What live music are you going to see tonight?

[ejp626]

Just back from seeing Gary Versace and Mike Murley playing at Hirut.  Mike has been appearing a lot in Toronto lately, and he recently confirmed he is moving back to Toronto permanently, so he'll probably be around even more at the Rex and Jazz Bistro.  In fact, he has a gig at the Jazz Bistro on June 2, and I should manage to make that.

Hirut has 4 nights of Harold Danko, Pat LeBarbara and Neil Swainson in mid June, and I will definitely make it once, maybe even twice.  Apparently, right after this homestand, they will be recording and, assuming the results are good, this will (eventually) be released on Steeplechase, so that's fairly exciting.

[ejp626]

Just back from seeing Brian Dickinson and Neil Swainson and some other local musicians at the Jazz Bistro.  They turned both sets into a tribute to Sonny Rollins.  The last song, St. Thomas, was particularly good, though both sets were great.  I imagine they'll do something similar tomorrow, but I won't be able to make it.

Interestingly, Mike Murley had a pre-planned tribute to Sonny Rollins next week (June 2), also at the Jazz Bistro, so I imagine he will really try to up his game given the circumstances.

[Chuck Nessa]

Saturday

[Kevin Bresnahan]

I'm looking forward to seeing the Levin Brothers with Pat Labarera on tenor at Scullers Jazz Club in Boston tonight. I've never managed to catch Pat as he rarely toured through this area. He came through last year with this band but I was on vacation and missed it. There are only a few tickets left. I'm glad it's close to selling out. Recent shows have not had many pre-show sales so I've been wondering if live Jazz was dying in Boston.

[kh1958]

Last evening, Daniel Pardo at the Kitchen Cafe.

[adh1907]

On 5/30/2026 at 12:09 PM, Kevin Bresnahan said:

I'm looking forward to seeing the Levin Brothers with Pat Labarera on tenor at Scullers Jazz Club in Boston tonight. I've never managed to catch Pat as he rarely toured through this area. He came through last year with this band but I was on vacation and missed it. There are only a few tickets left. I'm glad it's close to selling out. Recent shows have not had many pre-show sales so I've been wondering if live Jazz was dying in Boston.

Is Wally’s still operating? I remember some interesting visits in the ‘80s. 

Anthony

[Kevin Bresnahan]

45 minutes ago, adh1907 said:

Is Wally’s still operating? I remember some interesting visits in the ‘80s. 

Anthony

According to wikipedia, Covid almost took them out, but their website is still active, so I guess they're still going.

https://wallyscafe.com/

I haven't been there in a long long time. I used to go quite often when drummer John Lamkin ran one of the jam sessions. That was probably 30 years ago.  

[adh1907]

On 6/1/2026 at 11:51 PM, Kevin Bresnahan said:

According to wikipedia, Covid almost took them out, but their website is still active, so I guess they're still going.

https://wallyscafe.com/

I haven't been there in a long long time. I used to go quite often when drummer John Lamkin ran one of the jam sessions. That was probably 30 years ago.  

Thanks for the reply Kevin. Good to hear it’s still operating. Quite a small place I recall, lots of youngsters coming in to jam (from Berklee?). Saw Wynton Marsalis playing a free open air gig in a Boston park on that trip too. ‘88. Fond memories from our first trip to the States. 

[Kevin Bresnahan]

I saw Jacky Terrasson last night at Jimmy's in Portsmouth, NH. Great show but a surprisingly sparse crowd. I don't know of it was due to the day of the week or if Jimmy's pricing structure is finally catching up to them. I see that there are still a lot of tickets available to see Charles Lloyd in August but with a ticket price of $141.25, I am going to pass. Ditto Kamasi Washington, who is also priced at $141.25 for his first set and $115 for his second set. Ouch. 

Tomorrow night, June 12th, my birthday, I'm heading to Scullers to see Sarah Hanahan's return to Boston. I've been reading really good things about her playing in New York so I'm looking forward to finally seeing her. I am hoping she brings Joe Farnsworth with her - Joe was an early champion of hers - but I'm good with whoever she brings.

[tranemonk]

On 6/11/2026 at 7:10 AM, Kevin Bresnahan said:

I saw Jacky Terrasson last night at Jimmy's in Portsmouth, NH. Great show but a surprisingly sparse crowd. I don't know of it was due to the day of the week or if Jimmy's pricing structure is finally catching up to them. I see that there are still a lot of tickets available to see Charles Lloyd in August but with a ticket price of $141.25, I am going to pass. Ditto Kamasi Washington, who is also priced at $141.25 for his first set and $115 for his second set. Ouch. 

Tomorrow night, June 12th, my birthday, I'm heading to Scullers to see Sarah Hanahan's return to Boston. I've been reading really good things about her playing in New York so I'm looking forward to finally seeing her. I am hoping she brings Joe Farnsworth with her - Joe was an early champion of hers - but I'm good with whoever she brings.

It's the pricing. 

Caught Bill Frisell trio last night in Cambridge. Absolutely beautiful. 

