Andy Bey

[nmorin]

In September I'll be in Bern, Switzerland, and the hotel I'll be staying at has a little club -- Marian's Jazzroom -- and appearing while I am there will be the Andy Bey Quartet. Can anybody give me the Jazz 411 on Andy Bey?

[JSngry]

Andy Bey is great.

Is that good enough?

[BFrank]

Go!

[Shawn]

You're lucky...Andy Bey is incredible. Enjoy!

[A Lark Ascending]

Take a look here for lots of enthusiastic approval:

http://www.organissimo.org/forum/index.php...andy%20bey&st=0

Someone I'd travel a way to see (though not as far as Switzerland!).

[chris olivarez]

I'd love to go to Switzerland to see Andy Bey but unfortunately my finances and my schedule make it totally out of the question.

[Jazzmoose]

Hell, I'd love to go to Switzerland to see Andy Rooney! Um...as long as I didn't have to see him long, and no photographs were taken...

[alejo]

Another pro vote for Andy Bey.

Not too interesting a story, but what the hell here goes:

I was in San Francisco over the Labor Day weekend and happened to be walking past a club in the North Beach area and noticed that Andy Bey was sitting at the piano. Since it was about 1000 degrees, the windows were open and you could hear and see the legend clearly...pretty amazing. The people I was with didn't want to stop in, so I just stood there dumfounded for about a minute and then walked on.

I should'a planned ahead!

Latter that night I found myself staring at the street signs at the corner of Grant and Green.

Pretty cool place, San Francisco.

Edited September 9, 2004 by alejo

[BFrank]

Not to mention that Pearl's is right across the street from Jack Kerouac alley and City Lights Bookstore (a city landmark!).

[bertrand]

nmorin,

Since you live in D.C., you can see Andy Bey for free tonight Thursday 9/9 at the DC convention Center (at seven, I think). He's part of the Congressional Black Caucus jazz panel/concert, and will play along with James Moody and Ron Carter.

Last year, it was Elvin and Hank. I showed up there and no one working there knew if the event was open to the public or not. I was able somehow to get a badge downstairs then went up the escalator, where I saw several posters announcing that the event was free and open to the public.

When I got to the ballroom, I was able to get in without any hitch, but they did want the badge (some people later got in without a badge).

In short: if you are interested, you will have to scuffle a bit to get in. You can call the office of congressman John Conyers and they might be able to tell you what to do to get in.

Essentially, show up at the Center around 5:30 (but before 6 - that's when they stopped giving badges). Every employee at the info booth will give you a different story - some will not know there is a concert, some will claim you have to have paid the registration fee. Be forceful, and just say that you know that the concert is free and open to the public and that you have attended last year. Tell them that all you had to do was get a visitor's badge and go up the escalator.

Sorry to make it seem so hard, but I was really given the business last year. Things were a lot easier in years before when it was at the old Convention Center. You just walked into the building and stood in line.

Warning: to hear the music, you have to sit through a panel discussion, which would be OK in theory, but last year was really tedious.

Hope it works out for you.

Bertrand.

Edited September 9, 2004 by bertrand

[nmorin]

Got back from the European trip. Saw Andy Bey for both sets on Saturday at Marian's Jazz Room. Ye gods he was stunningly good! The setlist was largely taken from his last few discs, and he closed each set with a 15 minute scat of a Parker tune over bass and drums (Cheryl in set 1, Chi-Chi in set 2). His vocal control, from the deep bass to nice tenor-type upper midrange was marvelous. And his band swung HARD. His young drummer--who'd been with Bey only a couple weeks--Jeremy Clemons, was a monster. Bey seemed (pleasantly) taken aback from time to time with the shit Clemons threw down (and once in a awhile gave him one of those "That's a tad too loud" looks). Even the slooooow renditions they did of some tunes swung nicely.

I chatted with Bey after the second set, and he mentioned the award in DC (I was in Europe, so I couldn't go). He seemed surprised that my wife and I stayed in Bern just to hear him (we were flying out of Zurich the next morning, but spent the last night in Bern to see him, and trusted in the Swiss' efficient transportation system to get us to Zurich in time for the flight). He was very, very nice, and I'd pay good money to see him again anytime.

They played most of the night as a trio. Paul Meyers sat in with them on guitar for a few songs each set; they sounded great as a quartert, playing more mellow Spanish/Brazilian-tinged music as a quartert--but in the second set it brought the energy down quite a bit, and it took the trio a few songs to get back up.

All in all, it was bloody fantastic.

Edited September 24, 2004 by nmorin

[sidewinder]

Great stuff, glad to hear it went well !

I've got a relative living in Bern so its about time I got out there and checked out this Jazz Room..