What live music are you going to see tonight?

[Guest Bill Barton]

I just returned from hearing the Cuong Vu Trio with special guest Bill Frisell at the University of Washington's Meany Hall. This was a great show, one long set. Frisell did some of the best playing I've ever heard from him live. Strangely enough I've always enjoyed him more playing with other people's groups than with his own. As I sort of expected he was delving into the louder, rockier side of his playing personality for the most part. Vu's trumpet and electronics never fail to create some varied soundscapes, ranging from the atmospheric and ambiant to the downright raucous. He is a real master at using looping in live performance. At one point he built up a beautifully meshed series of interlocking loops (I counted either 13 or 14 layers) that practically lifted me out of my seat: one hell of a big band for a quartet! His pure acoustic sound is gorgeous too and he can play in the high register with amazing control at very, very low decibel levels as well as anyone I've heard. Then there's the maniacal Stomu Takeishi on electric bass... The guy's a wild man. Vu, Takeishi and Frisell had lots of the latest and greatest digital toys to play with, twisting dials, pushing pedals, adjusting this, tweaking that, but for me the highlight of Takeishi's playing came when he was using what looked like a plain old tin can as a slide on his bass and standing in front of his amplifier's speaker to obtain controlled feedback. Awesome set! Ted Poor was okay on drums. He didn't really knock me out like the others did. Be sure to hear "Accelerated Thoughts" from the new artistShare CD Vu-Tet; they played a fine version of this twisting, turning, hyper-fast almost-bebop tune tonight. The Vu-Tet disc is exceptional. Check it out.

[Aggie87]

Sounds like an interesting show, Bill. Do you know if this is a tour or a one-off performance? I checked Vu and Frisell's websites, but neither mention this lineup.

[Guest Bill Barton]

Sounds like an interesting show, Bill. Do you know if this is a tour or a one-off performance? I checked Vu and Frisell's websites, but neither mention this lineup.

It was basically a one-off show although they are playing with the same line-up tonight at Egan's Ballard Jam House for two shows, both of which are sold out (it's a pretty small venue compared to the U-dub's Meany Theater).

[Shawn]

Went and saw High On Fire.

Matt Pike is a sensational heavy guitarist, I think he's the bastard stepchild of Lemmy & Tony Iommi.

Here's a little blurb from the Village Voice from 2006, sums up the band nicely.

"Along with Mastodon, High on Fire might be the best available entry point to America's dense and insular metal underground. The trio's credentials are impeccable: frontman Matt Pike previously led the doom-metal giants Sleep, whose final album, Jerusalem, was just one 52-minute song, and new bassist Joe Preston was a member of grunge OGs the Melvins. But more importantly, the band's thunderous roar, though undiluted to these ears, is catholic enough to make sense to anyone with a few Black Sabbath and Metallica tapes lying around her apartment. Pike's riffs are huge and monumental, fast enough to pack a fierce wallop but slow enough to swing. Onstage, Pike is a walking distillation of all things hessian, long hair and no shirt and big chest tattoos and black leather gauntlets and inaudibly shouted stage banter and goofy facial expressions. Friday night, he walked out puffing on a blunt, which he passed to someone in the audience before he said a word or played a note. Preston, meanwhile, looked like Lungfish's Dan Higgs after a summer spent working on Alaskan oil rigs, grizzly beard and piercing eyes and slept-in clothes. He let Pike's flailing guitar heroics take center stage, standing back and playing hired gun, nothing theatrical about him. (I couldn't really see the drummer.) After a few songs, the band's caveman groove begins to feel oddly familiar; it's big and punishing, but at the same time there's something pleasant and comforting in knowing that people are still making this kind of old-school riffed-out powerstomp. High on Fire might not exactly challenge, but they do the trick."

Edited February 8, 2008 by Shawn

[pepe]

Tonite I'm seeing Petter Wettre Quartet. They're playing JaLC next week (monday, I believe, at Dizzy's CCC). Tenorist Wettre has a kick ass group far from what people consider Nordic, or European, jazz - he's a hot Trane/Dex/Brecker-man with lots of guts, technique and invention - receiving Norwegian Grammy last week.

[ejp626]

I saw the new "opera" Ainadamar by Golijov, performed by the core cast of Dawn Upshaw and Kelley O'Connor here in Chicago. First up, I should admit that I hate opera. I've seen 4 or 5 and never enjoyed them. I've really tried listening to a couple of the Russian ones where I care for the composer (Prokofiev, Shostakovich) but can only enjoy the instrumental suites pulled from them. I don't know what it is exactly, but probably the artifice and the elevation of the voice to an instrument in contrast to the fairly insipid content of most arias. It's the same reason I don't like wordless vocals in jazz.

So I had pretty low expectations (only went because it was part of a subscription series), but it was definitely more interesting than I thought it would be, precisely because there is such a mixture of Spanish rhythms, even a touch of jazz in the score, some electronic sampling, and the music was definitely foregrounded. The orchestra play on the main stage (not in a pit) with the singers standing in front of them. I could even see listening to this again. Of course, most opera purists don't like this and call it a PC mis-mash, but that's probably exactly why I found it listenable and very enjoyable in spots.

[sidewinder]

Eddie Henderson is playing a gig in my area Sunday night with a UK band called 'Ambulance'. Hope to be able to go.

[A Lark Ascending]

Eddie Henderson is playing a gig in my area Sunday night with a UK band called 'Ambulance'. Hope to be able to go.

Go, Sidewinder!!!!

Saw them last night in Nottingham and they were great (and all kudos to Eddie who did a workshop in a local school in the afternoon! Good man!).

Great playing and soloing all round - and a really impressive, musical young drummer in Dave Smith. I'm not one for drum solos but his showpieces were some of the highlights of the evening.

