What live music are you going to see tonight?

[Kevin Bresnahan]

Harry Allen is playing at the Sahara Jazz Club up in Methuen, Mass tonight. Harry always swings his ass off. Should be a good night.

[A Lark Ascending]

Dave O'Higgins with the Andrew Wood Trio (Worksop Library, Nottinghamshire)

Jazz in Worksop shock! I've been here 25 years and this is only the second jazz concert I've attended here. There are half a dozen a year run by the same organisation that does the Nottingham gigs but this is the first I've been to (Tuesday night was nigh on impossible in my working days). The library is actually a nice venue - a new, open plan building with the gig off to one side in the cafe area and plenty to read if you get bored. O'Higgins was very complimentary about the acoustic. 

The trio are a local (to Nottinghamshire) so this was not a working band situation. Standards and a few of O'Higgins' own tunes. Nothing to shake the rafters but a very nice evening of boppish/hard-boppish/mainstream jazz. And I could walk there in 15 minutes. Audience of about 50 which the organiser was very pleased with. Worksop is not exactly a centre of arty-fartyness (market-come-ex-mining town).   

New word of the night (thank you Mr O'Higgins for the explanation) - never knew that a composition like 'Ornithology' built over the chord structure of a well known tune was called a contrafact. Hearing jazz in a library clearly has an extra layer of education. 

[king ubu]

On 29.8.2016 at 7:37 AM, king ubu said:

impressions on my four days at the wonderful Festival Météo in Mulhouse (in addition, it was a pleasure to meet OliverM and his wife there, would have been great to have more time to talk, of course):

...

some bad smartphone pics (and longer German review) up here now:

http://ubus-notizen.blogspot.ch/2016/09/meteo-music-festival-mulhouse-august.html

[BFrank]

I'm mulling over seeing Billy Hart Quartet (w/Ethan Iverson, Mark Turner & Ben Street) tomorrow night at SFJAZZ. I've seen them before, and while not a big Mark Turner fan, it's still high-level music. Another plus is that they're playing in the VERY intimate Joe Henderson Lab.

Edited September 14, 2016 by BFrank

[OliverM]

10 hours ago, king ubu said:

some bad smartphone pics (and longer German review) up here now:

http://ubus-notizen.blogspot.ch/2016/09/meteo-music-festival-mulhouse-august.html

You captured some good expressions there, I especially like the Roscoe Mitchell/John Edwards and Douglas Ewart pictures. Glad to discover your blog too, it will be a good way for me to try to recover some german.

-----

Will try and catch (but starts early) tomorrow:

Christian Wolfarth Solo // Christiane Bopp & Jean-Luc Petit Duo

at Souffle Continu record shop.

[A Lark Ascending]

Corrie Dick's Impossible Things (Lescar Hotel, Sheffield)

Felix Higginbottom (percussion), Conor Chaplin (bass), Matt Robinson (piano), Joe Webb (organ), Alice Zawadzki (voice, violin), Joe Wright (saxes), George Crowley (saxes), Laura Jurd (trumpet), Corrie Dick (drums)

Excellent young band, mainly in their 20s (at a guess). Song based with carefully constructed arrangements. Rather than the usual jazz thing of skeletal arrangements allowing the soloists to cut free here a lot of care was taken to construct written musical narratives out of which the solos could emerge before dissolving back into whole. Yet avoided that over-precision of a lot of larger group arranged jazz - they know how to make the written themes ragged. Had me thinking at different times Carla Bley/Liberation Music Orchestra, the Ogun bands of the 70s, Loose Tubes, even Robert Wyatt in the unusually structured songs. 

Laura Jurd is probably the best known name there - very much a rising star with a foot both in the jazz and contemporary classical world. Dick and Chaplin are also in her marvellous Dinosaur band. 

Venue is Sheffield's other main jazz centre, not as high profile as Sheffield Jazz (and only £8 a ticket). Very impressed - another back room of the pub situation which I prefer to formal concert halls, I will be back. 

