Ornette at UCLA

[medjuck]

Saw Ornette at Royce Hall last night. With Denardo, Tony Falanga on one bass, Charnette Moffett on another and Al MacDowell on what the program claimed was an electric bass but it sure sounded like a guitar to me.

Great show. I'd never seen him live before, but his repertoire was much more diverse than that of concerts I've heard on record. At one point they played a Bach Suite for Cello (I presume there's more than one but I don't know the number-- it's the famous one; my wife's been using it to practice on electric guitar. )

On most numbers Falanga played arco and led off with the theme. Turnaround was played even more like a dirty blues than it was on Sound Grammar. At first I thought MacDowell was using a wah wah pedal-- then I realized it was Moffett. And Ornette did quote "If I Loved You". I guess he does it whenever he plays Turnaround.

Speaking of quotes: There was one number that kept turning into The Star Spangled Banner. Anyone know what that would be?

A little bit of trumpet (used mainly for punctuation it seemed to me) and one fiery violin solo.

At the end he got a huge standing ovation. Someone yelled "We love you" and someone else called for him to move back to LA. For an encore he played what I think is Lonely Woman.

I was enthralled.

BTW Is Charnett related to Charles?

Edited September 28, 2007 by medjuck

[Kalo]

Charnett is drummer Charles Moffett's son. His first name is a cross between CHARles and OrNETTe.

[Adam]

I was there too - great show. Didn't stop most of the folks in the row right in front of me from leaving in the middle. Subscribers to the jazz series who didn't know what they were getting.

I thought that Coleman was almost not going to play the violin, but he did on the penultimate song.

Yes, "Lonely Woman" for the encore.

I caught the Star Spangled Banner as well, but don't know what it was fitting in to.

Then just got back from seeing Wadada Leo Smith's Silver Orchestra at the Hammer Museum. As he said at the end of the show, not jazz, not classical, not rock, not funk. But a Silver Orchestra. Lots of Cal Arts people in it. Vinny Golia in the audience (which was nowhere near full, even though the show was free). I liked it, but very sparse in some ways, rich in others, and not jazz. And it seemed a little under-rehearsed.

Oliver Lake at the Jazz Bakery tomorrow.

Edited September 28, 2007 by Adam

[kh1958]

Charnett is drummer Charles Moffett's son. His first name is a cross between CHARles and OrNETTe.

For Charnett, I recommend "For the Love of Peace."

For the Moffett Family Jazz Band (father Charles playing with his four sons on bass, drums, tenor and trumpet), "Magic of Love" on Venus.

[RDK]

I was there too - great show. Didn't stop most of the folks in the row right in front of me from leaving in the middle. Subscribers to the jazz series who didn't know what they were getting.

I thought that Coleman was almost not going to play the violin, but he did on the penultimate song.

Yes, "Lonely Woman" for the encore.

I caught the Star Spangled Banner as well, but don't know what it was fitting in to.

Then just got back from seeing Wadada Leo Smith's Silver Orchestra at the Hammer Museum. As he said at the end of the show, not jazz, not classical, not rock, not funk. But a Silver Orchestra. Lots of Cal Arts people in it. Vinny Golia in the audience (which was nowhere near full, even though the show was free). I liked it, but very sparse in some ways, rich in others, and not jazz. And it seemed a little under-rehearsed.

Oliver Lake at the Jazz Bakery tomorrow.

That would be my exact schedule, Adam, were my wife not out of town and me stuck at home with the kids! Still hoping to catch Oliver Lake tomorrow night though.

[sal]

Didn't stop most of the folks in the row right in front of me from leaving in the middle. Subscribers to the jazz series who didn't know what they were getting.

This exact thing happened when I saw Ornette several years ago in chicago. I'd say 15% of the audience left within the first 3 tunes. Mostly middle aged couples with very nice clothes on. They were subscribers to the jazz series....remember seeing some of them at other shows at the Symphony Center that year.

[Chalupa]

Didn't stop most of the folks in the row right in front of me from leaving in the middle. Subscribers to the jazz series who didn't know what they were getting.

This exact thing happened when I saw Ornette several years ago in chicago. I'd say 15% of the audience left within the first 3 tunes. Mostly middle aged couples with very nice clothes on. They were subscribers to the jazz series....remember seeing some of them at other shows at the Symphony Center that year.

Ditto all that in Philly 3(?) years ago at the Kimmel Center.

[medjuck]

Adam if you were in the 2nd row you had a better view than me-- I was in the balcony. So what was Al playing? Don Heckman's rather un-insightful review in the Times this morning claims that it was an electric bass.

[Adam]

I wasn't in teh 2nd row - I was in row O, and lots of folks in row N left.

The program said elect bass, which I'm sure gave Heckman his review. i thought it sounded like a guitar as well

[Adam]

Double checked with my friend who was closer. He said he was definitely playing electric bass but playing in upper registers.