What live music are you going to see tonight?

[sheldonm]

...saw Med Flory tonight at the first annual FloryFest....great fun and a ton of bebop tunes! Med's a great guy...and funny.

m~

[BFrank]

Just got back from the Mingus BB.

Kumba Frank Lacy got TWO vocal numbers! He was great.

So was the rest of the band.

[Free For All]

This weekend:

Ahmad Jamal trio (first time I've seen them- it was absolutely smokin'!)

Slide Hampton (76 and still killin', and I got to play a tune with him!)

Stefon Harris & Blackout

A great weekend of music and hanging!

[BFrank]

FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!

Jammin' w/Slide.

[Shawn]

The Hadley Caliman Quintet and the Hal Galper Trio were excellent last night.

Tonight it's the Sam Yahel Trio opening for Lee Konitz with the Galper Trio.

It's shows like this that make me wish I still lived in Seattle. Hell, I used to ride my bike down from Queen Anne hill to Ballard all the time.

[HolyStitt]

Leaving in a little bit to drive up to Fargo, ND to see Wilco perform at the Fargo Civic Memorial Auditorium.

[Guest Bill Barton]

The Hadley Caliman Quintet and the Hal Galper Trio were excellent last night.

Tonight it's the Sam Yahel Trio opening for Lee Konitz with the Galper Trio.

It's shows like this that make me wish I still lived in Seattle. Hell, I used to ride my bike down from Queen Anne hill to Ballard all the time.

Both shows were excellent, Shawn. It was very cool to finally hear Konitz in performance. Last night I went to Cirque de Soleil's Corteo in Redmond at Marymoor Park. Obviously more than music... But the music alone was worth the trip. And the whole experience brought back great memories of Montreal.

[Chalupa]

Bobby Zankel and the Wonderful Warriors of Sound

[Guest Bill Barton]

Tonight it's the CD release party for Dawn Clement's Break at Tula's in Seattle.

[Lazaro Vega]

Her appearance on Jane Ira Bloom's recording "Mental Weather" was the first I'd heard of Dawn Clement. Haven't delved as deeply into her own CD.

Heard Eric Reed and Cyrus Chestnut with Dezron Douglas on bass and Willie Jones III on drums -- Tom McIntosh's "The Cup Bearers" and Monk's "In Walked Bud" as two piano and rhythm virtuoso displays, sailin'. Then a duo for the pianos on some original music, Cyrus playing a solo medley of gospel numbers, Reed a solo medley of music from his new cd on Willie Jones III's label. And that was as much as a four and six year old could take. They were in their dresses and looking festive for Mother's Day.

Drove them home to the sitter than came back to Grand Rapids for Elvis Costello and The Police at VanAndle arena. Big nostalgia trip for 8,000 sing a long Police fans. Elvis was louder than an m-f-er. Played many of his hits and was joined on stage by Sting for "Allison." The Police's show and staging -- lights, camera, big screen -- are the best money can buy. High def video as big as a house.

Edited May 12, 2008 by Lazaro Vega

[Guest Bill Barton]

Her appearance on Jane Ira Bloom's recording "Mental Weather" was the first I'd heard of Dawn Clement. Haven't delved as deeply into her own CD...

That's a great disc! Engineering by the impeccable Jim Anderson doesn't hurt .

On Break, her composition "Singing Hands" is my personal favorite. The other original material and Denny Goodhew's tune are mighty tasty too. Judging from the times I've heard Dawn live, her vocals are better experienced in performance than on a recording. There was a previous thread here where a few folks expressed reservations about the vocals on her debut CD. I prefer to think of her as a pianist who also sings rather than a singer who plays piano. The vocals are heartfelt though, no question about it. But the originality of her piano playing is the major focus (or should be.)

[Uncle Skid]

Drove them home to the sitter than came back to Grand Rapids for Elvis Costello and The Police at VanAndle arena. Big nostalgia trip for 8,000 sing a long Police fans. Elvis was louder than an m-f-er. Played many of his hits and was joined on stage by Sting for "Allison." The Police's show and staging -- lights, camera, big screen -- are the best money can buy. High def video as big as a house.

We were also there, and damn glad we brought ear plugs!

[Hot Ptah]

I saw the Monty Alexander trio two nights ago. For his encore, he said he was going to do a medley of Gene Autry and Roy Rogers songs. He did.

[Guest Bill Barton]

Tonight it's Ben Allison & Man Size Safe at Nectar in Fremont.

[sidewinder]

Tonight it's Ben Allison & Man Size Safe at Nectar in Fremont.

Ben puts on a good show. Recommended !

[Chalupa]

Gavin Bryars

A Man In A Room Gambling

May 14 + 15, 2008 @ 8:00pm

German Society of Pennsylvania [map]

Barthelmes Auditorium

611 Spring Garden Street

Philadelphia, PA 19123

May 15 @ 8:00pm

Join us for an intimate evening of aural and visual sleight-of-hand in the 19th-century atmosphere of the historic German Society of Pennsylvania. Gavin Bryars’ 1992 ten part series for string quartet and spoken word, A Man In A Room Gambling, are beautiful feats of sonic subterfuge. Bryars created this cycle with the late sculptor Juan Muñoz, who included texts describing card tricks adapted from the legendary master S.W. Erdnase. Famous for his landmark 1902 handbook on close magic, originally titled The Magician at the Card Table, Erdnase was in life as he was on the stage: mysterious and elusive. Erdnase is an assumed name, and his true identity remains unknown to this day. Bryars’ music weaves seductively in and out of the intricate descriptions such that it is easy to loose the thread of both music and text.

