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REVIEW: Bill Frisell Trio @ the Shedd (Eugene, OR – 1/23/10)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
I saw Bill Frisell about a year and a half ago with Eyvind Kang & Rudy Royston… fantastic show, but more on the experimental, avant-garde edge (my review of that June 2008 show). Last night’s show was a trio of guitarist Bill Frisell with bassist Tony Scherr and drummer Kenny Wollesen (Sex Mob, Electric Masada, etc):
They hit the Shedd stage around 7:30pm. Differing from the retro live photo above, Tony Scherr was on electric bass. Kenny Wollesen played a standard kit, and Bill Frisell had a few guitars, pedals, gear to loop his sounds… and a big screen above them to show the congruous films as they played.
At the beginning of the show, Bill explained the accompanying film pieces: four by Seattle animator Jim Woodring, one by Bill Morrison, and two Buster Keaton classics. The band started out with a Jim Woodring computer animation – all black and white, but with many interesting, morphing shapes. The music started off slow, had some interesting wandering scales with a nice build and finish. The animation was quite enveloping, and the 10 minute piece seemed to fly by…
I was only allowed to take photos for the initial fifteen minutes, but the rest of the Woodring cartoons were somewhat related to the initial computer animations – 
many of the same morphing shapes show up, whether in a character, a beer tap, or a lamp. The primary character in the animations was “Frank.” We follow him around in his travels that either end in a big mess, a violent picnic, or death.
The second Woodring piece introduced us to the aforementioned “Frank.” He tooled around his house and then went up into the hills to some odd looking palace, and when he returned, his house had been ransacked by some fat, troll-like human character. The animation appeared to be paper-based stop-motion animation. The music had a Floratone or possibly Disfarmer feel… I actually recognized the melody that Bill played midway through, but can’t place it now.
The third piece was another Woodring “Frank” animation, but this time with either colored paper or possibly fabric animation. 
The setting was a picnic and got fairly violent near the end. The piece was shorter (maybe 5 minutes), which led into the fourth and final Woodring piece… a claymation “Frank” with a devil-type character. The music had a nice groove, and the animation ended with the beer tap looking piece of furniture tipping over to expose the phrase “And You Call Yourself a Gentleman.”
Up next were three silent films… and quite frankly, I lost the music in the viewing. I think the music worked really well and enhanced the pieces, but it definitely fell to the background of what I was paying attention to …
The first was a short film called The Mesmerist by Bill Morrison featuring a re-worked 1926’s film The Bells which featured Boris Karloff. It had been altered from the original, and I’m not sure what was part of the original and what was part of the re-imagining. It started with a very old, sepia & scratchy feel and grew into more animated splotches. The storyline is of an innkeeper who murders a rich visitor and is haunted by the murder he committed.
Up next were two Buster Keaton films… The High Sign (1921) and One Week (1920)…
Each film was in the 15-20 minute range. I was quite amazed at Buster’s utterly ingenious physical comedy. I was familiar with his work a little bit (trumpeter Dave Douglas and his Keystone band has used Buster Keaton in the past). The first one was a gangster caper with a really basic (but stupendous) cross-section of a house with tons of trap doors and moving walls. The second one was of a cheap home that was hurriedly built after a wedding with hilarity ensuing. For the video (with non-Frisell music) check out YouTube of The High Sign and of One Week.
