What live music are you going to see tonight?

[uli]

Jim Causley - Young, funny and erudite. Looks like one of the YouTube generation but sings mainly West Country related songs in a traditional way avoiding cod-ploughboy.

Faustus - amazing what amplification can do. Melodeon, fiddle/oboe, guitar/bouzouki used for songs and tunes with loads of welly. On record this band never caught my attention -  live the were a hoot.

 That's it. Smock traded in. Back to a more balanced musical intake. Though I'll be joining the toffs for a few nights at the Proms next week.

this post makes me painfully aware that English is not my first language.

[BillF]

Jim Causley - Young, funny and erudite. Looks like one of the YouTube generation but sings mainly West Country related songs in a traditional way avoiding cod-ploughboy.

Faustus - amazing what amplification can do. Melodeon, fiddle/oboe, guitar/bouzouki used for songs and tunes with loads of welly. On record this band never caught my attention -  live the were a hoot.

 That's it. Smock traded in. Back to a more balanced musical intake. Though I'll be joining the toffs for a few nights at the Proms next week.

this post makes me painfully aware that English is not my first language.

Well, it's certainly not written in the language of jazz! 

[A Lark Ascending]

Jim Causley - Young, funny and erudite. Looks like one of the YouTube generation but sings mainly West Country related songs in a traditional way avoiding cod-ploughboy.

Faustus - amazing what amplification can do. Melodeon, fiddle/oboe, guitar/bouzouki used for songs and tunes with loads of welly. On record this band never caught my attention -  live the were a hoot.

 That's it. Smock traded in. Back to a more balanced musical intake. Though I'll be joining the toffs for a few nights at the Proms next week.

this post makes me painfully aware that English is not my first language.

Well, it's certainly not written in the language of jazz! 

The language of jazz is but one of many dialects in the Babel that is music. 

Uli, you have a second language (maybe more!). Like most Brits I'm painfully aware that I can only manage one.  

[HutchFan]

Jim Causley - Young, funny and erudite. Looks like one of the YouTube generation but sings mainly West Country related songs in a traditional way avoiding cod-ploughboy.

Faustus - amazing what amplification can do. Melodeon, fiddle/oboe, guitar/bouzouki used for songs and tunes with loads of welly. On record this band never caught my attention -  live the were a hoot.

 That's it. Smock traded in. Back to a more balanced musical intake. Though I'll be joining the toffs for a few nights at the Proms next week.

this post makes me painfully aware that English is not my first language.

Well, it's certainly not written in the language of jazz! 

The language of jazz is but one of many dialects in the Babel that is music. 

Uli, you have a second language (maybe more!). Like most Brits I'm painfully aware that I can only manage one.  

As a mono-lingual American, I second that opinion.

But I've also got to say that those idioms are positively delicious -- even if I don't understand all of them! "Two nations divided by a common language," eh?

 

[Steve Reynolds]

Tonight @ a new venue in Brooklyn - Threes Brewing (curated by Josh Sinton):

8:00: Michael Attias trio 

9:00 Tony Malaby, Mat Maneri & Daniel Levin

10:00: Tony Malaby's Apparitions featuring Ben Gerstein, three. bassists and two drummers

one drummer is the wonderful Billy Mintz and that's enough for me

fired up!!

[mjazzg]

Oto for Konstrukt with special guest Alexander Hawkins

having enjoyed a couple of their albums I'll be very interested to hear the band live. I'm hoping AH brings his organ as well as the piano

 

[duaneiac]

At the San Jose Jazz Festival --excuse me, simply "Summer Fest" they like to call it now because they hate to advertise that there is actually a small amount of jazz to be found there as that might scare away potential customers -- on Saturday I had a great time.  The highlight for me was seeing the performance of Ricky Woodard and special guest Ernie Andrews.  Mr. Woodard is a wonderful tenor sax player, very bluesy, very soulful, unabashedly romantic on ballads.  He performed a few numbers with the trio of local musicians (including pianist Murray Lowe, drummer Wally Schnalle and bassist John Schifflett) ranging from "Day by Bay" to Cedar Walton's "Holy Land" to "My One And Only Love".  That was an excellent set in itself, but once he was joined by Mr. Andrews, things took off to another level.  Mr. Andrews is 87 now, but he has not lost a bit of power and emotion in his singing voice.  The show was in a small room and I swear he could have done the entire set without a microphone.  He may well be one of the last of the great blues shouters.  Even at his age today, he could have gone toe to toe with Joe Turner in his prime and it would have been a close contest.  He sang a couple of standards, "Time After Time" and "Once In A Lifetime", but focused mostly on blues numbers including the riotous "I'd Love Me" and a version of "All Blues" which incorporated snippets of other blues classics  The man was incredible and to borrow the phrase I learned from the Miles Davis autobiography, "clean as a broke dick dog".  If you ever have the opportunity to see him perform live, do not miss it.