[relyles]

Steve Swell Quartet @ Hampshire College in Amherst, MA with Rob Brown, William Parker and Gerald Cleaver. Originally it was scheduled to be his Kende's Dreams band with Connie Crothers, but after her passing it was changed to the quartet when neither of his preferred replacements on piano - Dave Burrell or Craig Taborn - were available for the gig. I will likely catch the same quartet tomorrow night in Hartford.

[BFrank]

On 9/14/2016 at 10:06 AM, BFrank said:

I'm mulling over seeing Billy Hart Quartet (w/Ethan Iverson, Mark Turner & Ben Street) tomorrow night at SFJAZZ. I've seen them before, and while not a big Mark Turner fan, it's still high-level music. Another plus is that they're playing in the VERY intimate Joe Henderson Lab.

I went. Great show! This group is always worth seeing. Billy Hart is always worth seeing - a master, for sure.

[BillF]

The Byrne Brownfield Sextet at Malcolm Frazer's house this afternoon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TW6Haj9gOSA

[kh1958]

Saturday night, a pleasant evening in Quakertown Park in Denton for part of the Denton Blues Festival. The first headliner was Toronzo Cannon, bringing his working blues band down from Chicago, who played a fiery set. Next up, Selwyn Birchwood, a guitarist from Florida. A younger musician, his set was not as consistently excellent as Toronzo Cannon's, but it was a fine set, featuring a guitar/baritone saxophone pairing with the rhythm section. The highlight was the final song, when Mr. Birchwood played steel guitar very effectively in the idiom.

[A Lark Ascending]

Leveret (The Greystones, Sheffield)

Sam Sweeney (fiddle), Rob Harbron (concertina) and Andy Cutting (melodeon)

English folk music's Beaux Arts Trio (though no penguin suits). Dance tunes slowed down a bit, allowed to breath away from the strict tempo requirements of social dance. Simple AABB things in the main but carefully arranged to bring out a range of colours as they cycle through with restrained embellishment.   

They'd be a shoe in for the soundtrack of the next Hardy TV adaptation or film. 

[cliffpeterson]

Last Thursday night, the Swell concert that Relyles wrote about.  Saturday night was the Mario Pavone Accordion project at Real Art Ways in Hartford.  Sunday afternoon was Trio 3 at the same location.

[Steve Reynolds]

6 hours ago, cliffpeterson said:

Last Thursday night, the Swell concert that Relyles wrote about.  Saturday night was the Mario Pavone Accordion project at Real Art Ways in Hartford.  Sunday afternoon was Trio 3 at the same location.

Sounds like 3 good shows! Any comments on the performances?

[relyles]

3 hours ago, Steve Reynolds said:

Sounds like 3 good shows! Any comments on the performances?

I caught Swell Thursday and Friday night, then Pavone Saturday. Unfortunately I could not make Trio 3. Swell was great! The Friday night show may have been just a little better if for no other reason than they played more music. Thursday they played for less than an hour. Friday they played for about 75 minutes. Both nights, however, were strong. They started with a tribute to Connie Crothers, who was supposed to make the gigs with the group. I have been listening to a lot of Steve Swell recently and he is becoming one of my favorite trombone players. Rob Brown, William Parker and Gerald Cleaver were already favorites. Parker and Cleaver at times seemed to have a connection that rivals Parker's relationship with Hamid Drake. This was really displayed at the Friday show. Good stuff. I may try to catch the group with Dave Burrell on piano in October at Roulette.

The Pavone nonet was a bit less intense, but still good. Tony Malaby guested on tenor and soprano. He had a couple of arm flapping solos that were a highlight. this group is built around the compositional focus and the accordion. Not as intense and exhilarating experience for me as Steve Swell, but definitely worth driving fifteen minutes from my house for a free concert featuring top of the line musicians.

[Utevsky]

I'm a few days late with this, but I caught the Stanley Cowell Trio last Thursday in Seattle.  Jay Anderson was on bass, Billy Drummond on drums.  They were simply fantastic.  I'd never had the opportunity to hear Cowell live.  Indeed, he mentioned that he hadn't been to Seattle in 37 years.

[BFrank]

16 hours ago, Utevsky said:

I'm a few days late with this, but I caught the Stanley Cowell Trio last Thursday in Seattle.  Jay Anderson was on bass, Billy Drummond on drums.  They were simply fantastic.  I'd never had the opportunity to hear Cowell live.  Indeed, he mentioned that he hadn't been to Seattle in 37 years.

