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Posted (edited)

John Butcher is on my list of people to see. Very taken by what I've heard on record (only really noticed him in the last year) - imagine he would but a real force live. There's an excellent Dominic Lash record with Alex Hawkins on from a couple of years back.

In more lyrical territory:

John_Taylor_s_New_Group_cr._Angelo_Bardi

Billed rather plainly as John Taylor's New Group. John Taylor: piano; Julian Siegel: saxophones, bass clarinet; Diana Torto: vocals. Taylor must be one of the performers I've seen most often over the years - his style is always the same yet the contexts ever changing. Julian Siegel one of Britain's many excellent saxophonists - like Mark Lockheart, Julian Arguelles and Iain Ballamy, turns up in all sorts of contexts (most notably in the jazz-rock (with the emphasis on jazz) band Partisans). Tenor soprano and a lot of bass clarinet. Diana Torto from Italy I don't know at all - initially I was a bit uncomfortable with the accented English (my weakness entirely) but her scatting improvisations were superb. A really powerful singer with enormous imagination. In my experience people clap solos in jazz as part of a ritual - but you could tell the audience last night were genuinely excited by Torto's flights.

Unexpectedly most of the tunes were Paul McCartney songs (I couldn't tell if he was joking when he said he was trying to get the latter to fund a recording!). Jazz does the Beatles generally doesn't do it for me - two very different harmonic worlds in collision. But these arrangements really worked - the sung melodies were intact but then the band took them off into improvisations that took them well away from the original shape and harmonies. Also did a couple of Italian pieces and two very poignant Kenny Wheeler pieces.

If you enjoy the more lyrical (but spirited) end of virtuoso jazz, look out for them. Same world as Azimuth and Norma Winstone's recent trio...but different.

Edited by A Lark Ascending
Posted

The only place I've heard her is on KW's 'The Long Waiting' - there she is much embedded in the orchestra sound a la Winstone. Her distinctiveness came across last night. If anything she reminded me of Maria Pia da Vito - but that's probably becauses she's Italian and does improvised scat solos.

Posted

Nice performance by Scott Hamilton last night. His first visit to Portsmouth in nine years. Ably accompanied by his usual UK rhythm section, John Pearce, Dave Green and Steve Brown

Posted

Nice performance by Scott Hamilton last night. His first visit to Portsmouth in nine years. Ably accompanied by his usual UK rhythm section, John Pearce, Dave Green and Steve Brown

Doesn't he often appear at the Concord Club in Eastleigh, John? Often seems to be listed for there when I look at their listings.

Caught a track of his on Jazz Record Requests the other day and immediately recognised his sound.

Posted (edited)

Nice performance by Scott Hamilton last night. His first visit to Portsmouth in nine years. Ably accompanied by his usual UK rhythm section, John Pearce, Dave Green and Steve Brown

Doesn't he often appear at the Concord Club in Eastleigh, John? Often seems to be listed for there when I look at their listings.

Caught a track of his on Jazz Record Requests the other day and immediately recognised his sound.

Hamilton does get to the Concord Club. He fits in well with there music policy and always draws a good crowd. He was last there a few months ago I believe.

He put on a good show for us including a couple of Gillespie pieces. Entertaining.

Edited by JohnS
Posted

Anthony Braxton Diamond Wall quartet at Colston Hall last night. Well worth the journey from London. Two 45 minute sets of challenging and engaging music from Braxton and Mary Halvorsen, James Fei, Taylor Ho Bynum

Posted

Brooklyn Rider string quartet on Thursday night. The program was made up of works commissioned to celebrate one of the composer's "inspirations".

Composer's included Vijay Iyer (who was inspired by James Brown), Bill Frissel ( John Steinbeck), Gonzalo Grau (Chick Corea) and Rubin Kodheli (Henry Threadgill). Good stuff.

Posted

Last night my saxophone trio opened for the Steve Marquette Quartet out of Chicago - Marquette on guitar, Mars Williams on reeds, Nick Mazzarella on alto sax, and Anton Hatwich on electric bass. They played two improvised pieces. Mars Williams was as powerful as you would expect, but my main reason for posting is because of how much I enjoyed listening to Nick Mazzarella. He has a beautiful sound and a big dynamic range, along with great ideas and technique. And he's a nice guy. We swapped CDs, I'm looking forward to hearing his two trio CDs, from 2009 and 2011.

He also told me that he just finished recording a saxophone quartet CD with Williams, Dave Rempis, and Ken Vandermark. Looking forward to that.

