlights included Orange Was the Color of Her Dress, Diane, Noddin' Your Head Blues, Thrice Upon a Theme (I never thought I would see a performance of this obscure Mingus composition), and Cumbia and Jazz Fusion.

[kh1958]

Bill Charlap Trio at the Village Vanguard--Not my cup of tea, I was pretty bored.

Then, David Schnitter Quartet at Smalls--A definite improvement, with Mark Soskin on piano.

[Robert J]

I'm not around here as often...

But, earlier this month I saw Pere Ubu in Toronto. They were on a limited 5 city tour and were absolutely amazing. One of the best concerts I've been to - in any genre.

If anyone would like details I can post them later.

[jlhoots]

Luciana Souza

[Guest Bill Barton]

It's off to see the Dawn Clement Trio and the Anat Cohen Quartet tonight at Cornish College of the Arts as part of the Earshot Jazz Festival.

Edited October 25, 2007 by Bill Barton

[ejp626]

I was at this concert in Chicago:

Principal Conductor Bernard Haitink and acclaimed pianist Emanuel Ax join forces in Brahms' magnificent Second Piano Concerto, a great showpiece for soloist and orchestra alike. CSO Mead Composer-in-Residence Mark-Anthony Turnage's newest work, written especially for the Orchestra, will be premiered.

I was in the 4th row center, which is actually a bit too close but the view of the stage was great. They opened with an early Mozart symphony, which was ok but not particularly stirring. I give them props for programming a brand new work, the Turnage piece, but I didn't really care for it. I guess expecting lyrical is out of the question for a contemporary composer, but it wasn't particularly melodic. It did have a lot of rythmic and percussive aspects to it, but it still felt pretty gimmicky. The violins plucked their instruments for about 3/4 of the piece. Frankly it seemed kind of a waste of the CSO. It would have been just as good by the Kronos Quartet and a couple of woodwinds and a percussionist.

But Brahm's 2nd Piano Concerto was terrific. I was right in front of Ax and watched him at work. But as I said, it was a bit too close. I couldn't really see the first cello (who also has a major part) and thus it didn't register that deeply with me. Ax does vocalize just a bit in certain sections, but nothing on the scale of Gould or Jarrett. The interplay of Ax and Haitink was good, esp. at the start of the 3rd movement when Ax tore through the opening bars and forced the CSO to keep up. A very impressive performance that made the whole concert. They have started releasing live recordings of the CSO, and if this pops up, I would probably go ahead and buy it.

[kh1958]

Last night, at the Iridium--David Weiss, A Tribute to Wayne Shorter, with special guest Wallace Roney.

Nice to hear Wayne Shorter compositions played by a large group. They are there again tonight, with James Spaulding as the special guest.

[Van Basten II]

Saw last night, one of the best hidden gems from California, the singer/writer Eleni Mandell, the spiritual daughter of Tom Waits and Ricky Lee Jones. She is less erratic those two, though.

If the world was fair she'd sell as much records than Norah Jones

[sidewinder]

Last night, at my local club - Gilad Atzmon and the Orient House Ensemble.

Playing music from his (excellent) new Enja album.

[Stefan Wood]

Odean Pope trio at Twins Jazz in Washington DC. This is my fourth time seeing him, in trio and in the Saxophone Choir group. He was inspired last night, partly in memory of the passing away of Max Roach and Randy Brecker, but also because of his rhythm section - Craig McIyver and Christian McBride's father (his name escapes me), who is a FANTASTIC musician.

[Patrick]

Friday Night: Martha Graham Dance Company at George Mason University. Was reminded that Copeland composed "Appalachian Spring" for Graham and titled it "Ballet for Martha". Saturday Night: Greg Osby Five at Kennedy Center. Adam Birnbaum, p, Christopher Tordini, b, Reggie Quinerly, dr, and Sara Serpa (mostly wordless) vocals. First official gig for this ensemble--mix of Ornette, Monk, and original tunes. Sunday night: double bill of Jason Moran (presenting a multi-media Monk-inspired piece), and the Bad Plus (not trying to be ironic) at George Washington University.

