What live music are you going to see tonight?

[chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez]

CANDIDO ALL STARS incl. pete escovedo. it was incredible

[sidewinder]

Christine Tobin touring her Sailing to Byzantium Yeats project.

Just 30 or so people in the audience yet the band played their hearts out.

The album is one of my favourites of the year - really well written songs based on the poems.

A sad response for a singer who has consistently tried to add to the repertoire rather than always lean on standards.

Damn - that's a shame. A project/talent deserving of much greater support. Instead, the masses all stay in and watch 'Strictly' etc.

[chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez]

Candido again

[A Lark Ascending]

Christine Tobin touring her Sailing to Byzantium Yeats project.

Just 30 or so people in the audience yet the band played their hearts out.

The album is one of my favourites of the year - really well written songs based on the poems.

A sad response for a singer who has consistently tried to add to the repertoire rather than always lean on standards.

Damn - that's a shame. A project/talent deserving of much greater support. Instead, the masses all stay in and watch 'Strictly' etc.

Apparently Soweto Kinch was also in town so the Nottingham jazz audience got split. Hopefully the following night in Sheffield got a better turnout. Only Gardeners' World to compete with on a Friday.

[sidewinder]

Apparently Soweto Kinch was also in town so the Nottingham jazz audience got split. Hopefully the following night in Sheffield got a better turnout. Only Gardeners' World to compete with on a Friday.

I know what you mean - famine followed by deluge. Next Friday I've got the dillema of either Simon Spillett/Karen Sharpe Quintet in Ilminster or the Westbrook Big Band at Barnstaple. Which to go for?

[king ubu]

Anyone else planning to attend the Yusef Lateef/Archie Shepp concert in Ludwigshafen on November 10?

Got tickets for Niko and myself - at the very end of the hall, on the balcony, I'm afraid ... some better seats turned up as free that were all purportedly sold when I booked, but anyway, I'm looking forward a lot! The rhythm section announced is: Mulgrew Miller, Reggie Workman, Hamid Drake. I've seen those three in other settings, but on paper, this all looks like an excellent band (and one to fit with Shepp, too, whom I've never seen live ... guess I'd have preferred catching him in the mid sixties, but even if I catch him live, I won't need to buy any of his boring albums of the more recent decades, will I? )

Anyone caught Lateef lately? He's old, so I am a bit worried ... but then I couldn't forgive myself for not having caught him live at all! (I should have gone to Cully in 2007, where he played with the Belmondo brothers, presenting their double disc release - great disc, great concert, Lateef in fine shape back then, but at this age, four years may change a lot.)

[chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez]

definetly go see Yusef lateef! hows archie shepp looking these days?god, lateef is 92, a tiny but older than Candido. i wish he would play the west coast US, i have never seen him

Edited October 23, 2012 by chewy

[jeffcrom]

Enjoyed hearing Kermit Ruffins and the Barbecue Swingers for the first time in several years - at his new-ish Treme Speakeasy restaurant. (The smothered rabbit, cabbage, and cornbread were great.) Kermit's music ain't profound, but it sure is fun. And my waitress, Baby J, got on stage and rapped. She was great.

[sidewinder]

Anyone caught Lateef lately? He's old, so I am a bit worried ... but then I couldn't forgive myself for not having caught him live at all! (I should have gone to Cully in 2007, where he played with the Belmondo brothers, presenting their double disc release - great disc, great concert, Lateef in fine shape back then, but at this age, four years may change a lot.)

I caught the Lateef/Belmondos gig at North Sea around that time. It was brilliant - so I would say, don't hesitate ! Even just to watch him pack up his various instruments is worth the effort/cost, I would say.

Edited October 23, 2012 by sidewinder

[jeffcrom]

Enjoyed hearing Kermit Ruffins and the Barbecue Swingers for the first time in several years - at his new-ish Treme Speakeasy restaurant.

Then on to Frenchmen Street, where I heard the New Orleans Jazz Vipers at The Spotted Cat and The Stooges Brass Band at d.b.a.