Posted

Anthony Braxton Diamond Wall quartet at Colston Hall last night. Well worth the journey from London. Two 45 minute sets of challenging and engaging music from Braxton and Mary Halvorsen, James Fei, Taylor Ho Bynum

Two sets! (albeit 45 min each). I've only seen Braxton do single sets timed to the big sand dial he uses (about an hour). Would like to see that group!

John Butcher is on my list of people to see. Very taken by what I've heard on record (only really noticed him in the last year) - imagine he would but a real force live. There's an excellent Dominic Lash record with Alex Hawkins on from a couple of years back.

I've seen him a few times, and he never fails to knock the stuffing out of me. Mostly solo performances but not all.

Posted

Anthony Braxton Diamond Wall quartet at Colston Hall last night. Well worth the journey from London. Two 45 minute sets of challenging and engaging music from Braxton and Mary Halvorsen, James Fei, Taylor Ho Bynum

Two sets! (albeit 45 min each). I've only seen Braxton do single sets timed to the big sand dial he uses (about an hour). Would like to see that group!

Yes, it was a treat. Each set seemed no longer than 30 mins

Tomorrow night it's Brotzmann, Drake and Parker at Cafe Oto. Can't wait to hear that combination live

Posted

Geez I'm jealous of that one. Enjoy.

I hope we get a recording either from that residency or their recent US tour.

Performing in Houston on May 7.

I thought the US tours for the trio were done after last year?

Any word if they be playing in NYC?!?!?

Posted

Geez I'm jealous of that one. Enjoy.

I hope we get a recording either from that residency or their recent US tour.

Performing in Houston on May 7. I thought the US tours for the trio were done after last year?

Any word if they be playing in NYC?!?!?

I have only seen this listing: http://www.namelesssound.org/

Unlike Leeway, I did not see the trio last year although I did see all three of them on different occasions with other musicians.

Besides Brotzmann - who I did not expect to see again any time soon - I expect to see Drake and Parker at least once or more this upcoming year.

  • 2 weeks later...
Posted

I caught a nice double bill in Cambridge last night.

Killian Hall, MIT 8 PM
Matchbox/Atomic Double Bill
Matchbox
Jorrit Dijkstra - alto sax
Pandelis Karayorgis - piano
Nate McBride - bass
Curt Newton - drums
Atomic
Fredrik Ljungkvist - reeds
Magnus Broo - trumpet
HÃ¥vard Wiik - piano
Ingebrigt HÃ¥ker Flaten - bass
Hans Hulbœkmo – drums

Wiik is having Visa issues and missed the show, but the quartet was still strong without hi. Sadly, less than twenty people were in the audience. I don't know if it was the weather/parking situation or that the event was not well publicized.

Posted

I caught a nice double bill in Cambridge last night.

Killian Hall, MIT 8 PM

Matchbox/Atomic Double Bill

Matchbox

Jorrit Dijkstra - alto sax

Pandelis Karayorgis - piano

Nate McBride - bass

Curt Newton - drums

Atomic

Fredrik Ljungkvist - reeds

Magnus Broo - trumpet

HÃ¥vard Wiik - piano

Ingebrigt HÃ¥ker Flaten - bass

Hans Hulbkmo drums

Wiik is having Visa issues and missed the show, but the quartet was still strong without hi. Sadly, less than twenty people were in the audience. I don't know if it was the weather/parking situation or that the event was not well publicized.

Sounds awesome. I'm wondering if Atomic is playing anywhere near me this weekend

In any event my first show for the year 2015 will be Saturday @ Greenwich House:

Two bands starting @ 8:00

Andre Matos Quintet:

Andre Matos: guitar

Tony Malaby: tenor & soprano saxophones (my guess he brings both)

Jacob Sacks: piano

Eivind Opsvik: bass

Billy Mintz: drums

Jacob Sacks Quartet:

Jacob Sacks: piano

Mat Maneri: viola

Eivind Opsvik: bass

Billy Mintz: drums

Posted

I caught a nice double bill in Cambridge last night.

Killian Hall, MIT 8 PM

Matchbox/Atomic Double Bill

Matchbox

Jorrit Dijkstra - alto sax

Pandelis Karayorgis - piano

Nate McBride - bass

Curt Newton - drums

Atomic

Fredrik Ljungkvist - reeds

Magnus Broo - trumpet

HÃ¥vard Wiik - piano

Ingebrigt HÃ¥ker Flaten - bass

Hans Hulbkmo drums

Wiik is having Visa issues and missed the show, but the quartet was still strong without hi. Sadly, less than twenty people were in the audience. I don't know if it was the weather/parking situation or that the event was not well publicized.

Just saw Atomic was @ shapeshifter this past Tuesday February 3rd. I could not have made it anyways.....

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