I also saw the full set by the John Pizzarrelli Quartet.    I know he probably doesn't have many fans here, but he is a wonderful musician and one of the most engaging performers I've ever seen.  He doesn't "dumb down" his music at all, but he certainly makes his brand of jazz appealing and accommodating to a wider audience.  he still has his brother Martin on bass, but there were a couple of new musicians in the group since the last time I saw them maybe 3 years ago.  The pianist is Konrad Paszkudzki and the drummer is Kevin Kanner and both appear in the group heard on Mr. Pizzarelli's latest CD, Salutes Johnny Mercer, recorded live at Birdland.  He performed a number of songs from that disc as well as songs by Duke Ellington (including "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" set against the melody of "East St. Louis Toddle-oo") and the Allman Brothers "In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed" intertwined with Wes Montgomery's "Four On Six".  It was a typically enjoyable set by Mr. Piazzarelli.

I saw the last half hour of a set by a group called Bombay Jazz, a quartet of Larry Coryell, saxophonist George Brooks, bamboo flute master Ronu Majumdar and tabla virtuoso Aditya Kalyanpur.  It was interesting, definitely a change of pace, but not something I'd listen to everyday.  I also caught the last half of a set by trumpeter Etienne Charles and his group Creole Soul which was pretty good.  He is from Trinidad and his music incorporates the influence of his cultural upbringing.  I rounded out the day by catching the set of Octobop, a local 8 piece group which plays West Coast style jazz..  They did a little tribute to the late Howard Rumsey and played songs by Shorty Rogers and Dave Pell, but also "Mas Que Nada" and Herbie Hancock's "Tell Me a Bedtime Story" as well as a couple of attractive original numbers.  A nice way to end the day.

Edited August 10, 2015 by duaneiac

[Van Basten II]

Saw Kirk MacDonald - saxophone // Harold Mabern - piano // Alec Walkington - bass // Andre White - drums

 

MacDonald is a quality player, as great to see Mabern live, music was old school but a whole lot of fun.

[aparxa]

During my stay in the US:

Bartz/Willis/Williams/Foster, Smoke, NYC

http://s22.postimg.org/k9ltbffsh/foster.jpg

 

Freddy Cole Quartet, Blues Alley, Washington D.C.

http://s4.postimg.org/rqq2yyzf0/cole.jpg

 

 

 

Edited August 16, 2015 by aparxa

[BillF]

BBQ (The Byrne/Brownfield Quintet) at Malcolm Frazer's house this afternoon with an audience of 30 crammed into his front room. Fine mainstream group with lovely arrangements. The leaders are from Wrexham and Oswestry.

P.S. Video clips now available. I can be seen briefly on the far right at 4:21 on this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zrQ1vKyjro

 

Edited August 19, 2015 by BillF

[alankin]

Friday night, the Rebirth Brass Band at Ardmore Music Hall.

[OliverM]

Will be for a couple of days in NYC (24-26)!

Planning on seeing this at IBeam Brooklyn:

Laubrock, Johnson, Johnson & Takeishi / Jasmine Lovell-Smith’s Towering Poppies

Tuesday, August 25th 8:30 PM $15 Suggested Donation.

Would of loved Steve Reynolds' suggestion or the Gerry Hemmingway dates but wasn't there yet.

[Larry Kart]

9:00PM at Elastic, 3429 W Diversey, #208, 773.772.3616 ($10)

• Samuel Mösching Trio with Mike Harmon, Peter Manheim
• Jarrett Gilgore Quartet with Russ Johnson, Anton Hatwich, Deric Dickens

[jcam_44]

Saw Wessell Warmdaddy Anderson perform at Maison in New Orleans with Jamil Sharrif last Monday. Warmdaddy killed it!!

 

Francis Wong Unit tomorrow. 

 

Angel City Jazz Festival is coming up next month although I'm not excited about any of the performances really. May go check the Josh Johnson concert

[jeffcrom]

Saw Wessell Warmdaddy Anderson perform at Maison in New Orleans with Jamil Sharrif last Monday. Warmdaddy killed it!!

Great to see some mention of Jamil Sharif here. He's an excellent New Orleans trumpeter - son of Umar Sharif, who was born Emery Humphrey Thompson. Emery's mother was the sister of Percy, Willie, and Earl Humphrey. Emery played in Luis Russell's band, and was one of the earliest beboppers in New Orleans. I like Jamil's modern/traditional blend very much.

[kh1958]

I saw Jamil Sharif in two different bands at the New Orleans Jazz Fest this year and he stood out.

Edited August 20, 2015 by kh1958

[Larry Kart]

Last night at Elsatic in Chicago, Rob Clearfield Trio and Keefe Jackson Quartet.

