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Butch Warren

bertrand

By bertrand
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bertrand Collaborator

bertrand

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The elusive Butch Warren has resurfaced, much to my delight.

He now leads a trio with Peter Edelman (p) and Eric Allen (d) at Columbia Station on 18th street in Adams-Morgan (DC of course) on Wednesdays. I've been there the last 2 times and they are really coming together.

I'll probably be there again tonight - they hit at 8:45. I hope some organissimo members can check it out - attendance has been weak (almost zero publicity).

Bertrand.

AndrewHill Newbie

AndrewHill

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That's great news! Be nice if Butch eventually gets some similar attention that Henry Grimes got. Does that mean that Butch is no longer at that institution, per that article that surfaced about him awhile back? I think it was in the 'artists' section.

bertrand Collaborator

bertrand

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Yes, he is out and living on his own again. He looks in much better spirits than when he first came out a few months ago.

He's getting around D.C. on a moped right now! He's trying to quit smoking these days. I hope he can pull it off.

Bertrand.

  • 2 weeks later...
ISODignity Newbie

ISODignity

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...7073001633.html

Life Is Better With Butch Warren on Bass

By Raw Fisher From Marc Fisher's Blog

Tuesday, July 31, 2007; Page B03

Thanks to Butch Warren, the barkeep at Columbia Station in Adams Morgan can make her car payment this month. Thanks to Butch Warren, the sounds of surprise are wafting out of an 18th Street saloon once again, offering an alternative to the thump-thump pulse of disco nights along the strip.

Butch Warren, one of the lost giants of jazz's great mid-century burst of creativity, has been through rough times for all too many years. When I last visited him, it was a year ago at Springfield Hospital Center, the Maryland state mental institution in Carroll County. Warren was, by his own account, "really out of it" then. But he's back, living in a boarding house in Prince George's County and playing bass once again, drawing people off the street and into another place Wednesday nights at Columbia Station.

Last week, under the supportive wing of pianist Peter Edelman, Warren showed he can still bring it. He halted conversation throughout the restaurant with a couple of solos that displayed the energy of a 25-year-old, the swing of a musician so well trained that he knows how to make it look effortless, and the encyclopedic jazz knowledge of a pro who worked with Thelonious Monk, Herbie Hancock, Dexter Gordon, Donald Byrd and Jackie McLean -- as Warren, indeed, did.

Now he is scraping by, desperate for more gigs, eager to find a place to live in the city, somehow managing to survive on a Social Security check and the kindness of jazz lovers. They were out in force last night -- a devoted collector of Warren's work who has volunteered to try to get Butch the royalty checks that are due him for works he wrote back in the early 1960s; a TV producer gathering string for a piece on Warren's journey; a smattering of others who know enough about the music to realize that this man in the crisp white shirt, conservative gray suit and spanking new sneakers is a living legend.

And all around the rest of the room, casual barhoppers found themselves hushed by the experience of stumbling upon a great. The room was full of people who just wandered in to grab a drink with a date, hang out with friends or celebrate a birthday -- which is exactly what Warren plans to do.

On Wednesday, Aug. 8, the night before his 68th birthday, Butch Warren expects to be playing at Columbia Station, celebrating a birthday he never quite expected to see, reunited with his instrument after too many months apart from it, doing the one thing that really still makes sense to him.

"Jazz," he says, "is playing two songs at once." For a gent who has had too much trouble keeping one thing in mind, what's freeing, somehow, is the chance to slip into a world where so many things are going on at once. You can hear what that sounds like on Wednesday nights in a dark, rich room on 18th Street NW.

bertrand Collaborator

bertrand

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Butch's playing has just been beautiful in the last two weeks. Wednesday, they were packed to the rafters due to that article in the Washington Post.

Next Wednesday (8/8), they are celebrating his birthday (which is on 8/9 - apparently the bios are wrong). I won't be there to join them, but I encourage anyone who can to do so.

Bertrand.

P.S.: Brownie, I just send you a message about my trip to France.

Edited by bertrand
  • 11 months later...
AndrewHill Newbie

AndrewHill

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I was at Columbia Station last night, hoping to catch Butch, but as it turned out, I missed him by one day! I stayed for the midnight show which eventually turned into an octet. Peter Edelman and Eric Allen were there along with two tenors, Knud Jenson and an older cat whom I didn't catch his name. The bassist was Bill "Magic" Lavender-Bey who swung like mad. In addition, there was a guitarist (who sounded like Jim Hall; his first name was Alexas) and an alto player. A vocalist sat in on Route 66; I think his name was Chuck Holden. I asked Knud how Butch was doing and they said that it was 'standing room only' last night; I'm glad to hear that he's being so well-received.

AllenLowe Proficient

AllenLowe

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Ageism alert:

"He halted conversation throughout the restaurant with a couple of solos that displayed the energy of a 25-year-old"

uh, let us just say that most 25 year olds where I live haven't a clue - and us post-50 guys solo with PLENTY of energy -

tkeith Collaborator

tkeith

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Ageism alert:

"He halted conversation throughout the restaurant with a couple of solos that displayed the energy of a 25-year-old"

uh, let us just say that most 25 year olds where I live haven't a clue - and us post-50 guys solo with PLENTY of energy -

Testify, brother!

I hate to jump on my "the standard songbook is broken" perch, but Route 66? C'mon... this music has stagnated and it's our (the musicians') fault. stir.gif

  • 2 weeks later...
bertrand Collaborator

bertrand

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Ghost,

Sorry you missed him. He's there on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. He plays Tuesdays at another place down the street called Tryst - haven't been there yet.

Bertrand.

  • 8 months later...
  • 1 year later...
brownie Rookie

brownie

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Butch Warren will give a series of concerts in France in May.

He will be playing at Angers on May 18 and at the Duc des Lombards club in Paris on May 19. Other dates are scheduled.

He will lead his French 5tet (with Pierre Menuau on tenor, Pierre Christophe on piano, Jean-Philippe Bordier on guitar and Mourad Benhammou on drums.

This will be his first visit to France in 45 years!

paul secor Newbie

paul secor

Posted
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Butch Warren will give a series of concerts in France in May.

He will be playing at Angers on May 18 and at the Duc des Lombards club in Paris on May 19. Other dates are scheduled.

He will lead his French 5tet (with Pierre Menuau on tenor, Pierre Christophe on piano, Jean-Philippe Bordier on guitar and Mourad Benhammou on drums.

This will be his first visit to France in 45 years!

Great news! :tup:tup

brownie Rookie

brownie

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Won't be there either since I'll be out of Paris for most of May.

However will not miss the broadcast (on France Musique) on June 12 (at 11PM local time) of the concert Warren and his quintet are giving at the Maison de la Radio in Paris on May 22!

bertrand Collaborator

bertrand

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5:00 PM on 6/12? I may have to miss the neighborhood block party.

Thanks for the tip about the Maison de la Radio gig - I'll try to see if I can get someone to go.

Bertrand.

  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

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