[Guest Bill Barton]

Tonight: Wayne and Bill Horvitz duo followed by Bill Horvitz Trio

Tomorrow night: Willem Breuker Kollektief's Faust

[Van Basten II]

He was inspired last night, partly in memory of the passing away of Max Roach and Randy Brecker, but also because of his rhythm section - Craig McIyver and Christian McBride's father (his name escapes me), who is a FANTASTIC musician.

When did Randy Brecker die

[Aggie87]

Last night, at my local club - Gilad Atzmon and the Orient House Ensemble.

Playing music from his (excellent) new Enja album.

Was our old board buddy Che in attendance? I seem to recall him talking quite a bit about Atzmon a while back.

[kh1958]

Stanley Jordan at the Iridium.

[Guest Bill Barton]

Just got back from The Triple Door in Seattle where I saw the Willem Breuker Kollektief's Faust. It was a very unusual show, quite an interesting concept (original music for F.W. Murnau's 1926 silent film of Faust). There was no improvisation at all, everything was composed and synchronized incredibly precisely with the images. A long, long set with no break. This presentation is well worth seeing if you have a chance.

[sidewinder]

Last night, at my local club - Gilad Atzmon and the Orient House Ensemble.

Playing music from his (excellent) new Enja album.

Was our old board buddy Che in attendance? I seem to recall him talking quite a bit about Atzmon a while back.

Didn't recall seeing anyone in the audience with beard, cigar and combat fatigues . Nice show and Gilad was on good form - one of the best players on the scene over here, for sure.

[king ubu]

Will see singer Susanne Abbuehl in a couple of hours, with her band plus special guest Michel Portal (I only realized he's playing, too, a couple of days ago!)

She's got two CDs out on ECM, the first of which I own, "April". She studied with Jeanne Lee and her approach to (jazz) singing is rather special, mostly or exclusively slow music (she calls it "rubato music" in an announcement from an October '06 concert recording I've heard). Songs either consist of jazz compositions she adds words to (by the likes of Carla Bley or Sun Ra), or of texts/poems/lines by the likes of e.e. cummings or James Joyce (it seems most of her second disc, "Compass", is built on "Finnnegan's Wake", but I don't have that disc yet), to which she adds the music.

http://www.susanneabbuehl.com/

I've seen here live at the same festival six years ago, when her career was just about to take off, the first ECM album just having been released. I'm quite happy to be able to catch her again!

Teatro Ponchielli - Cremona - 11.06.2006 - photo by Danilo Codazzi

[jazz1]

Will see singer Susanne Abbuehl in a couple of hours, with her band plus special guest Michel Portal (I only realized he's playing, too, a couple of days ago!)

She's got two CDs out on ECM, the first of which I own, "April". She studied with Jeanne Lee and her approach to (jazz) singing is rather special, mostly or exclusively slow music (she calls it "rubato music" in an announcement from an October '06 concert recording I've heard). Songs either consist of jazz compositions she adds words to (by the likes of Carla Bley or Sun Ra), or of texts/poems/lines by the likes of e.e. cummings or James Joyce (it seems most of her second disc, "Compass", is built on "Finnnegan's Wake", but I don't have that disc yet), to which she adds the music.

I find Susanne a little bland and boring, a few tracks from her first cd where acceptable.

I was certainly not temtped to buy the new cd.

I also can't hear any Jeanne Lee influence, Jeanne was a jazz singer, I do not know

how to describe Susanne singing, she definetely does not have any blues in her.

On the other hand, last weekend I had the privilege to see Mary Stalling, the moment she opened her mouth you heard "JAZZ"

Her cd "Live at the Village Vanguard" is fantastic.

In 2 weeks time I will see the Pat Metheny trio with Christian McBride on bass, should be fun!

Edited November 1, 2007 by jazz1

[king ubu]

I put "jazz" in parentheses exactly because of that... the live concert I saw and the others I've heard from recent years always seemed nice to me, thoughtful, slow music, and her voice I've always liked a lot, so...

On the other hand I'm not at all interested in contemporary jazz singers doing standards and mainstream stuff... different tastes here, I guess, but how boring it would be if that wasn't so!

[jazz1]

On the other hand I'm not at all interested in contemporary jazz singers doing standards and mainstream stuff... different tastes here, I guess, but how boring it would be if that wasn't so!

[sheldonm]

Organissimo tonight, Mose Allison on Sunday and Fareed Haque next Friday.

[jlhoots]

Dafnis Prieto Absolute Quintet