Originally written as ten short pieces for the BBC Radio, A Man In A Room Gambling will be performed by renowned violinist and multi-stylist Todd Reynolds and the Todd Reynolds Situation, with a special guest appearance by Gavin Bryars on contrabass. For select vignettes, visual projections and design will be created by Bill Morrison and Laurie Olinder with direction by Bob McGrath. Some pieces will be performed with the original recordings of Juan Muñoz speaking his adaptations of S.W. Erdnase’s descriptions of expert card sharping.

Bryars and Muñoz created A Man In A Room Gambling on commission from London-based Artangel. Bryars has long envisioned creating a larger work for the theater based on Erdnase’s life and legacy, making A Man In A Room Gambling both a completed set of compositions unto themselves and studies for a larger work. These performances are presented as preview sketches for the full music-theater piece Who Was Erdnase?, which has been commissioned by Peregrine Arts to open in 2010.

Music by Gavin Bryars

Text (after S.W. Erdnase) by Juan Muñoz

Film by Bill Morrison

Visual Design by Laurie Olinder

Directed by Bob McGrath

Performed by the Todd Reynolds Situation with Gavin Bryars

Music Direction by Todd Reynolds

[Guest Bill Barton]

Tonight it's Ben Allison & Man Size Safe at Nectar in Fremont.

Ben puts on a good show. Recommended !

It was indeed a good show in Seattle.

Upcoming dates for Man Size Safe are:

May 15 Ben Allison and Man Size Safe - Redwood Jazz Festival

Humboldt County, CA

May 17 Ben Allison and Man Size Safe - Penofin Jazz Festival

Ukiah, CA

June 20 Ben Allison and Man Size Safe

Veneto, Italy

[Guest Bill Barton]

Right now I'm gearing up for 's CD release party on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. at the Seattle Asian Art Museum.

[jlhoots]

Doug Lawrence Quartet

[Larry Kart]

If all goes according to plan:

10:00PM at the Hungry Brain, 2319 W Belmont, 773.935.2118

Jason Adasiewicz, Nate McBride, Mike Reed

A Fox Can Be Hungry : Matt Schneider, Jason Adasiewicz, Anton Hatwich, John Herndon

[Michael Weiss]

Tom Harrell Quintet last night at the Vanguard.

Wayne Escoffrey - tenor

Danny Grissett - piano

Ugonna Okegwo - bass

Jonathan Blake - drums

One of the best working bands out here.

Aside from an excellent set of original tunes and a couple of others (KD's "Straight Ahead" and "Body and Soul"), the solos, accompaniment, group dynamic and creativity was all of the highest quality. Totally stimulating from the first note to the last – a rare thing these days!

[David Gitin]

William Parker with Rob Brown, Lewis Barnes, Hamid Drake at Kuumbwa Jazz Center, Santa Cruz, CA

[PHILLYQ]

On Thursday night(5/15) I had an open night when I could go see some live

music but I couldn't decide who to see- Henry Threadgill was at Jazz

Gallery(Saw him there once before and it was excellent) and Todd

Sickafoose(whom I'd never heard) was at 55Bar. I was still undecided as I

headed to the subway, so I decided to let the NYC subway decide for me! The

station I went to has the 'B' train, which would leave me off near 55Bar, and

also the 'Q' train which would leave me off near Jazz Gallery . I decided to

take whatever train came first and go to that show. The 'B' train came first,

so I went to see Todd Sickafoose at 55Bar.

Todd Sickafoose(TS)plays upright bass, and he had a group with Jenny

Scheinman on violin. Here's the list of who played in his group:

http://www.55bar.com/ There was also a percussionist not listed on the 55Bar

website. His music featured a lot of interesting harmony, opening with a slow

trombone/violin duet that gradually morphed into some very intense group

interplay. TS was also a rarity- it was his group, but he didn't take a bass

solo on every tune and really allowed the compositions and the players to

shine.Although Jenny Scheinman was the main soloist, everybody in the group

got at least one turn to shine and everyone played very well despite playing

mostly off charts. At times the music was quite lush and expansive and at

other times they were going straight to gutbucket/funky.

Jenny Scheinman was featured quite a bit(Ithink she soloed on every piece)

and she played great. Her solos were full of passion and she also has quite a

bit of technical ability to realize her passion. I've now seen her play in two

very different settings, once with Bill Frisell's 858 Quartet and with this

group and she was outstanding in both. Many thanks to Todd Sickafoose and Co

for a great set of music and for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority for

'picking' a great show.

[marcello]

Last night:

Bill Charlap trio at Dizzy's - Peter Washington (bass) & Kenny Washington (drums).

For the first couple of tunes they were so blazing fast and synchronized, it was on the verge of being a bore, then Charlap played a intro to Sophisticated Lady that seemed to settled them in and it was jazz piano trio music of the highest level.

The set had a interesting mix of tunes with Ellington, Kern, Horace Sliver, Oliver Nelson, Hank Jones etc.

[HolyStitt]

Tonight I saw the Dave Brubeck Quartet at Orchestra Hall.

It was fun how he worked the bad weather we had in the area today into the first set. He played Gone With The Wind, Stormy Weather, On The Sunny Side of the Street, and Over the Rainbow.