I wonder if he plans on coming down to the Bay Area. I haven't seen anything in the press about it.

[kh1958]

I've  never seen Stanley Cowell either and would love to. His tour schedule as  posted on facebook was as follows:

Here is my upcoming tour schedule!
Detroit, MI – Detroit Jazz Festival, Hart Plaza, Sept. 3rd, 5:30 pm
Seattle, WA – Town Hall Downstairs, Sept. 15th, 8:00p...m
Portland, OR – The Old Church, Sept. 16th, 8:00pm
Monterey, CA – Monterey Jazz Festival Coffee House Gallery, Sept. 17th, 7:30pm, 9:00pm & 10:30pm
Edmonton, AB, Canada – Yardbird Suite, Sept. 18th, 8:00pm
Edmonton – Strathcona High School Workshop, Sept. 19th, 9:30am -11:00am
Edmonton – MacEwan University Workshops, Sept. 19th, 12:30pm – 2:00pm

[BFrank]

Thanks, kh. Looks like his only Calif. appearance is at the Monterey Jazz Fest.

[fasstrack]

Gene Bertoncini at Ryan's Daughter. E. 85th, btwn. 1st and 2nd, the Big Mango.

Gene being the kind of guy he is (opening up his gig to fellow guitarists to sit in) new friend and arrival from Genoa Alessio Menconi and moi will be going---with guitars---to listen, enjoy and play if asked.

If you are in NY please go hear Gene, every Thurs. 8-11:30. He is 100% beauty, musician and man... 

Edited September 22, 2016 by fasstrack

[fasstrack]

Here's what I wrote on FB about the great  night at Ryan'd Daughter tonight:

 

Here's what i wrote on FB about tonight:

Just got back from a visit with the Maestro: The one and only Gene Bertoncini. Gene plays weekly at Ryan's Daughter (E. 85th btwn. 1st and 2nd---closer to 1st) with bassist Joshua Marcum. I listened in rapture for the 1st set, not knowing whether to cry or pee on myself---it was that beautiful. Halfway through, a percussionist-singer from Sao Paolo, Valtinho Anastacio, started playing tambourine from a table, and, Gene being Gene, his reaction was to immediately call him up to the stand. They made sublime music.

After a break and some more heartachingly beautiful but also joyful playing by Gene and Joshua, it was my turn. You can bet I had a big smile the whole time we played (the Things We Did Last Summer). Then my new friend Alessio Menconi got up and played with Gene, Joshua and Valtinho. They played Wave and a Baden Powell tune---and brought the house down. 

Not only is Gene a unique and uniquely enchanting guitarist, he is one of the most generous people I have ever been fortunate to know. He goes out of his way to have especially fellow guitarists be part of his thing. Only a person totally grounded in himself would or could do that. I went home singing the songs. Gene, you made me, Alessio, his lady Eleanor and the audience happy people tonight. Gene Bertoncini: I love you, man...

[A Lark Ascending]

Tom Hewson Trio (Bonington Theatre, Arnold, Nottingham 

Tom Hewson (piano), Calum Gourlay (bass). Tim Giles (drums)
 

Programme built round Herbie Hancock's 'Maiden Voyage' on the grounds that it's 50 years since release. Tunes from the album, some originals derived from those tunes and a few standards - Minority, Four, If I Were a Bell. Skylark. All very well played but I found myself wool gathering after 30 minutes, not something I've experienced since retiring (common when knackered from a working day). I thing we're suffering from a surfeit of Evans/Jarrett/EST-ish piano trios in Europe at present.   

Edited September 23, 2016 by A Lark Ascending

[Leeway]

Saw Ken Vandermark last night in Takoma Park, MD. Solo set by KV, then a set by The Few, a Chicago-based string trio (guitar, bass, violin), then a combined set with KV and The Few. He played clarinet in that last set, and tenor and bari in the first set.  Vandermark was hot in the first set, and it was a treat to hear KV "with strings." 