One thing I love about New Orleans is that "traditional" jazz is a living thing here; music that people listen to, dance to, laugh to, and drink to.

Another thing I love is the ghosts. I walked across Congo Square (now part of Armstrong Park) this evening. Lots of ghosts there. And on my way back to my hotel from Frenchmen Street I passed Danny Barker's birthplace/childhood home and George Lewis's house, where the first New Orleans brass band recordings were made.

[Kevin Bresnahan]

Harry Allen will be playing in a quartet setting at the Sahara Jazz Club in Methuen, MA tonight. This will be the 5th or 6th time I've caught Harry at this out-of-way little club and I've had a great time at every show. You can't go wrong for $10.

Kevin

[Utevsky]

A Northwest double bill at the Earshot Jazz Festival tonight, featuring B'shnorkestra (led by trumpeter Samantha Boshnack) and a solo set by saxophonist Neil Welch.

[king ubu]

Well, I've got tickets for Lateef, so I will be there - just hope he'll be there, too

Next up, tomorrow night: Lee Konitz

Another youngster ... seen him twice (once in 1996 with Swallow/Motian) and then in 2010 (I think) with the same Trio Minsarah that's announced for tomorrow night. Love Lee!

[jeffcrom]

Second night in New Orleans. I heard some of the best music I've heard in Preservation Hall in years - Shannon Powell, one of my favorite New Orleans drummers, was leading the band, which included Mark Braud on trumpet, Daniel Farrow on tenor, and pianist David Torkanowsky.

Then on to d.b.a. on Frenchmen Street for a disappointing set by the Treme Brass Band. That's okay, because after that I drove across town to hear the Rebirth Brass Band's regular Tuesday night gig at the Maple Leaf. I just checked my New Orleans journal, and I can't believe that I haven't heard the Rebirth at the Maple Leaf since 1999. (I have heard them elsewhere since then.) They're older, I'm older, and the audience is older, but they are as intense as ever - the loudest acoustic band on the planet. Their lead trumpeter, Derek Shezbie, is superhuman in terms of range, volume, and stamina. One of the tunes they played was Bobby Womack's "It's All Over Now," which they played when I first heard them in Jackson Square in 1990. Derek Shezbie was 14 or 15 then, and looked 12.

[chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez]

this counts cause its a jazz activity---i just saw a jazz-film. the movie version of THE CONNECTION. jackie and freddie redd are in the entire film, and w. lots of blowin. one really cool shot of jacking taking a solo, and the camera goes right up to the horn. i wonder how the film is different from the stage play. THE CONNECTION was a very clastrophopic movie, the film shot in one room with not a lot of different camera shots. the movie was shot like a 'movie within a movie' type-senario. i guess it had exteremly ltd release in NY and it got banned, but it was at ucla film archiv and theyve just released a copy or something. Definetly rec. if youre a fan of jackie mclean or freddie redd, theyre in the entire film with acting and playing, although i had no idea who the bass and drummer were, never heard those names (?)

[BillF]

this counts cause its a jazz activity---i just saw a jazz-film. the movie version of THE CONNECTION. jackie and freddie redd are in the entire film, and w. lots of blowin. one really cool shot of jacking taking a solo, and the camera goes right up to the horn. i wonder how the film is different from the stage play. THE CONNECTION was a very clastrophopic movie, the film shot in one room with not a lot of different camera shots. the movie was shot like a 'movie within a movie' type-senario. i guess it had exteremly ltd release in NY and it got banned, but it was at ucla film archiv and theyve just released a copy or something. Definetly rec. if youre a fan of jackie mclean or freddie redd, theyre in the entire film with acting and playing, although i had no idea who the bass and drummer were, never heard those names (?)

Yes, a great film! The drummer was Larry Richie and the bassist Michael Mattos. When the stage version came to London (British audiences weren't ready for it and it soon folded) some of the actors shared lodgings with a jazz-loving student friend of mine. As a treat they took him to a rehearsal to meet Jackie.