[ejp626]

I'm definitely glad that the three most viable jazz institutions in Toronto (Jazz Bistro, The Rex and Hirut) keep things affordable, generally $20-40 and once in a very rare while going above that.  (And that's Can $  😉)

I was able to see Pat LaBarbara, Harold Danko, Neil Swainson and Terry Clarke for $25 on Thurs.  They are playing four nights in a row, almost entirely the same material, as they are gearing up for a recording session early next week to come out on Steeplechase.  Really good stuff, but I don't need to hear it twice in a row.

So I went over to Jazz Bistro on Friday, and it was $30 to see Kirk MacDonald, Joe Magnarelli, Pat Bianchi on organ and Bernd Reiter (from Austria!) on drums.  They mixed things up but played a bit off a forthcoming CD that Kirk and Joe play on, celebrating the music of Miles and Coltrane.  He had some advance copies of the CD, and I snagged one, though I still owe him $5 the next time I see him gigging at the Bistro or the Rex...

Anyway, two really fantastic nights out.

Next Sat. I am seeing the Jeremy Ledbetter Trio at the Rex as one of the ticketed events at the Toronto Jazz Fest, and the week after that Kokoroko is playing The Phoenix, and I snagged tickets to that as well.  So a few more things to look forward to.

[felser]

Philadelphia Boys Choir at Temple University Performing Arts Center.  My grandson is in the Boys Choir preparatory program, enters second year in the fall.

[BFrank]

Seeing 'The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis' at a small club here in SF. I've seen them before but looking forward to this performance.

[BFrank]

On 6/14/2026 at 12:01 AM, BFrank said:

Seeing 'The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis' at a small club here in SF. I've seen them before but looking forward to this performance.

Excellent show last night. I saw them a couple of years ago, and it was a little too much in-your-face non-stop intensity. This show was more thought out - mixing highs and lows throughout the show. In other words, more polished ... but in a GOOD way! 

[ejp626]

On 6/13/2026 at 4:39 PM, ejp626 said:

Next Sat. I am seeing the Jeremy Ledbetter Trio at the Rex as one of the ticketed events at the Toronto Jazz Fest.

I enjoyed Jeremy Ledbetter, though I did think his intros between songs were on the long side...  Starting to see about a few other things at the Toronto Jazz Fest, starting next week.  I might try to get to some of the free gigs in Yorkville.

[mjazzg]

Extraordinary performance of Tyshawn Sorey's 'Monochromatic Light (Afterlife)' conducted by Sorey.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/events/erp9hn

My second time hearing Davóne Tines live, I hope there will be more.

[jlhoots]

Eddie Daniels Quartet - tomorrow night.

[Kevin Bresnahan]

Tomorrow night, it's the Emmet Cohen Trio at Scullers in Boston.

[ejp626]

I saw one of the free sets at the Jazz Fest: Irene Torres.  I mostly went because I semi-follow the guitarist in the group: Eric St. Laurent.  I would say this year the majority of the artists are doing vocal jazz or something with vocals that isn't really jazz.

Anyway, the main event was Kokoroko.  I'll be honest; I was pretty disappointed.  The set felt entirely nu soul, not jazz at all, and that was not what I wanted to see.  It's a shame, as I really did like their latest EP on Bandcamp, but their live set wasn't anything like this at all.  I actually left early, which I almost never do.  (I am glad they seem to have a pretty large and young crowd following them, but it's just not for me.)

I think I'll be able to come back on Sunday to see Charlie Rose, who does appear to play straight-ahead jazz (with no vocals) and perhaps Agneya, who is more of a world music percussionist, but probably still more up my alley than Kokoroko was...

[kh1958]

Tonight: Oz Noy Organ Trio with Brian Charette at Windmills.

 

[Chuck Nessa]

Thurman Barker

[T.D.]

Tomorrow:

KASA QUARTET
with ANTHONY RATINOV, piano

Walter Piston: String Quartet No. 1
Charles Ives: String Quartet No. 1 (“From the Salvation Army”)
Frédéric Chopin: Impromptu in A-flat major, Op. 29; Prelude in F-sharp major, Op. 28, No. 13; Scherzo No. 3 in C-sharp minor, Op. 39
Amy Beach: Piano Quintet in F-sharp minor, Op. 67

[The live music thread on the Classical subforum is moribund.]

[Kevin Bresnahan]

If Emmet Cohen comes to your area, especially if he has Joe Farnsworth in the drum chair, do not miss it! Great set last night. They're playing at Scullers again tonight and if I lived closer, I'd try to catch another set. They have so much fun up there it's infectious. Start to finish was a romp.

Joe Farnsworth grew up in the town next my hometown, so we usually give each other some shit about our football teams beating each other (let's be real - Holyoke always won). My wife snapped the picture right after I said "Go Holyoke".

[Pim]

Evan Parker and Sylvie Courvoisier at the Bimhuis. Truly a great concert. Parker’s playing sounds a little milder and less abstract when playing with Courvoisier. 
 

[BFrank]

9 hours ago, Pim said:

Evan Parker and Sylvie Courvoisier at the Bimhuis. Truly a great concert. Parker’s playing sounds a little milder and less abstract when playing with Courvoisier. 
 

I bet that was pretty excellent!