What live music are you going to see tonight?

[Pete C]

"Power pop"? You learn something new every day...

[Mike Schwartz]

http://kuumbwajazz.org/2012/03/claire-daly-quartet-tribute-to-thelonious-monk/

[BFrank]

"Power pop"? You learn something new every day...

HELLyeah!

[B. Goren.]

Mulgrew Miller is playing this evening in Tel-Aviv.

I'll be there.

[BFrank]

Tinariwen tomorrow night.

Saw them last year, too - good show.

[JohnS]

Nice gig last night in Portsmouth UK.

Steve Waterman, one our best trumpet men with Anthony Kerr on vibes (not sounding like anyone else particularly) and some great work from Alec Dankworth and Dave Barry.

[BillF]

Nice gig last night in Portsmouth UK.

Steve Waterman, one our best trumpet men with Anthony Kerr on vibes (not sounding like anyone else particularly) and some great work from Alec Dankworth and Dave Barry.

Nice one, John!

[jeffcrom]

This evening I walked from my house in Atlanta to a park about a third of a mile away to attend a free concert by the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. (How cool is that?) The DDBB has gone through a lot of changes over the years, but I was tickled that, out of a seven-piece band, four of the guys on stage tonight were founding members, included Kirk Joseph, my second-favorite tuba player.*

For once, I was glad I didn't have a gig on Saturday night. The Dirty Dozen were the cherry on top of a really nice day - barbecue, quality time with my wife, great music, and now some really nice beer.

*My favorite is Mr. Joseph's fellow New Orleanian Matt Perrine.

Edited June 17, 2012 by jeffcrom

[BFrank]

Tomorrow: Christian McBride Big Band

Should be smokin'!

[BFrank]

Christian McBride is a VERY impressive bassist. Don't recall seeing another one with his dexterity and ease of improvisation. Ron Blake was by far the most impressive soloist tonight.

Thursday: The Cookers!

Can't wait. They never fail to amaze.

[BillF]

The SwingShift Big Band with guest soloist Alan Barnes at Southport this afternoon.

In addition to his usual armoury of alto, bari and clarinet, Barnesy treated us to quite a bit of tenor playing this afternoon. His big band arrangements were good, too.

[ejp626]

So I saw Get the Blessing at the Vancouver Jazz Fest. They were quite good. However, this is the second venue at the Jazz Fest that I really disliked to the point I won't go back. Get the Blessing is very much in the jazz-rock vein, like Led Bib, and they had the show at a regular rock club, not a jazz club. Almost no seating (and the upstairs which did have some extra seating was closed off). It was super dark, even before the show began, and during the show, crazy spotlights kept moving around and shining in my eyes. There was even a disco ball (though they didn't lower it). Maybe I'm just not having much luck, but I am so unimpressed with the way they've organized this festival.

I also wasn't thrilled that they decided Get the Blessing needed an opening act, like a real rock group. I guess it was some local guitar-oriented group. Their music didn't do anything for me, though they had some chops. But they decided that their approach required them to crank the speakers past 11 to 12. A lot of tender jazz fans put their fingers in their ears for the whole set. I was sitting round the corner, out of direct line of the speakers, but I could still feel the waves of sound going through my body. Frankly, this level of sound is uncalled for and it just made them come across as dicks in my book.

It took me a while to recover my equilibrium, but I did enjoy Get the Blessing when they finally took the stage. They generally kept their songs short - 3-4 minutes mostly. The last few songs of the set they stretched out a bit more. The line-up is tenor sax, trumpet (both of whom occasionally used looping effects but not all the time), electric bass and drums. Note: they do not actually dress up with bags on their head or whatever as in the videos. They were good. Still, I wish they had started at 9 without an opening act and in a real jazz club. I would have enjoyed the evening a lot more.

[BillF]

All sounds painfully reminiscent of some of the venues I've heard jazz in recently.

Darkness and spotlights: Wigan Jazz Festival's latest venue.

Lack of seating and intolerable volume: Band on the Wall, Manchester.

Fortunately, there are still some excellent places; e.g. this room at the Royal Clifton Hotel, Southport:

[BillF]

Looking forward to this one tonight:

http://www.rncm.ac.uk/whats-on-mainmenu-47/explore-whats-on-mainmenu-95/icalrepeat.detail/2012/07/07/1285/413/rncm-big-band-with-bob-mintzer.html

[JohnS]

Looking forward to this one tonight:

http://www.rncm.ac.uk/whats-on-mainmenu-47/explore-whats-on-mainmenu-95/icalrepeat.detail/2012/07/07/1285/413/rncm-big-band-with-bob-mintzer.html

Right up your street Bill. Enjoy!

