The Music of Grachan Moncur III

[bertrand]

http://tinyurl.com/http-Smithsonian

[Steve Reynolds]

maybe you missed it from the Live Performances thread but the Tony Malaby Reading band covered 'Frankenstein' last Saturday night. Billy Drummond brought the music sheet and the band ripped into it with Billy playing the Tony Williams role with Billy's vibe.

Alessi great in the trumpet role and Malaby channeled Jackie Mac on his tenor with a more avant-garde out sensibility never missing a beat with the start/stop nature of the composition.

pretty damn brilliant to my ears.

[bertrand]

I had missed that thread. Sounds very good indeed. Tim Ries actually told me last week that when he plays with Billy Drummond, they always play a couple of Grachan pieces. Works for me; I think Grachan is an incredible composer. If Billy comes to DC with Malaby and Alessi I'll make sure to catch them.

The concert tonight was great - very original arrangements of Grachan pieces by Corey Wallace; 'Riff Raff' with a hip-hop beat was amazing. The drummer, C.V. Dashiell really nailed it, as well as his feature on 'Nomadic'.

The Moncur compositions performed were:

The Coaster

Nomadic

Ghost Town

You Dig!

Blue Free

Thandiwa

Evolution

Riff Raff

Love And Hate

They also did a couple of Corey's originals inspired by Grachan's music which fit in perfectly with the program.

Bertrand.

[ValerieB]

where is Grachan Moncur III these days? still in Brooklyn?

[bertrand]

Newark, actually. He came down to D.C. in December 2011 to play the Mark Masters arrangements with my friend Brad Linde. I haven't heard of his activities since, although he may have had a gig in NYC last year. Do you want his number?

I hope I get to see him again soon. The 2011 concert was amazing.

Bertrand.

[ValerieB]

thanks, Bertrand, but i don't need to call him. i just wish him well. thank you again.