[Utevsky]

In Seattle, the Earshot festival juggernaut rolls on. I'll be at the Royal Room tonight to hear Tamarindo, which includes Tony Malaby on sax, William Parker on bass, and Mark Ferber on drums. I haven't heard this group, but given the track record of its members, it should be great. Also on the bill is one of Wayne Horvitz's groups, Shuffleboil, with Joe Doria on organ, Tim Young on guitar, and Bobby Previte on drums.

This was not an obvious choice because Anat Cohen is appearing separately in the festival tonight at the PONCHO Concert Hall. I would have liked to see her, too!

[king ubu]

Lee Konitz is the mother. Amazing concert ... that somehow felt like a goodbye, too. The next best thing I can think of is late Pres - so darn vulnerable, so totally open ... and in the best moments: sublime. Yet at the same time he was grumpier than last time (March 2010), got on stage telling the sound guy to turn off all the mics and saying he hated that sound in here (he was unamplified, bass had some pick-up and a mic, drums and piano very few mics - it sounded nearly acoustic from where I sat, except for the double bass). Then he addressed the public, explaining that he will play some old standards like "Body and Soul" etc ... adding that some say they don't want to hear that old stuff anymore, but: "screw 'em!" - darn well we do! They played two sets, both around an hour long. In the first, he interrupted a tune (sort of, just for a second), telling the piano player (Florian Weber) "that's enough!", having him and bassist Jeff Denson stop, instead Lee went on in duet with drummer Dan Weiss (the most amazing sub for Ziv Ravitz, the trio's regular drummer). Weber was kind of put off and just comped at very low volume for the rest of set one and it took him a while to find his way into the music again in set two - not sure what Konitz' problem was, as Weber was playing beautifully for my ears.

The sets consisted entirely of standards, including a most beautiful "What's New", as well as "You Don't Know What Love Is", "You Stepped Out of a Dream", "I'll Remember April" and others. They ended set two with an encore, Lee up on the gallery, playing "Cherokee".

Lee seemed to be shorter of breath than last time, although he looked in better shape generally (and stood for long stretches, while last time he played seated most of the time, and just for one, ca. 80 minutes set, when only an hour had been announced). He came in and dropped out of the music often, playing a few bars, then leaving space for Denson/Weiss (and sometimes for Weber) who did a great job, keeping the music very alive and multi-directional (and Weber's comping was great, I found! in his short solo ventures in set two, he played lots of locked chords stuff and some very narrow harmonic things, keeping his hands very close most of the time - a most interesting player, in my book).

Anyway, the great event was of course Lee, who went into dialogue with Weber (in the first half of the first set, he was fed with ideas and took off on most of Weber's phrases and it was a joy to hear), later on with Weiss more often - and Weiss was truly great! Last time I caught him live was with Rudresh Mahanthappa's Indo-Pak Coalition (third of that group was guitar player Rez Abbasi). Lee sounded weak and dangerously close to dropping out of tune at some moments, while at others, the old magic was there, his lines flowing in this weirdly rhythmicized manner that's all his ... and in a few tunes in set two ("What's New" being one of them), he was really singing on his horn - pure, yet fragile beauty.

Anyway, after a break with no music for two hours, I need some Pres (prime Pres, 1936/37) to slowly wind down ... Lee is the true inheritor of Pres' music, the last standard bearer of a forlorn, long-forgotten world.

[jeffcrom]

Just one band in New Orleans tonight, after my late night last night: The Tin Men ("America's premier sousaphone/washboard/guitar trio") at d.b.a. on Frenchmen Street. They play lots of guitarist Alex McMurray's strange songs, plus a bewildering variety of covers. Examples of the latter: "I'm a Cowboy" by Danny Barker, "Theme From A Summer Place," "Blackbird Special" by the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, and "Maybellene" by Chuck Berry.