[BillF]

Looking forward to this one tonight:

http://www.rncm.ac.uk/whats-on-mainmenu-47/explore-whats-on-mainmenu-95/icalrepeat.detail/2012/07/07/1285/413/rncm-big-band-with-bob-mintzer.html

Right up your street Bill. Enjoy!

Thanks, John!

[BillF]

Saw Bob Mintzer with the Royal Northern College of Music Big Band tonight.

http://www.rncm.ac.uk/whats-on-mainmenu-47/explore-whats-on-mainmenu-95/icalrepeat.detail/2012/07/07/1285/413/rncm-big-band-with-bob-mintzer.html

A great show - the student band handled Mintzer's charts with ease and Bob played startlingly accomplished saxophone with overtones of both Coltrane and Oliver Nelson to my ears.

Show was preceded by a performance of saxophone quartets written by Mintzer - liked these too. In each case I was about ten feet from the performers and the sound quality was perfect.

[kh1958]

This evening, Ronald Shannon Jackson and the Decoding Society at the lovely Kessler Theater in Oak Cliff.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect, given Ronald Shannon Jackson's public musical inactivity over the last 15 years or so. But I need not have feared a polite evening of respectful applause for a retrospective concert by a past-his-prime artist. Instead, it was holy f--k, what a great concert, incredible, fantastic--this edition of the Decoding Society was the equal of any I've heard, and well rehearsed, with wonderful music and strong soloists. I never thought I would get to hear this music live again. And there was even a substantial sized crowd.

The Decoding Society was:

Ronald Shannon Jackson, drums and flute;

Melvin Gibbs, bass guitar;

John Wier, trumpet;

Gregg Prickett, guitar; and

Leonard Hayward, violin.

In the course of an hour and a half concert, they performed:

Deluge (Wayne Shorter)

Momma Plays the Guitar (RSJ)

Reese (Gregg Prickett)

People We Love (RSJ)

He Walked into the River (Gregg Prickett)

Concerto for Drums (RSH)

Howard Beach Memoirs (Melvin Gibbs)

Petals (RSJ)

Bloodlife (RSJ).

And for an encore, Ronald Shannon Jackson played an amazing drum solo.

[king ubu]

Went to see Bruce Springsteen tonight - was hesitant for a long while, didn't get tickets, bought some from guys outside of the stadium (it only cost me around... oooh, let me think - about 22 local daily papers, 1-1.5 haircuts, three burgers at the pub - not sure how to depict prices here, but I got in for about 2/3 of the official price which was rather crazy, but I guess that's why all these guys bother to visit Switzerland).

Anyway, it was effin' unbelievable! Just plain amazing, over three hours of great, great music!

First time I saw him live, and I guess indeed you've got to be there to believe it!

[BillF]

Saw the old team of Greg Abate and Alan Barnes at Wilmslow this evening - excellent session! Greg tells me he's just made an album with Phil Woods.

[jeffcrom]

I'm on the overnight boat to Oslo, after spending three days in Copenhagen. Although my visit fell right in the middle of the Copenhagen Jazz Festival, that was just a coincidence - this was just the beginning of a Scandinavian vacation my wife and I had planned. And with our short time in Copenhagen, obligations with friends, schedule conflicts, and a slight bout of illness, I didn't hear very much music. But I did hear the Saxopaths, a lightweight-but-fun saxophone quartet I discovered the last time I was in Copenhagen. And we second-lined with the Orion Brass Band, a New Orleans-style brass band that led a second-line parade each day. I hope it won't be insulting to my European friends to say that my wife and I were highly amused by the fact that the crowd walked quietly and politely behind the band - nobody danced, except us. And we both knew when to yell during the "Holler Blues." I've been the squarest person at several New Orleans parades; it was nice to be the hippest, for a change.

[clifford_thornton]

This evening, Ronald Shannon Jackson and the Decoding Society at the lovely Kessler Theater in Oak Cliff.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect, given Ronald Shannon Jackson's public musical inactivity over the last 15 years or so. But I need not have feared a polite evening of respectful applause for a retrospective concert by a past-his-prime artist. Instead, it was holy f--k, what a great concert, incredible, fantastic--this edition of the Decoding Society was the equal of any I've heard, and well rehearsed, with wonderful music and strong soloists. I never thought I would get to hear this music live again. And there was even a substantial sized crowd.

