Youre most memorable gig/concert?

[kh1958]

My favorite experience at the Village Vanguard is a toss=up between the Mal Waldron Trio (with Reggie Workman and Andrew Cyrille) and seeing Bobby Hutcherson from the front table, right in front of his side by side vibes and marimba.

[John Tapscott]

One of my most memorable was the Joe Lovano Trio with Dennis Irwin and Willie Jones III at the Atlantic Jazz Festival, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, summer 2000. 

Lovano was on fire that night (and played only tenor). Let me tell you that he sounds 10x better in person than on record.  I spoke to him after the gig and asked him to autograph one of his CD's that I owned. A very approachable, friendly and helpful personality.  When the pen I had wouldn't work on the glossy CD cover, he went searching for one that would work. 

Edited May 6, 2023 by John Tapscott

[medjuck]

58 minutes ago, Larry Kart said:

Another great gig was in a loft above the Village Vanguard in 1964 by, in effect, the New York Eye and Ear Control band -- Don Cherry, Roswell Rudd,  John Tchcai, Albert Ayler, Louis Worrell, and Milford Graves. This was the only time I heard Ayler in person, and I was astonished.  His sound seemed come up through the floor and exit through the hairs on my head.

Was that band put together for Michael Snow's film or was the film named after the band? 

[Larry Kart]

31 minutes ago, medjuck said:

Was that band put together for Michael Snow's film or was the film named after the band? 

I think the former but don't know for sure. As you can see, the personnel of the band I heard differs a bit (bass and drums) from the band in the film and on the record.

[jlhoots]

2 hours ago, Larry Kart said:

What I recall about Rosenthal's book is that he didn't pay much attention to at least one key figure IMO -- maybe Hank Mobley or Jackie McLean.

Not really a defense, but it's a pretty short book.

[ejp626]

I'll go with this performance from 2006.  https://www.bimhuis.nl/en/calendar/andrew-hill-quintet-2/

I didn't have the nerve to talk to Andrew himself, but I did speak briefly with Jason Yarde, who said that the "book" for the gig was pretty challenging.  However, I didn't jot down what they actually played.  🙁

So in that sense I found it a really noteworthy performance, but not one where I remember the details all that well...

[BillF]

I was at a Basie concert In 1958 at the age of 19 on the front row of Manchester's Free Trade Hall, right in front of the saxophone section. Much of The Atomic Mr Basie repertoire was being played and Frank Foster was laughing at my "gone" antics.

Edited May 6, 2023 by BillF

[Pim]

Thanks guys these were exactly the stories I was hoping for. Lovely to read all of those personal experiences. And very jealous of Mr. Kart witnessing both Coltrane and Ayler live. If I only had a time machine….

[Clunky]

I think mine would be seeing Billy Bang in March 1988 in Edinburgh. I was very  new to jazz at the time and really had no idea having not developed my jazz compass. This was probably my first modern jazz gig and I loved every second. The Queens Hall on that occasion poorly attended but Billy, Frank Lowe, Dennis Charles and Sirone gave an impassioned display which had me hooked on modern jazz. I think they must have been on a European tour during which they recorded Valve No. 10 for Soul Note. About twenty years later Bang was back in town with but with just William Parker. The music that night was perhaps even more extraordinary.  

 

[Dmitry]

Some gigs I remember better than others, but one in the East Village in the winter or fall ca.2002 stands out. The venue was a condemned building on, I think, East 2nd Street and Second Avenue. I think the band was maybe Belogenis, either Wollesen or Hamid Drake, and a saxophonist who appeared to be too damn successful and aloof to be an avant-garde musician; he looked like a Wall Street trader or a big firm lawyer. The lighting was jury-rigged and naturally sporadic, the eight or ten of us in the audience were sitting on what the contemporary art curators call found objects, and a sofa that an otherwise non-discriminate human would not choose to be on or near. It was raining outside and inside. Shortly after the commencement some NYPD cops showed up and told everyone to get the hell out of there. I suspect they were called by the neighbors about the noise homeless people were making again. Everyone complied. It was an interesting old building, like a gymnasium, with a rotunda roof. 

 

[BillF]

For the most talent-packed evening the choice must be, once again at the Free Trade Hall, in April 1961 when I saw in the first set the Art Blakey Jazz Messengers with Lee Morgan, Wayne Shorter, Bobby Timmons and Jymie Merritt and in the second set the Monk Quartet with Charlie Rouse, John Ore and Frankie Dunlop.

[jazzbo]

For me, two events in Austin: Mingus Big Band at the University of Texas, Duke Ellington Orchestra under direction of his grandson at the opening of a bar I cannot remember the name of.