Clearfield set had its moments, but drummer Quinn Kirchner was too loud IMO, at times almost swamped the leader.

I've been a Jackson fan since 2002, and this was one of his best nights ever, I'll bet. Dutch pianist Oscar Jan Hoogland (something of a Mengelberg disciple), set the tone with Monkish via Misha comping, solos, and tune ideas  (lots of Monk; Hoogland and Keefe had been working together on stuff for several weeks) and bassist Josh Abrams and the  thoughtful, somewhat minimalist drummer Mikel Avery (his kit looked like Baby Dodds') were with them all the way. Particularly striking was Keefe's boldly angular melodic-all-the way solo on Herbie Nichols' "The Happenings." Not that there is a lot of competition AFAIK, but it was the best horn solo on a Nichols' piece I've ever heard -- or maybe the only unintimidated horn solo on a Nichols' piece I've ever heard. A joy. And forceful as it was, Keefe's solo was on the piece. If Nichols could have heard it, I'm pretty sure he would have been delighted. 

Good-sized audience.

Also at Elastic, a week ago last night, the Jarrett Gilgore Quartet, with trumpeter Russ Johnson. Don't miss Gilgore's new Jimmy Lyons tribute album, "Words Are Not Enough -- Streams," with trumpeter Jamie Branch.  Unless I miss my bet, Gilgore (based in Baltimore, in his early 20s) is really going to be something -- to my ears, he already is. 

http://jarrettgilgore.blogspot.com

Edited August 25, 2015 by Larry Kart

[Larry Kart]

Here's Keefe's Quartet (with Anton Hatwich instead of Josh Abrams on bass) from an August performance in Indiana:

[Steve Reynolds]

That Jarrett Gilgore has it going on. The version of QOW is hot.

almost made me forget about Clusone's stupendous take on the great Dewey line with Michael Moore on alto.

thanks, Larry

 

[mjazzg]

Yep, that Gilgore sounded good from over here too. Thanks for posting

[Clunky]

Last Thursday night the Sun Ra Arkestra , lead by Marshall Allen, totally mobbed at Summerhall Edinburgh. Standing crowd , no place for the clostrophobic. The band delivered exactly what you might expect Ra's greatest earthly hits. 

 

Two nights later I had my ears blown off by The Ex. I don't know too much about them other than some of their collaborations with Ken Vandermark and Ab Baars. This was plain sohphiscated punk rock of pretty high order. More energy than a Saturn V , these guys and one girl blasted off with a terrifying roar. Sun Ra would have approved no doubt. My tympanic membranes could only take so much before an early departure. I'd happily see them again with ear defenders. 

[kh1958]

The Ex have two recordings with Ethiopian saxophonist  Getachew Mekuria that strangely work and are rather good.

Edited August 26, 2015 by kh1958

[A Lark Ascending]

Huw Warren Trio Brasil in Nottingham.

Huw (piano), Dudley Phillips (bass), Zoot Warren (Huw's son) (drums). 

A wonderful evening of arrangements of music from Brasil and none of the usual bossa nova (not that there's anything wrong with that) - dominated by Hermeto Pascoal's music (Warren released an a excellent CD of his music a few years back) but also tune by Guinga, Joyce, Jobim, Chico Buraque and a tremendous piano solo joining of two Pixinguinha pieces. Warren clearly knows this music well, introducing each piece with a brief description of the different styles and sounding as if he could pronounce the names with ease (I don't think I've ever heard the name Pixinguinha spoken aloud before).

I'd be intrigued to know how these chaps got so immersed in Brazilian music. Warren and Dudley are part of the wave of musicians that appeared in the 80s with Loose Tubes (though I don't recall either being members). A lot of those players have made up the orchestra for Hermeto Pascoal's visits here (I saw a superb one of those at Cheltenham about 15 years back). I wonder if the influence started with those visits? 

Great start to the Nottingham Jazzsteps series - I should be able to attend a lot more of these now I'm able to stay awake after 9.00!

In fact I'm just four months away from achieving a long held ambition that I've never previously managed - at least one live music concert a month. Just need to get December sorted, even if it's only a carol concert!   

***********************

Advanced warning of a very nice little concert at the London Jazz Festival on No 19th:

EFG London Jazz Festival presents Kenny Wheeler – An Evocation

Trumpeter, composer, bandleader, inspiration – Kenny Wheeler remains an immense figure in jazz. When he left the jazz planet in September last year after a creative life stretching over six decades, he left an extraordinary musical legacy with an international resonance, touching the heart and soul of audiences and fellow musicians of successive generations worldwide, with his gorgeous sound and melodic grace.

