Steve Reynolds Posted December 22, 2014 Report Share Posted December 22, 2014 In ~ 30 minutes They be warming up @ The Stone Ray Anderson - trombone Lew Soloff - trumpet Jose Davila - sousaphone Tom Rainey - drums Ingrid Laubrock joins on tenor for the 10:00 set Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted December 22, 2014 Report Share Posted December 22, 2014 Lew Soloff? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffcrom Posted December 22, 2014 Report Share Posted December 22, 2014 Lew Soloff? Dude can play anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colinmce Posted December 22, 2014 Report Share Posted December 22, 2014 Have fun. I can imagine that band rocks hard in person. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted December 22, 2014 Report Share Posted December 22, 2014 Lew Soloff? Dude can play anything. Yep. Can and, it seems, does, and always seems to be inside it when he does. You talk about "interesting people", I'd think that he's on the list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Reynolds Posted December 22, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 22, 2014 (edited) Half way through the second set, Ray says they gonna play some "funk" He decides on the "new" funk tune. Only thing I can compare it to is Theme a Yo Yo from AAOC. Stunning composition and arrangement and even moreso the execution of the ensemble sections were breathtaking. Ray remains as great a trombonist as exists in this world. And his spirit uplifts everyone on the stage and in the crowd. Ingrid tore it up and out after playing some sublime more traditional stuff before and after. Not sure Lew ever heard her before. He seemed stunned that a world class tenor player was right in between him and Ray. Then some "old" funk with Ray, Lew and Ingrid walking down the row towards the end. Rainey played old school trad meets new school - the guy next to me was shocked by the whole thing - trad meets the avant-garde. The combo of Davila on the sousaphone and Rainey playing almost all groove all night was thoroughly invigorating. First set was the Chicago Suite with classic Ray Anderson announcements and introductions. There isn't a nicer guy I've met in this music. Music was gorgeous, swinging in old and new style with Rainey the engine. All this being said, my highlight for the night was Lew Soloff. In and out, supreme control of the horn with high notes worthy of any if the great swing trumpeters. And his vocal comments were supreme. Rainey!! Rainey!! And a few of us were yelling as well. How can you not when a band plays with this much fire, verve and ultra swing? Marches, down home blues and tradition New Orleans jazz all rolled into Ray Anderson's creation - a band he says is near and dear to his heart. Another band for all tastes - only not for those who already think they know what these musicians are all about. Talking to Ray between sets, I said that I thought that maybe the reason so few people hear this music is that it's reputation and the actual music have nothing in common. A big smile and he agreed. Another missed opportunity for those who live just a bit in the dark. But happily not missed by me - I always make an effort to see the *great* Ray Anderson - glad I got back in time from a business trip to go in last night to see this music that is impossible to pigeonhole except that it is as jazz as jazz gets - and it is as alive as alive is. Ancient to the Future, baby Edited December 22, 2014 by Steve Reynolds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted December 22, 2014 Report Share Posted December 22, 2014 Thanks Steve. I love Ray. It's about time we had something new from him on cd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjazzg Posted December 22, 2014 Report Share Posted December 22, 2014 (edited) Has this group recorded? I haven't really istened to Anderson for a while. I have a Moers and a Black Saint somewhere. This review will prompt me to dig them out edit to add; Just found their 'Sweet Chicago suite' on Spotify Edited December 22, 2014 by mjazzg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uli Posted December 22, 2014 Report Share Posted December 22, 2014 Lew Soloff? Dude can play anything. yes he can https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCxXSwhdxws Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colinmce Posted December 22, 2014 Report Share Posted December 22, 2014 Has this group recorded? I haven't really istened to Anderson for a while. I have a Moers and a Black Saint somewhere. This review will prompt me to dig them out edit to add; Just found their 'Sweet Chicago suite' on Spotify Fantastic record. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milestones Posted December 22, 2014 Report Share Posted December 22, 2014 Good stuff. I've long wondered why Ray Anderson's visibility is so low, at least in this country. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leeway Posted December 22, 2014 Report Share Posted December 22, 2014 Just got back home from NYC, where I and my wife spent the last few days. This was not intended as a music trip. My wife wanted to go back to our home town for some Christmas-y type things, and I was the designated chauffeur. No music plans at all in the itinerary. But, as things worked out, I saw an opportunity to check out Ray Anderson at The Stone on a couple of night; clever me. Thursday night, first set, was the Ray Anderson-Marty Ehrlich Quartet, with Brad Jones on bass, and Matt Wilson on drums. I've always liked Ehrlich. Jones was not much known to me. The big question mark for me was Matt Wilson. I recall reading Downbeat and JazzTimes articles years ago about Wilson's slick haberdashery, and stuff like that just turns me off. Cool for GQ, but I don't give a damn about it in music magazines. On with the show. Ray was in great form. He really sings on that trombone. Plus it's an extension of his personality: full of energy, enthusiasm, involvement. It's a warm virtuosity. Ehrlich did some phenomenal playing on both clarinet and alto sax, but I found myself enjoying his clarinet playing a bit more. He also contributed some compositions, which were first-rate. The one that opened the show (I lost my little notepaper) had Marty on clarinet and Ray of course on trombone, and that turned out to be a sweet pairing. Marty explained that another composition of his, "Erica," was based on a trip to the record store, where he wanted to pick up an Albert Ayler album. His wife Erica asked him to pick up a Tristano album while he was there. The composition was filled with Tristano references, and ended with--spoiler alert-- a phrase from Ayler. Nice. As Steve mentioned this group too moved from in to out, and from out to in, and danced on the borderline as well. Great players make their own rules, and Ray and Marty were a tuned-in and omni-competent front line. Brad Jones played very nicely. And for Matt Wilson; he must have ditched the haberdashery, as he showed up in a nicely worn sweater and nicely worn jeans. I liked his playing. Matt kept the in-out methodology fluid and filled with interesting sidelights. He filled the space but not in a cluttered way. It did seem to me that the tone or tuning of the drums seemed a little inert or flat. I'm not sure if that is Matt's preferred tuning, or the kit, or just my subjective response. In any event, it did not bother me. Overall, quite a nice group, and it seemed like a good fit for all the musicians involved. Quite amazingly, I was able to get back to The Stone the next night for the 10:00PM set, for The Point Being, a septet with conductor, Sarah Weaver. I've seen Lawrence "Butch" Morris do "conduction," but I've not seen a conductor that I can recall doing classic-style conducting at The Stone. As Weaver later explained, her type of conducting sought to bring out as much as possible the content of the notated score, whereas Butch's conduction sought to guide groups of improvisors in their improvisational playing. So this was a more formal performance, although there were times when Weaver stepped aside and I expect that some improvisatory passages were played against the score. Again, a first rate group (excellent musicians obviously like playing with Ray): Uri Caine, Jane Ira Bloom, Marty Ehrlich, James Zollar, Mark Helias, Gerald Cleaver. I had not seen Caine, Bloom or Zollar before, so that was an added inducement to get down to The Stone. They were all fine players, and the ensemble played really well together. Jane Ira Bloom lay down some fiery soprano work half in and half out of her seat. Weaver's conducting was rather fascinating to watch, and the musicians did seem to respond to her gestures and direction. What didn't I like? The spoken word segments that played with the name of the group, which was also the name of the composition. Ray speaks so much better through his trombone, it seemed unnecessary to get into verbal wordplay, but intermittently he would play around with "the point being" as a catchphrase. Ehrlich and Weaver joined in too from time to time. The concept seemed a little banal to me, and not on a level with the music itself. I was starting to get a better appreciation of Irene Aebi! But there was so much good music, it was forgivable. Fun to see a larger group from time to time and experience that wave of sound crashing over one. I was quite pleased with my two Anderson sets. I would have loved to stay for the Sunday show, but travel plans finally got in the way. Fortunately, Steve brought you the news and glad tidings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Reynolds Posted December 22, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 22, 2014 Nothing wrong with the sound of Rainey's drums!!! (Same kit!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leeway Posted December 22, 2014 Report Share Posted December 22, 2014 Nothing wrong with the sound of Rainey's drums!!! (Same kit!) I remember reading how Roy Haynes meticulously tuned his drums for a certain sound. I suppose Wilson and Rainey most likely do the same. It just seemed to me that WIlson had a "harder" sound than I usually hear. He did well though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjazzg Posted December 22, 2014 Report Share Posted December 22, 2014 Thanks to both of our NYC correspondents for bringing the news in such illuminating and enthusiastic style and reminding me to listen to Ray Anderson again (after a long hiatus) Just playing the marvellous Barry Altschul trio with RA on Moers - first time in must be 15 years Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlhoots Posted December 22, 2014 Report Share Posted December 22, 2014 Great to read all of this. FWIW, I've always enjoyed Matt Wilson. He's had some recent life problems with his wife passing away, but continues to move forward & play well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colinmce Posted December 22, 2014 Report Share Posted December 22, 2014 I didn't know that. How sad. I was greatly enjoying his playing with Thomas Chapin last night, very intuitive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uli Posted March 8, 2015 Report Share Posted March 8, 2015 Just read on twitter that Lew Soloff has passed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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