[danasgoodstuff]

Well, lets see what I can actually remember.  The Faces in Edmonton, we hitchhiked from Saskatoon by way of Calgary on spring break and got caught in a blizzard naturally.  And they rocked that little hockey rink, Wood in particular playing better than he ever did in the Stones.  It was before Every Picture came out, but they did Losing You.  Sonny Rollins a bunch of times, the most memorable of which involved him using the echo off the bleachers he was facing and playing off of that.  Bill F. a bunch too, most memorably in a duet with Joey Baron where the whole thing just flowed one thing to the next, Jobim, Hank Sr., the Kinks, putting a kids picture book on the stand and playing that, stunning.  Ornette Coleman with Denardo and 3 bass players who miraculously managed to stay out of each other's way, helped by a great sound system.  But the three most memorable were probably Keith Jarret's American quartet in Edmonton (I think I took the train from SK since it was the dead of winter), and Sun Ra and the Art Ensemble, separately but both at my alma mater after I'd graduated, maybe fall of '80 within a month or two of each other.  Saw them both several times, but these two gigs were as good all the way through as the best moments of the others.  For a gig in Saskatoon, I'd say jeff Beck with Yawn Hammer at the old arena with plywood over the ice, much better than the live album from that tour.

Almost forgot 2 other notable gigs:  Weather Report right after Alphonso Johnson joined, multi-band gig with the Headhunters headlining and Graham Central Station going way over and stealing WR's time - they played about 35-40 of the most intense minutes I've ever heard.  And local heroes the Blue Cranes much more recently in a similar situation where they only had about 40 minutes in some local benefit or tribute free for all, they just burned and crammed as much invention into their slot as possible.  And I very recently saw my long time friend Tim Duroche and new friend Nathan Hansen recording some free-ish duos and trios at a local studio where I was the only one not directly involved - they'd invited more people but I was the only one who showed.

[hopkins]

On 5/5/2023 at 11:42 PM, medjuck said:

Duke Ellington, Le Jazz Hot, Montreal 1964...

Perhaps you were filmed!

https://www.facebook.com/ATJDonKaart/videos/duke-ellington-montreal-1964/374318239796529/

Were there any particular band members whose sound stood out, that you remember most vividly ?

Stephane

Edited May 6, 2023 by hopkins

[randyhersom]

A seventies Sun Ra gig in the Germantown (Manayunk?) section of Philly where where the band went through the audience hugging people.

Edited May 6, 2023 by randyhersom

[medjuck]

23 minutes ago, hopkins said:

Perhaps you were filmed!

https://www.facebook.com/ATJDonKaart/videos/duke-ellington-montreal-1964/374318239796529/

Were there any particular band members whose sound stood out, that you remember most vividly ?

Stephane

I think that was in the fall. I saw him that week too  (though not the night they filmed). But the amazing night was in April of that year. I wrote a review of the autumn show which is on-line somewhere. When my arm is out of it's cast I'll answer your excellent question. 

[Teasing the Korean]

I've had fun remembering all the gigs I've played over the decades, but I'm racking my mind to think of one as memorable as either of those Mai Kai gigs.  Playing there for me is like playing Carnegie Hall.  If I can think of a gig as memorable, I will post it.

[danasgoodstuff]

If we're talking about gigs we played, reading my Hank Mobley poem with my friend Scot Fultz' band Straight No Filter in MN (I have this on tape somewhere, I think I only stumble once), and playing a free improv gig with a Smegma offshoot where Perry Robinson sat in.

[jlhoots]

Just remembered - Sun Ra / Art Ensemble Of Chicago in a single event.

[Kevin Bresnahan]

I've mentioned another memorable show here on the forums a couple of times. It was memorable mostly for a long conversation I had between sets of a December 1999 show at Birdland with Michael Brecker, Dave Liebman & Joe Lovano in the front line with Phil Markowitz, Rufus Reid and Billy Hart rounding out the band.

The club was sold out but a seat at the bar was available. I grabbed an open seat and saw a pretty incredible performance. Throughout the set, there was a woman about my age sitting next to me. She was clearly getting into it. When the set ended, we got to talking and I was amazed at the level of detail she noted in the players' solos and tune selection. She told me she was heading to another gig - I think she said at the Vanguard - and vacated the seat. One of the people I was at the show with jumped into the vacant seat and the first thing he asked was, "What were you and Maria Schneider talking about? You were talking for a long time". Maria Schneider? Really? Now it makes sense.

