Edgefest 11

[Joe G]

Cool. I haven't seen the others on the board today - they're probably not near a computer.

Which will you be at?

Probably the 9.

[GregK]

I've never been to the Concert House. How does general admission function there? It's a small house so showing up early probably won't do much good since there is no place to wait, but I also want to make sure I get the front row.

By the way, Chuck was that you I saw coming out the Concert House today shortly after 12pm? I wasn't sure if it was you so I didn't want to call out and get a strange look.

[GregK]

Amazing. Now I know what circular breathing is! I don't know how he does it, but Roscoe Mitchell went from some delicate flute playing to the most intense, extended soprano solo that I have seen. Just to have the stamina to play like that is a feat in itself! I am pretty unfamiliar with George Lewis and Muhal Abrams, but I'm glad I got to see them. I need to explore their music more now after seeing them live. I didn't know what to expect from the laptop, but it added some textural backing, and in some places you could even say there was some "soloing" coming from Lewis' Mac. And I did not realize that a piano could add so much bottom to an ensemble, but that's the impression I got from a lot of Abrams' playing during the ensemble playing. And his soloing was incredible; brief but riveting.

I wasn't expecting the three of them to be standing in the exit hallway, so it was very nice to be able to shake Roscoe's hand and thank him for coming to Ann Arbor (I couldn't get to the others). Easily one of the very best musical events that I have witnessed. I only wish I could have attended the seminar Lewis gave on the 19th!

[Chuck Nessa]

I've never been to the Concert House. How does general admission function there? It's a small house so showing up early probably won't do much good since there is no place to wait, but I also want to make sure I get the front row.

By the way, Chuck was that you I saw coming out the Concert House today shortly after 12pm? I wasn't sure if it was you so I didn't want to call out and get a strange look.

Yes, I was there at that time. Nice to see you later. Had hoped to find more members at the event.

[Chuck Nessa]

In the morning I will report on the concerts we attended and the stuff Ann, Skid and I experienced. The 3 of us had a great time.

[Uncle Skid]

Well, I had an absolutely wonderful time -- great music, conversation, food, and beer. Wish we could have a larger board "hang" -- was hoping to meet DTMX & GregK, and to see Joe again. Lazaro was there for both trio shows, and I'm looking forward to his (and Chuck's) take on those events.

Rudresh put on a great show. My only complaints: I couldn't see Vijay (not that big of a deal), and I couldn't hear Vijay (bigger problem). The music was mostly from Mahanthappa's recent Codebook recording. My favorite: his tune called "The Decider", which was inspired by the "foibles of our fearless leader". I'm fascinated by the various "influences" in his music -- Indian music, philosophy, mathematics.

Scheduled drummer Dan Weiss was replaced by another musician (anybody catch his name?) that was outstanding. I've never seen anybody play that intense and fast yet remain solidly musical at all times.

I caught the last few tunes of Carnival Skin's set at the Firefly. Wish I could have seen more -- Perry Robinson was captivating. Second time I've seen (and enjoyed) Hilliard Greene on bass, as Chuck, Lazaro, and I saw him earlier this year in Michigan with Steve Swell/Gebhard Ullman/Barry Altschul.

The Faruq Z. Bey Project on Saturday afternoon was my first introduction to his music. Chuck filled me in on the details -- I need to check out more from his various groups, including the Northwoods Improvisers. His poem/tribute to Albert Ayler was a highlight, although the audience did have trouble hearing parts of it, especially when the band got louder.

I saw only the first set of The Trio, but that was enough to leave me speechless. I had seen Roscoe once before, but even that didn't adequately prepare me for this concert. Greg's description was spot on, as I also didn't know what to expect from Lewis' laptop. I was afraid that it might detract from the music, but that wasn't the case at all.

Three master musicians/improvisers/composers on stage together, in an intimate setting, surrounded by people there "to listen": a truly unforgettable evening.

[Bol]

Scheduled drummer Dan Weiss was replaced by another musician (anybody catch his name?) that was outstanding. I've never seen anybody play that intense and fast yet remain solidly musical at all times.