I saw Ambulance as a four piece at Appleby a few years back. They were good then but, my, how they've come on!

Guardian review of the Ronnie Scott date here:

http://music.guardian.co.uk/live/story/0,,...rticle_continue

[sidewinder]

Thank you, Bev

They are doing a 'workshop' in the afternoon and I will try to check that out too. The performance is at Poole Arts Centre.

[A Lark Ascending]

Thank you, Bev

They are doing a 'workshop' in the afternoon and I will try to check that out too. The performance is at Poole Arts Centre.

I don't know if you saw Arnie's previous project - Improvokation - exploring his Hungarian roots with a mix of UK and Hungarian musicians, Sidewinder. A real labour of love that was unjustly neglected. I saw the Cheltenham premiere - bought the CD and it has remained one of my most played.

Anyway, they were selling it at the gig for £5. Jump for a copy!

The new one is worth getting too - though I'd love to hear a live recording of the band. The studio CD has rather shorter tracks - live they stretched these out magnificently.

Edited February 8, 2008 by Bev Stapleton

[Aggie87]

Ok, no laughing, but i'm going to see Lynyrd Skynyrd and Blue Oyster Cult tonight.

I've seen BOC 6-7 times, but never recently. A band I have fond high school aged memories of.

Never seen Skynyrd before - I think there's only 2 original members in the band anymore.

....I don't think I have time to grow a mullet, though.

[sidewinder]

I don't know if you saw Arnie's previous project - Improvokation - exploring his Hungarian roots with a mix of UK and Hungarian musicians, Sidewinder. A real labour of love that was unjustly neglected. I saw the Cheltenham premiere - bought the CD and it has remained one of my most played.

I think I did. They played Bath one year at the Pavilion, didn't they?

[A Lark Ascending]

I don't know if you saw Arnie's previous project - Improvokation - exploring his Hungarian roots with a mix of UK and Hungarian musicians, Sidewinder. A real labour of love that was unjustly neglected. I saw the Cheltenham premiere - bought the CD and it has remained one of my most played.

I think I did. They played Bath one year at the Pavilion, didn't they?

I'm not sure - it was an expensive 10 piece including Hungarian fiddle and cimbalon! Might have been a year I didn't get to Bath. Arnie also had a smaller band with some Hungarian influences that made the album 'Cold Cherry Soup'.

[sidewinder]

That's the one ! (with the Hungarian fiddle and cimbalon)

Edited February 8, 2008 by sidewinder

[A Lark Ascending]

There was a version of John Rae's Celtic Feet with additional Hungarian musicians including fiddle and cimbalon. Now that I did see at Bath about 3 or 4 years back. It was recorded for the BBC.

[sidewinder]

Saw that too !

[Joe G]

Last night: a double bill of the Rodney Whitaker/Carl Allen Project, and Diane Reeves. Gotta hand it to Ms. Reeves, she and her band (Geoffrey Keezer, Reginald Veal, Gregory Hutchinson) put on one hell of a great show.

[Joe G]

Yesterday, The Verdehr Trio. Interesting and very well-played program of mostly new music.

[papsrus]

Tonight: Terence Blanchard with James Moody (sax), Benny Green (piano), Nnenna Freelon (vocals), Derrick Hodge (bass) and Kendrick Scott (drums). Part of the Monterey 50th Anniversary Tour.

Edited February 11, 2008 by papsrus

[A Lark Ascending]

Tonight: Terence Blanchard with James Moody (sax), Benny Green (piano), Nnenna Freelon (vocals), Derrick Hodge (bass) and Kendrick Scott (drums). Part of the Monterey 50th Anniversary Tour.

Hope that goes well, Papsrus. I saw Moody many years ago...can't recall in what context!

[papsrus]

Tonight: Terence Blanchard with James Moody (sax), Benny Green (piano), Nnenna Freelon (vocals), Derrick Hodge (bass) and Kendrick Scott (drums). Part of the Monterey 50th Anniversary Tour.

Hope that goes well, Papsrus. I saw Moody many years ago...can't recall in what context!

Yes, I'm looking forward to it. It appears that some top-notch jazz is starting to make its way to the local performing arts venue here. Hopefully this is a good sign for the future. Branford Marsalis will be playing here in about a month as well.

EDIT: Blanchard concert was very good and the 1,700 seat hall was about 9/10ths full (corners in the back were empty). Moody -- 82-year-old James Moody -- was great, and quite a showman too, cracking a few corny jokes. Audience loved it. But his tone and phrasing were perfect, and his playing and stage presence were energetic. Amazing. Highlights of the first set were the opener -- "Bebop" -- and "Monterey Mist," which the band played with deft touch.

The unquestioned highlight of the second set was a mini-medley of Blanchard's "Levee" and "Funeral Dirge" from the album "God's Will" (for which he won a Grammy Sunday night). Played with an orchestra on the album, the two tunes were beautifully rendered in trio and then quartet settings respectively. Gorgeous.

Edited February 12, 2008 by papsrus

[Uncle Skid]

Grand Valley State University - Jazz Combo & Orchestra, Tim Froncek, Director.

Great concert and some outstanding young soloists.

[Chalupa]

Last night I saw John Tchicai and Guests - John Tchicai, alto saxophone/bass clarinet ; Khan Jamal, vibraphone; Garrison Fewell, guitar. Really good. They were supposed to do one set but at the end of the first set Tchicai asked if the audience wanted to hear another. There was an enthusiastic "YES!" from the small crowd.

[Michael Weiss]

Tonight at Carnegie Hall:

St. Louis Symphony, David Robertson conducting Messiaen: Turangalila Symphonie

[HolyStitt]

Tonight I am going to see Randy Weston at the Dakota.