BTW - someone filmed several of these shows. They're up on YouTube. These videos don't seem to convey the energy level I felt at this show. These 3 tenors were really blowing hard and Billy Hart seemed to be crashing the cymbals more than usual.

[Steve Reynolds]

SO many of course but the two Peter Brotzmann Tentet shows at Tonic in 2000 & 2002 still top the list

early days 1996 or so through 2003 here are a few off the top of my brain:

DKV Trio 3/27/2001 10:00 set at Tonic 

Fred Anderson, Edward “Kidd” Jordan, William Parker & Hamid Drake at Vision Fest

Evan Parker, Mark Dresser & Bobby Previte at Knitting Factory

Evan Parker, Tim Berne, Drew Gress & Mark Sanders at Knitting Factory

Tim Berne, Drew Gress & Tom Rainey at Vision Fest

Joe Lovano with Mark Dresser & Gerry Hemingway at Knitting Factory 

Mat Maneri, Rob Brown & Hamid Drake at Vision Fest

Instant Composers Pool at Tonic 

Frank Gratkowski with Michael Formanek & Gerry Hemingway at Jazz Gallery

Marilyn Crispell, Barry Guy & Gerry Hemingway at Tonic 

Gerry Hemingway Quartet with Robin Eubanks (might have been Ray Anderson), Ellery Eskelin  & Mark Dresser at Vision Fest

Ellery Eskelin Trio with Andrea Parkins & Jim Black / the night at Tonic when they played 2 long sets. 

Eight Bold Souls at Hot House in Chicago

Ari Brown @ The Velvet Lounge in Chicago on 1/7/1999 the day Fred Hopkins died

Die Like a Dog at Tonic 

Evan Parker with Alexander von Schlippenbach & Paul Lytton at Tonic 

Andrew Hill Sextet at Knitting Factory

Dave Holland Quintet at Knitting Factory

David S Ware Quartet with Susie Ibarra at Vision Fest

Paul Dunmall with Paul Rogers & Kevin Norton at Knitting Factory

Cecil Taylor with Tony Oxley at Tonic

and

Joe Maneri’s Quartet 3 times with Mat & Randy Peterson. First time with Cecil McBee on bass, second with John Lockwood & the third with William Parker

THEN the augmented group with Barre Phillips on bass plus Craig Taborn & Roy Campbell. The “Going to Church” mini-tour in 2002 at Tonic. Stunning abstract and overwhelming. Randy Peterson with nuclear bombs!!!

 

maybe I do a list of the shows from 2008 or so until the present but too many. 9 shows last month alone and 2-3 were all-timers 

 

 

 

 

still,,,,    
 

 

Coming Down the Mountain

Edited May 7, 2023 by Steve Reynolds

[Jazzmonkie]

The one that changed my life regarding music: Weather Report in a tiny university night club in 1973. The stage was so small that Wayne Shorter stood on the floor 2 feet in front of me.

[AllenLowe]

in 1968 when I was a mere 14 years old (and it may have been 1969 when I was 15),  the RFK family had, in his memory, formed the Bed Stuy Corporation to aid the community. They held an outdoor concert, and I played with a very young jazz band, and we opened for Eubie Blake, who was in the beginning stages of his comeback.

All  I remember about the gig was that he seemed a little agitated, and kept wandering around, sitting at the piano occasionally before the concert and repeating "now that's what they called ragtime."

 

[mjazzg]

Brotzmann Tentet+2 - Cafe Oto

 Mujician - Vortex 

Schlippenbach Trio - Vortex 

Henry Threadgill Sextett - Logan Hall 

Parker/Lytton/Guy - (the old) Vortex 

[Pim]

Great stuff guys. I saw Brötzmann with his Tentet also with a doubling Paal Nilssen Love and Hamid Drake, Ken Vandermark and Joe McPhee. Just like with Charles Gayle I went almost in a trance like state. Gayle was playing with Rashied Ali and William Parker then. So glad I managed to see Ali playing live. Man that guy could play. I've seen Hamid Drake a couple of times live now also. He's the kind of drummer you just want to keep on soloing. Such a gifted person.

Also saw Matthew Shipp once in Eindhoven in a small bar where most people just came to every weekly jazz gig. Those gigs were mostly mainstream jazz gigs by local musicians. Most of the crowd didn't even know Shipp. Half of them walked away during the concert as they didn't connect with the music. I couldnt believe the same thing was still happening as 40 years before with Coltrane and other 'freejazz' pioneers.... Come on man, have some respect, order a beer and just listen. 

Any board members who saw Bird or Art Tatum? Or is that too far back?

Edited May 7, 2023 by Pim