Best Live Shows of 2005

[LWayne]

I was fortunate enough to attend a LOT of concerts this past year. Faves were as follows (no real order except top five):

1. Randy Weston & T.K. Blue @ An Die Musik, Baltimore on 12/10

2. Andrew Hill (solo piano) @ An Die Musik, Baltimore on 01/15

3. Kenny Barron & Turtle Island String Quartet @ Tri-C, Cleveland on 11/4

4. Tomasz Stanko Quartet @ HotHouse, Chicago on 03/16

5. Terrence Blanchard Sextet @ Manchester Craftsman's Guild, Pittsburgh on 10/15

6. Dave Holland Big Band @ Lafayette College, Easton on 03/09

7. Paul Motian/Joe Lovano/Bill Frisell @ Village Vanguard, NY on 09/13

8. Bobby Hutcherson Quartet @ Jazz Showcase, Chicago on 05/24

9. Gerald Wilson & Roger Humphries Big Band @ Byham Theater, Pittsburgh 10/8

10. Kurt Rosenwinkel Quartet @ Underground, Pittsburgh on 03/24

..what to do next year for an encore?

LWayne

Edited December 23, 2005 by LWayne

[Quincy]

I was fortunate enough to attend a LOT of concerts this past year. Faves were as follows (no real order except top five):

4. Tomasz Stanko Quartet @ HotHouse, Chicago on 03/16

I just saw one jazz show last year. Stanko in Eugene the day after you saw him.

Fantastic! Nothing finer than catching a Polish jazz band on St. Patrick's Day!

Eric

[Guy Berger]

Not sure how many I saw but some favorites:

Motian/Frisell/Lovano @ VV

Medicine Wheel @ Jazz Standard

Brad Mehldau @ Newport Jazz Festival

Fathead Newman @ Smoke

[robviti]

2005 marked the first year i attended the chicago jazz festival. i thoroughly enjoyed myself, thanks to:

1) the great performers, especially von freeman, slide hampton, charles mcpherson, and the great black music ensemble.

2) the after-festival jams at the jazz showcase, hosted by ira sullivan

3) the great weather and atmosphere in grant park

and last, but not least:

4) the camaraderie of one of the other members of this board.

i will be back next fall!

[White Lightning]

Here are the top five shows I attended in 2005 (in Israel):

Pyramid Trio - Roy Campbell, William Parker & Hamid Drake (February)

Jemeel Moondoc & Sabir Mateen w/Chad Taylor et al (June)

Buddy DeFranco (January)

Roberto Gato w/Danilo Rea (November)

David Murray & Archie Shepp (February)

[kh1958]

My favorite concert of the year was Charnett Moffett, performing with family members in Dallas.

Other outstanding concerts I was fortunate to see this year:

Jason Moran and Bandwagon at the Village Vanguard

Steve Kuhn Trio at Kitano

Mike Stern at 55 Bar

Roy Hargrove and Marcus Belgrave at Jazz Gallery

Mingus Big Band at Iridium

Billy Harper and Charles Tolliver at Iridium

Pat Martino at Birdland

Edited December 23, 2005 by kh1958

[7/4]

7. Paul Motian/Joe Lovano/Bill Frisell @ Village Vanguard, NY on 09/13

I saw one of those shows. Amazing.

[7/4]

Say...that Organissimo show in NYC really hoppin'.

[WD45]

In no order:

Peter Brötzmann / Nasheet Waits duo

Ornette Coleman Quartet

Evan Parker

Mötorhead

Soundtrack of Our Lives

NOT the Dave Matthew Band

[7/4]

Hm...heard Ornette Coleman in Newark too. :rsmile:

[JohnS]

I didn't get to many concerts this year. The standout was the World Saxophone Quartet's 'Experience' gig ij London.

Locally the best UK group was the Andrea Vicari Quartet with Seb Rochford and Mornington Lockett. Though it's got to be said all the British groups who played locally were uniformly excellent.

[sonnyhill]

The show that really stood out for me this year was J.D. Allen's trio at Sweet Rhythm (in NY) in February with Allen on Tenor; Eric Revis on bass; and Nasheet Waits on drums. This sparsely attended set was great. They played an amazing rendition of Ornette's Lonely Woman. It was the best show that I saw this year.

Others that stood out:

Greg Osby at the Vanguard this summer with Tommy Crane on drums;James Gordon Williams on piano; and Matt Brewer on bass. Osby was just excellent.

Jason Moran and Bandwagon (Tarus Matten on bass; Marvin Sewell on guitar; and Nasheet Waits on drums) this fall. I saw the group in January at the Jazz Standard when Same Mother was just released and was a little underwhelmed. When I saw them later this year, the band had really jelled and took the material to another level.

Marcus Strickland at the Jazz Gallery (Jamire Williams on drums; Robert Glasper on piano; and Vicente Archer on drums) he played half the set on soprano. I am not a big fan of that instrument, but he played it as well as anyone I'd heard live or on record. He got a beautiful warm sound out of it and played interesting originals.

Jaleel Shaw at the Jazz Gallery sometime this past Spring. Jaleel Shaw on alto; Robert Glasper on piano; Vicente Archer on Bass; Jonathan Blake on drums; Mark Turner on tenor. Mark Turner played some amazing solos. He is my favorite musician on the scene today. However his playing on Robert Glasper's latest Canvas was a little disappointing in my opinion (that whole record was a little disappointing in my opinion Glasper is so much of a better talent than that record indicates -- he should lose Bilal on all future projects).