[BillF]

Lee Konitz is the mother. Amazing concert ... that somehow felt like a goodbye, too. The next best thing I can think of is late Pres - so darn vulnerable, so totally open ... and in the best moments: sublime. Yet at the same time he was grumpier than last time (March 2010), got on stage telling the sound guy to turn off all the mics and saying he hated that sound in here (he was unamplified, bass had some pick-up and a mic, drums and piano very few mics - it sounded nearly acoustic from where I sat, except for the double bass). Then he addressed the public, explaining that he will play some old standards like "Body and Soul" etc ... adding that some say they don't want to hear that old stuff anymore, but: "screw 'em!" - darn well we do! They played two sets, both around an hour long. In the first, he interrupted a tune (sort of, just for a second), telling the piano player (Florian Weber) "that's enough!", having him and bassist Jeff Denson stop, instead Lee went on in duet with drummer Dan Weiss (the most amazing sub for Ziv Ravitz, the trio's regular drummer). Weber was kind of put off and just comped at very low volume for the rest of set one and it took him a while to find his way into the music again in set two - not sure what Konitz' problem was, as Weber was playing beautifully for my ears.

The sets consisted entirely of standards, including a most beautiful "What's New", as well as "You Don't Know What Love Is", "You Stepped Out of a Dream", "I'll Remember April" and others. They ended set two with an encore, Lee up on the gallery, playing "Cherokee".

Lee seemed to be shorter of breath than last time, although he looked in better shape generally (and stood for long stretches, while last time he played seated most of the time, and just for one, ca. 80 minutes set, when only an hour had been announced). He came in and dropped out of the music often, playing a few bars, then leaving space for Denson/Weiss (and sometimes for Weber) who did a great job, keeping the music very alive and multi-directional (and Weber's comping was great, I found! in his short solo ventures in set two, he played lots of locked chords stuff and some very narrow harmonic things, keeping his hands very close most of the time - a most interesting player, in my book).

Anyway, the great event was of course Lee, who went into dialogue with Weber (in the first half of the first set, he was fed with ideas and took off on most of Weber's phrases and it was a joy to hear), later on with Weiss more often - and Weiss was truly great! Last time I caught him live was with Rudresh Mahanthappa's Indo-Pak Coalition (third of that group was guitar player Rez Abbasi). Lee sounded weak and dangerously close to dropping out of tune at some moments, while at others, the old magic was there, his lines flowing in this weirdly rhythmicized manner that's all his ... and in a few tunes in set two ("What's New" being one of them), he was really singing on his horn - pure, yet fragile beauty.

Anyway, after a break with no music for two hours, I need some Pres (prime Pres, 1936/37) to slowly wind down ... Lee is the true inheritor of Pres' music, the last standard bearer of a forlorn, long-forgotten world.

Thanks for that excellent report. Intrigued that some things haven't changed since I saw him in a small room in the sixties - the repertoire was much the same and, yes, the grumpiness was there even then.

[king ubu]

Well, in Mach 2010, when he was announced to play one, roughly hour-long set, he started taking requests after some forty minutes ... and played another forty then, doing at least six or seven requests (none of them mine, I had no really cool idea ... last night I'd have wished "Foolin' Myself" I he had asked again, but he was way too grumpy for that).

Anyway, my parents joined, and they seem to have enjoyed it as well!

And that trio is really, really good, even with a subbing drummer (who did a really amazing job). Not sure what Lee's issue with the piano player was, his comping was mighty inspiring, I found.

[Steve Reynolds]

David - I am very interested to hear your take on the Malaby trio with Parker and Ferber.

As some might know, I see Malaby play often as he is one of the great tenor players in the game today - I just saw him with John Hebert's band on October 14th, and he was again stupendous depite the band sometimes not playing with type of energy and verve they were capable of.

I doubt that the Taramindo Trio would have that problem if Ferber is as good as Malaby told me he is

[BFrank]

I have tix for Tamarindo here in SF on Saturday.

I hope to go, but will be late if I do because of the Series - bad timing!

Go Giants!

[A Lark Ascending]

Tomorrow night:

Opera North in Leeds.

[king ubu]

Just bought a ticket for Grigori Sokolov in Luxembourg, Nov. 26 - Rameau, Mozart and Beethoven ... hope I'll be indeed there that day