His name is "Damion Reid". I too enjoyed his playing a lot and made the point of telling him so afterwards and learning his name. He seemed like a very nice guy too. He is on the Robert Glasper trio CDs. I plan to check those out soon.

As for the Trio, I'd be curious about what others say about them. I must confess that I didn't "get" it, and was thoroughly bored. The best moments for me were when the three played together without the electronic stuff in the background. I found the electronic stuff gratuitous and distracting, and "dated" the way that some 1970s electronic stuff sound -- e.g. on Ornette Coleman's "Science Fiction" recording. And large parts of the piece seemed rather aimless and self-indulgent. But I'm not too experienced with this kind of music, and I'd be curious to find out what I was supposed to be listening for.

Edited October 22, 2007 by Bol

[AllenLowe]

ahh, to live near a festival like this one, oh well, Portlan Maine is about 10 years behind the times, musically speaking -

I did go on-line to listen to Gutbucket, however, and don't know if anyone saw them at the fest, but that is one tired-sounding group. Same old same old, so hip that they are so un-hip (in one posted video, the sax player jumps around like a rocker; I kept hoping he'd bust his mouthpiece). Did anyone get to hear them at the event?

[DTMX]

No one has mentioned some of the earlier acts so I'll bring them up.

Paradox Trio was absolutely outstanding. And there was an added bonus when Rufus Cappadocia called a friend to the stage. I don't remember his name but he played the kora (shown here) and he and the band did some improvising. And for the encore, Seido Salifoski (whose kit consisted of a dumbek, a couple of small cymbals and some shells-on-a-string) took the most exciting solo of the week. It was an exciting set.

BassDrumBone also played a great set with Gerry Hemingway stealing the show. BassDrumBone was also involved in a residency program where they conducted workshops with various school bands.

I liked the Larry Ochs/Okkyung Lee/Miya Masaoka set, but IMHO the sax didn't add much to the ensemble's sound. But the interplay between the koto and the cello was really good. Back at the Microtel after the show I saw Miya Masaoka & Okkyung Lee struggling to get the koto through the hotel's doors. That's a lot of koto. I offered to help but they had it it under control.

One set that I really enjoyed was Gutbucket. If the Mitchell/Lewis/Abrams trio epitomized maturity and dignity, Gutbucket was the embodiment of youthful exuberance, kind of a skate-punk/Naked City vibe. A very fun way to end the festival.

Now that I think of it, my favorite acts were the ones with a bit of humor in them: Paradox Trio, BassDrumBone, Gutbucket, Rudresh Mahanthappa and even Konk Pack (weird wild stuff). It was a great festival this year and I'm already looking forward to Edgefest 2008.

Added after Allen Lowe's comments: Yes, I think the Gutbucket sound would get old after a while, but for a short set at the end of an exhausting day (5 concerts in 4 different venues), it was a fun way to let everyone celebrate the end of a wonderful festival. And I also expected the sax player to bust his mouthpiece (he didn't) or to get tangled up in his mic cable (he nearly did).

Edited October 22, 2007 by DTMX

[Uncle Skid]

Scheduled drummer Dan Weiss was replaced by another musician (anybody catch his name?) that was outstanding. I've never seen anybody play that intense and fast yet remain solidly musical at all times.

His name is "Damion Reid". I too enjoyed his playing a lot and made the point of telling him so afterwards and learning his name. He seemed like a very nice guy too. He is on the Robert Glasper trio CDs. I plan to check those out soon.

Thanks, Bol.

[Uncle Skid]

And thank you to DTMX for the reviews of the shows I missed -- I really wish I could have seen BassDrumBone in particular -- I've been playing a lot of Braxton Quartet (w/Gerry Hemingway) stuff lately.

[AllenLowe]

my problem with Gutbucket is that they never get below the surface - which may work in certain circumstances - it's just, to me, another trendy roots band, don't mean to insult anybody here, it's just that jazz guys dealing with these styles either tend to sound like they are slumming or they just don't get it (another good example is the guy who plays banjo for Cassandra Wilson - he has not a a clue) -