[king ubu]

going to Jazzfest Berlin for the first time this year (and first trip to Berlin whatsoever) - the plan (not sure about the artist talk, but the movie I'd love to see):

 

Julia Hülsmann Quartet & Anna-Lena Schnabel / Mette Henriette / Wadada Leo Smith’s Great Lakes Quartet
Haus der Berliner Festspiele, Große Bühne
Do 03.11.2016, 19:00

The Jazz Loft According to W. Eugene Smith
Film
Haus der Berliner Festspiele
Fr 04.11.2016, 16:00

Joshua Redman – Brad Mehldau Duo / Globe Unity Orchestra / Myra Melford’s Snowy Egret
Haus der Berliner Festspiele, Große Bühne
Fr 04.11.2016, 19:00

Angelika Niescier – Florian Weber Quintet / Nik Bärtsch – hr-Bigband / DeJohnette – Coltrane – Garrison
Haus der Berliner Festspiele, Große Bühne
Sa 05.11.2016, 19:00

Wadada Leo Smith & Alexander Hawkins
Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtnis-Kirche Berlin
So 06.11.2016, 15:00

Artist talk with Steve Lehman, Eve Risser, Wadada Leo Smith
Haus der Berliner Festspiele
So 06.11.2016, 18:00

Julia Holter & Strings / Steve Lehman Octet / Eve Risser’s White Desert Orchestra
Haus der Berliner Festspiele, Große Bühne
So 06.11.2016, 19:00

 

full schedule here:

http://www.berlinerfestspiele.de/de/aktuell/festivals/jazzfest/ueber_festival_jazz/aktuell_jazz/start.php

too bad Laubrock is playing at the same time ... but I've heard her a couple of times and in different settings (same goes for Mary Halvorson), while I've never yet seen Wadada, DeJohnette, the Globe Unity, Melford, Lehman and a few others

[OliverM]

Just saw the program for this in the latest Wire, another musical holiday for you Flurin and it should be a great one! The Globe Unity Orchestra!!!

 

 

[king ubu]

Yay! Indeed!

Not sure how much longer Schlippenbach will be around, he seemed rather frail in Warsaw in March, but he is doing his traditional "Winter journey" with the Schlipp 3 again this year (another concert I plan to attend, December 11th  in Zurich - Paul Lovens stopped much of his traveling, so Paul Lytton will step in).

in between, there's also this:

unerhört!

what I plan to attend:

Dienstag, 22. November 2016, 18.00 Uhr Nur Abendkasse, geöffnet ab 17.30 Uhr
Kulturhaus Helferei CHF 25.- / 20.-
Colin Vallon Trio

Mittwoch, 23. November 2016, 19.30 Uhr Keine Reservation möglich
Jazz im Seefeld, GZ Riesbach Mindestkollekte CHF 5.-
Eskelin - Weber - Griener
Hans-Peter Pfammatter & Big Band der Hochschule Luzern - Musik

Donnerstag, 24. November 2016, 20.30 Uhr Nur Abendkasse, geöffnet ab 19.00 Uhr
Werkstatt für improvisierte Musik (WIM) CHF 30.- / 20.- / Mitglieder gratis
Peter K Frey
Booklet: Tobias Delius - Joe Williamson - Steve Heather

Freitag, 25. November 2016, 19.30 Uhr
Rote Fabrik, Clubraum CHF 45.- / 37.-
Alex Huber - Lauren Kinsella - Sascha Henkel
Ethan Iverson - Mark Turner
NYC Five: Angelika Niescier - Florian Weber

Samstag, 26. November 2016, 19.30 Uhr
Rote Fabrik, Clubraum CHF 45.- / 37.-
Aruán Ortiz Trio
Gabriela Friedli - Claudia Ulla Binder
MATS-UP

Sonntag, 27. November 2016, 19.00 Uhr
Moods im Schiffbau CHF 40.- / 35.-
Jakob Bro Trio
Jürg Wickihalder Beyond

But with the wealth of concerts, I might skip Colin Vallon (have seen him plenty of times, and I mgiht skip Friday night as well, as I see the Weber-Niescier group in Berlin and am not that enticed by the whole evening, though I'd be interested to hearing Mark Turner in person).

 

full line-up:

http://unerhoert.ch/programm/