[sal]

Fred Anderson/Henry Grimes/Hamid Drake at the Velvet Lounge (forgot the date)

I felt after watching that set (and still feel) that I didn't ever need to see another jazz show again. That show exceeded everything that I could ever hope to expect from live music.

[Quincy]

Fred Anderson/Henry Grimes/Hamid Drake at the Velvet Lounge (forgot the date)

I felt after watching that set (and still feel) that I didn't ever need to see another jazz show again. That show exceeded everything that I could ever hope to expect from live music.

I love that feeling! Sounds like a grrrrrrrrreat show by the way, congratulations!

Of course, you will see another show someday.

[sheldonm]

Having had the opportunity to go to dozens of shows and festivals this year, I will need to think about my top ten but I would agree, having gone with Sal to the Grimes/Anderson show at the Velvet in March, that this was absolutely one of the best I've seen all year. Sitting inches from the stage and on it at times, it was intense and in-your-face from start to finish!!! Hard to put into words!!!

m~

Edited December 27, 2005 by sheldonm

[Guest]

My favorite concert of the year was Charnett Moffett, performing with family members in Dallas.

I saw Charett Moffett playing with someone this year (who escapes me). I wasn't really familiar with him before. Not exactly my style and I generally don't like that much funk in my jazz, but man, he was good. Almost good enough to convert me. I'll look forward to seeing more of him in the future.

Is he from Dallas? Product of Arts Magnet and UNT perhaps? I don't really know anything about him. Cat can play, though.

[Peter Johnson]

I generally don't like that much funk in my jazz

But do you like doobie in your funk?

Hoh!!!

[Guest]

Remind me to tell you my story about Bernie Worrell hijacking a jazz jam session one time for a 55 minute version of "Come Together". The rhythm section was cycling in replacements because no one could keep it up for that long. Well...that's pretty much the story, but pour a few in my and I'll embellish and gesticulate more and it will be a better story.

[kh1958]

He's the son of drummer Charles Moffett, who played with Ornette Coleman, and who attended the same High School in Fort Worth, Texas as Ornette, Dewey Redman, and Prince Lasha, among others. The family is from Fort Worth, but I don't think Charnett lives there any more. He's accomplished on both accoustic and Electric bass; you must have seen him on electric bass. This concert was unreal, essentially a solo bass concert, with some minimal accompaniment by his son (on drums) and daughter (on keyboards). It was stunning in every way. I actually sat at a table with one of his uncles, who told me about how Charnett attended Julliard at the age of 13 (or something like that), as well as a bit about segregation in DFW in the 1950s.

My favorite concert of the year was Charnett Moffett, performing with family members in Dallas.

I saw Charett Moffett playing with someone this year (who escapes me). I wasn't really familiar with him before. Not exactly my style and I generally don't like that much funk in my jazz, but man, he was good. Almost good enough to convert me. I'll look forward to seeing more of him in the future.

Is he from Dallas? Product of Arts Magnet and UNT perhaps? I don't really know anything about him. Cat can play, though.

[kh1958]

I might add that the Moffett Family Jazz Band, who I got to see live at the Caravan of Dreams on several occasions, is truly one of the finest jazz bands I've ever seen.

[Guest]

you must have seen him on electric bass.

Actually he was playing double bass, but he was kind of popping it at times like an electric bassist might. If I had read this description from someone else I would have closed my mind about him, but it really worked.

For some reason, I can't remember who he was playing with. Some horn player I went to see, but clearly he stole the show for me.

[Kalo]

The best Jazz show I saw all year was the Mingus Big Band, at the Regattabar in Cambridge, MA. I got to meet Sue Mingus, too!

A close second was the sparsely attended yet still smoking Pandelis Karayorgis/Jef Charland/Eric Rosenthal Trio at the Zeitgeist Gallery in Cambridge, MA, (bad weather). Pianist Karayorgis is a deep student of Monk, Tristano, Cecil Taylor, Misha Mengelberg, and others. Charland is a talent to watch on bass.

[ejp626]

Time often blurs a bit for me, so it is possible a few of these were in 2004.

Probably my very favorite was Vijay Iyer at the Green Mill

I was with Sal and sheldonm for the first Chicago appearance of Grimes on his comeback tour. This was at the HotHouse. I missed the show at the Velvet Lounge unfortunately, but this one was also great.

SF Jazz Collective at Chicago Symphony Center

Pharaoh Sanders at the Jazz Showcase

Stanko at the HotHouse

Johnny Griffin in Chicago with the Chicago Jazz Ensemble

Sonny Rollins at Chicago Symphony Center

Benny Golson at the Jazz Showcase

[sheldonm]

Time often blurs a bit for me, so it is possible a few of these were in 2004.

Probably my very favorite was Vijay Iyer at the Green Mill

I was with Sal and sheldonm for the first Chicago appearance of Grimes on his comeback tour. This was at the HotHouse. I missed the show at the Velvet Lounge unfortunately, but this one was also great.

SF Jazz Collective at Chicago Symphony Center

Pharaoh Sanders at the Jazz Showcase

Stanko at the HotHouse

Johnny Griffin in Chicago with the Chicago Jazz Ensemble

Sonny Rollins at Chicago Symphony Center

Benny Golson at the Jazz Showcase

Eric,

You are correct on the year, these were 2005 shows. I was at many of the same events, although I missed Stanko, Iyer and Rollins.

m~

[ejp626]

Eric,

You are correct on the year, these were 2005 shows. I was at many of the same events, although I missed Stanko, Iyer and Rollins.

m~

I do miss live jazz in Chicago. especially missing out on the Big O tour. There is just not the equivalent here, though I will see a few shows in London in 2006.