Seven songs, 90 minutes… the Trio took a bow and left the stage. They hit the stage one last time for a short animation of Woodring’s Frank called Whim Grinder:
I enjoyed the film and animation accompanying Frisell’s music; though, I’ll say again that the music really dropped to the background on some of the wild imagery of the Frank cartoons and storylines & physical comedy going on in the films. Upcoming tour dates of Frisell’s include Eyvind Kang/Rudy Royston dates, some Ron Carter/Paul Motion dates, some 858 Quartet dates, and these Scherr/Wollesen dates (which would presumably feature the films/animations as well)…
- 1/24/2010 – Seattle, WA – Triple Door
- 4/2/2010 – Savannah, GA – Savannah Music Festival at Charles Morris Center
- 4/3/2010 – Savannah, GA – Savannah Music Festival at Charles Morris Center
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Bill Frisell’s Site
- Bill Frisell on MySpace
- Tony Scherr’s Site
- Tony Scherr on MySpace
- Jim Woodring – Animator
- The Shedd Institute
BILL FRISELL TRIO PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2010 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
Limited to 1200 pixels wide or tall (10 pics)
PDX Jazz Fest :: Mingus Big Band
Well, the PDX Jazzfest in Portland, Oregon, is about 5 weeks away. You won’t want to miss it. There are many fantastic local and national acts, including these great headliners:
Thursday, February 25 – Luciana Souza
Friday, February 26 – Mingus Big Band
Saturday, February 27 (3pm) – Trygve Seim & Frode Haltli
Saturday, February 27 (7:30) – Dave Holland Quintet
Sunday, February 28 (3pm) – Pharoah Sanders
Sunday, February 28 (7:30) – Dave Douglas Brass Ecstasy
As we lead up to the event, I’ll focus on one of the headliners a week… next up the Mingus Big Band.
For those jazz fans who don’t know the music of Charles Mingus, go back to school. He was a monumental force on bass and a great composer in his own right. He had a firey-oft-angry personality, a strong conviction against racism, and a great sense for melody. He was one of my first forays into jazz… I had Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus and Mingus Ah Um long before I had any other jazz in my collection.
The Mingus Big Band celebrates the music of the composer and bassist, Charles Mingus, who died in 1979. Under the artistic direction of (Charles’ wife) Sue Mingus, this 14-piece band performed Thursday nights from 1991 to 2004 at the Fez under Time Cafe in New York City, occasionally alternating with the Charles Mingus Orchestra. From November 2004 to September 2008, the big band had a residency at Iridium Jazz Club and in October 2008 moved to Monday residency at Jazz Standard. The Mingus Big Band tours extensively in the United States and abroad, and has eight recordings to its credit, six of which have been nominated for Grammys.
Regulars currently appearing in the 14-piece band:
- 3 Trumpets: Randy Brecker, Earl Gardner, Alex Sipiagin, Lew Soloff, Tatum Greenblatt, Ryan Kisor, Kenny Rampton, Jack Walrath, Sean Jones
- 3 Trombones: Conrad Herwig, Andy Hunter, Ku-umba Frank Lacy, Earl McIntyre, Dave Taylor, Robin Eubanks, Joe Fiedler, Clark Gayton
- 5 Saxophones: Vincent Herring, Seamus Blake, Abraham Burton, Wayne Escoffery, Donny McCaslin, Mark Gross, Craig Handy, Jason Marshall, Lauren Sevian, Jaleel Shaw, Steve Slagle, Ronnie Cuber, David Lee Jones
- Piano: Orrin Evans, David Kikoski, Helen Sung, George Colligan, Kenny Drew Jr.
- Bass: Boris Kozlov, Hans Glawischnig, Andy McKee, Joe Martin, Ugonna Okegwo, Dwayne Burno
- Drums: Donald Edwards, Gene Jackson, Victor Lewis, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Adam Cruz
Webpage: http://www.mingusmingusmingus.com/
FOR INFO & TICKETS: http://pdxjazz.com/tickets/
~Dan – np: John Zorn – Cobra
PDX Jazz Fest :: Luciana Souza
Well, the PDX Jazzfest in Portland, Oregon, is about 6 weeks away. You won’t want to miss it. There are many fantastic local and national acts, including these great headliners:
Thursday, February 25 – Luciana Souza
Friday, February 26 – Mingus Big Band
Saturday, February 27 (3pm) – Trygve Seim & Frode Haltli
Saturday, February 27 (7:30) – Dave Holland Quintet
Sunday, February 28 (3pm) – Pharoah Sanders
Sunday, February 28 (7:30) – Dave Douglas Brass Ecstasy
As we lead up to the event, I’ll focus on one of the headliners a week… first up Luciana Souza.