Kenny occupied a special Jazz Festival place in recent years, with both big band and his final, acclaimed small band. Tonight’s concert responds on the intimate qualities that he brought to his music, with contributions from close friends and kindred spirits — amongst them Dave Holland, Evan Parker, Norma Winstone and the last quintet members, Stan Sulzmann, Chris Laurence, John Parricelli, Martin France.

http://www.cadoganhall.com/event/kenny-wheeler-151119/

I'm already down for the Maria Schneider on 17th so couldn't resist this. Have thrown in the rather bizarre Eddie Gomez and the London Sinfonietta on 18th - everything from Frank Zappa to newly written pieces by contemporary composers. A nice little break when the winter is starting to cut in.  

Edited August 28, 2015 by A Lark Ascending

[mjazzg]

Huw Warren Trio Brasil in Nottingham.

Huw (piano), Dudley Phillips (bass), Zoot Warren (Huw's son) (drums). 

A wonderful evening of arrangements of music from Brasil and none of the usual bossa nova (not that there's anything wrong with that) - dominated by Hermeto Pascoal's music (Warren released an a excellent CD of his music a few years back) but also tune by Guinga, Joyce, Jobim, Chico Buraque and a tremendous piano solo joining of two Pixinguinha pieces. Warren clearly knows this music well, introducing each piece with a brief description of the different styles and sounding as if he could pronounce the names with ease (I don't think I've ever heard the name Pixinguinha spoken aloud before).

I'd be intrigued to know how these chaps got so immersed in Brazilian music. Warren and Dudley are part of the wave of musicians that appeared in the 80s with Loose Tubes (though I don't recall either being members). A lot of those players have made up the orchestra for Hermeto Pascoal's visits here (I saw a superb one of those at Cheltenham about 15 years back). I wonder if the influence started with those visits? 

Great start to the Nottingham Jazzsteps series - I should be able to attend a lot more of these now I'm able to stay awake after 9.00!

In fact I'm just four months away from achieving a long held ambition that I've never previously managed - at least one live music concert a month. Just need to get December sorted, even if it's only a carol concert!   

***********************

Advanced warning of a very nice little concert at the London Jazz Festival on No 19th:

EFG London Jazz Festival presents Kenny Wheeler – An Evocation

Trumpeter, composer, bandleader, inspiration – Kenny Wheeler remains an immense figure in jazz. When he left the jazz planet in September last year after a creative life stretching over six decades, he left an extraordinary musical legacy with an international resonance, touching the heart and soul of audiences and fellow musicians of successive generations worldwide, with his gorgeous sound and melodic grace.

Kenny occupied a special Jazz Festival place in recent years, with both big band and his final, acclaimed small band. Tonight’s concert responds on the intimate qualities that he brought to his music, with contributions from close friends and kindred spirits — amongst them Dave Holland, Evan Parker, Norma Winstone and the last quintet members, Stan Sulzmann, Chris Laurence, John Parricelli, Martin France.

http://www.cadoganhall.com/event/kenny-wheeler-151119/

I'm already down for the Maria Schneider on 17th so couldn't resist this. Have thrown in the rather bizarre Eddie Gomez and the London Sinfonietta on 18th - everything from Frank Zappa to newly written pieces by contemporary composers. A nice little break when the winter is starting to cut in.  

That Kenny evening looks very nice. Unfortunately the curse of the festival programme means I've a ticket for David Virelles that night. I did get one of the last tickets for Schneider - never heard an album but read many good things about her and the band.

Good luck finding the December gig! (have you officially cast off the chains now?)

[A Lark Ascending]

 

That Kenny evening looks very nice. Unfortunately the curse of the festival programme means I've a ticket for David Virelles that night. I did get one of the last tickets for Schneider - never heard an album but read many good things about her and the band.

Good luck finding the December gig! (have you officially cast off the chains now?)

Hopefully get a chance for a chat before that or at intermission. Schneider is like a lusher form of Gil Evans or late period Bob Brookmeyer (both influences). I find her music spellbinding - she does wonderfully subtle things with Latin rhythms in places. Some people find it a bit 'pretty' but it works for me. 

Evan Parker is listed on the Wheeler concert and up at the Vortex on the same night. I'm assuming he'll do a bit at the start of the Wheeler at Cadogan Hall and then jog up to The Vortex (hopefully playing the mother of all circular breathing solos on the way).

December looks fine - Chris Biscoe/Toni Kofi/Henry Lowther/Kate Williams doing Mingus in Sheffield; Led Bib in Nottingham (not so sure about that one...a bit too 'right-on' for me). And I should find a Messiah somewhere (I've been searchin'....).

Yes, as of the end of next Monday I am officially one of Dave and George's favourite people. Expecting my peerage any day. Then I'll start on that moat.   

 

Edited August 28, 2015 by A Lark Ascending