The Decoding Society was:

Ronald Shannon Jackson, drums and flute;

Melvin Gibbs, bass guitar;

John Wier, trumpet;

Gregg Prickett, guitar; and

Leonard Hayward, violin.

In the course of an hour and a half concert, they performed:

Deluge (Wayne Shorter)

Momma Plays the Guitar (RSJ)

Reese (Gregg Prickett)

People We Love (RSJ)

He Walked into the River (Gregg Prickett)

Concerto for Drums (RSH)

Howard Beach Memoirs (Melvin Gibbs)

Petals (RSJ)

Bloodlife (RSJ).

And for an encore, Ronald Shannon Jackson played an amazing drum solo.

Wish I'd been in the area to catch this. All the reports I've heard have been very strong.

[kh1958]

This evening, Ronald Shannon Jackson and the Decoding Society at the lovely Kessler Theater in Oak Cliff.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect, given Ronald Shannon Jackson's public musical inactivity over the last 15 years or so. But I need not have feared a polite evening of respectful applause for a retrospective concert by a past-his-prime artist. Instead, it was holy f--k, what a great concert, incredible, fantastic--this edition of the Decoding Society was the equal of any I've heard, and well rehearsed, with wonderful music and strong soloists. I never thought I would get to hear this music live again. And there was even a substantial sized crowd.

The Decoding Society was:

Ronald Shannon Jackson, drums and flute;

Melvin Gibbs, bass guitar;

John Wier, trumpet;

Gregg Prickett, guitar; and

Leonard Hayward, violin.

In the course of an hour and a half concert, they performed:

Deluge (Wayne Shorter)

Momma Plays the Guitar (RSJ)

Reese (Gregg Prickett)

People We Love (RSJ)

He Walked into the River (Gregg Prickett)

Concerto for Drums (RSH)

Howard Beach Memoirs (Melvin Gibbs)

Petals (RSJ)

Bloodlife (RSJ).

And for an encore, Ronald Shannon Jackson played an amazing drum solo.

Wish I'd been in the area to catch this. All the reports I've heard have been very strong.

Dallas Observer review here:

http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/dc9/2012/07/ronald_shannon_jackson_-_the_k.php

[PHILLYQ]

Caught Buddy Guy last night at the World Financial Center Plaza. Opening was John Mayall, who was pretty decent, but he did have a good guitarist. Next up was Quinn Sullivan, a 13 year old guitar prodigy. The kid has clearly studied his Buddy Guy and Clapton stuff, and he was refreshing and earnest the way kids his age can be. He is very fluid and definitely shows a lot of promise for the future. He did tear off a few good solos and sang a tune about meeting Buddy Guy which was very nice.

Then Buddy Guy came on. I'd heard that he sometimes isn't into it, and seeing him live is hit or miss, but for a free concert that's a risk worth taking. Well, he was ON FIRE!!! As my friend said, Buddy Guy's not gonna get smoked by a 13 year old, so he entered with guns blazing. BG went into the crowd at one point, wailing away on guitar as he went around the venue. He later invited Quinn Sullivan onstage with him, and they did a few tunes together, with BG even playing some acoustic. There was a very large crowd that thoroughly enjoyed it, as did I.

Because the venue is right by the World Trade Center, we had the security guards for the property, who were a bit heavy-handed with the photo taking, etc. We had a lot of NYPD,I even saw the rare sight of Park Police in NYC. With all these cops and nothing to do(older crowd, not rowdy, no Osama Bin Ladens in the audience), they of course wound up standing around gabbing with one another. Tons of cops watching out for...

[Pete C]

Caught Lee Fields & the Expressions Tuesday night at Ft. Greene Park (Brooklyn). Great show.

Tonight: Neko Case & Charles Bradley at World Financial Center.

Caught Buddy Guy last night at the World Financial Center Plaza. Opening was John Mayall, who was pretty decent, but he did have a good guitarist.

I gave that one a pass because I needed a night off. I knew I couldn't make it in time for Mayall (whom I last saw at the Fillmore East--at the time one friend said, "Mayall's really old--37!"), and when I saw Guy at the North Sea Festival in 1998, and it felt like he was phoning in the show.

Edited July 12, 2012 by Pete C