Luciana Souza is a Grammy winning jazz vocalist from São Paulo, Brazil. Her first solo album was An Answer to Your Silence (1999). The Poems of Elizabeth Bishop and Other Songs (2000) was fifth place in the New York Times‘ 2000 The Year in Pop and Jazz: The Critics’ Choice list. In 1991, she was elected Discovery of the Year by APCA for her work with Hermeto Pascoal. In the next year, she toured with the Zimbo Trio. In 1995, she was nominated for Outstanding Latin Act and, in the next year, Outstanding Jazz Vocalist at the Boston Music Awards. Among the artists she has been performing and recording with are her godfather, Hermeto Pascoal; Danilo Perez; Zimbo Trio; David Kikoski; Joey Calderazzo; Romero Lubambo; Guillermo Klein; Oscar Castro-Neves; Cyro Baptista; the Paul Winter Consort; Ben Sher Group; Steve Lacy; Kenny Wheeler; Donald Brown; John Patitucci; Kenny Werner; Osvaldo Golijov; Bob Moses; and George Garzone. From a musical family (her parents are Walter Santos and Tereza Souza), Souza has been involved with music since her childhood, when she worked with jingles. After four years at Unicamp University in Brazil, she went to the Berklee College of Music, where she received a bachelor’s degree in jazz composition. She received a master’s degree from the New England Conservatory of Music. In 2009, Souza released Tide her first album for Verve and her second collaboration with husband and producer Larry Klein.
Webpage: http://www.lucianasouza.com/
FOR INFO & TICKETS: http://pdxjazz.com/tickets/
~Dan – np: dredg – Waterborne (soundtrack)
Melt Banana at Dante’s (12/12)
Well, treacherous winter conditions (freezing rain and fog) kept me from making the 4+ hour roundtrip drive up to Portland to see Melt Banana Lite last night at Dante’s in Portland. I love the band, but Oregon doesn’t know how to handle road maintenance in the winter like Ohio… and cheating death isn’t my optimal trade-off for seeing Melt Banana. Maybe next time they swing through the cards will be in my favor.
The weather all kept my back-up plan from happening, too (the Portland Cello Project canceled their show at Cozmic Pizza in Eugene). Oh well…
Anyone go to MxBx in PDX? How was it?
~Dan – np: Megadeth – Endgame
REVIEW: Nellie McKay @ Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley (Seattle, WA – 10/20/09)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
So, I had tickets to see Ben Folds with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra at Benaroya Hall last night. I hemmed and hawed and finally decided to sell my ticket on craigslist to go see Nellie McKay instead. I dig both of them as artists, and the main reason for the hemming and hawing was the whole symphony aspect (I mean, I’ve seen Ben Folds Five or solo a half dozen times already… so the symphony take on it was my main draw). Ah, but… Nellie totally has my heart when in a piano/vocalist celebrity deathmatch with Mr. Folds. She’s quirky, cute, writes and sings both silly and political songs, has a passionate love for animals (she’s a vegetarian with a stance on animal cruelty that makes me proud), and… you rarely know what to expect from her musically on any given night. I’ve seen her twice prior, and both times were fantastical suprises.
Sorry, Ben. Next time?
As a consolation for the Ben Folds fans, there’s a free mp3 stream (or download if you do some research, i.e.- “view source”) from the Huffington Post of the Ben Folds collaboration with author Nick Hornby (High Fidelity, etc). It’s a jab song at the ex-fiance of ex-Alaska Governor Sarah Palin‘s daughter Bristol… from the HuffPo, I present you “Levi Johnston’s Blues.”
Speaking of the HuffPo… here’s a recent article / interview with Nellie McKay by Michael Giltz.
Oh, so Nellie’s latest album, Normal As Blueberry Pie, is all about Doris Day (a total of 14 Doris Day tracks in the recording session, and one Nellie original). Two of the 15 session tracks are more difficult to get ahold of, unless you want to buy both the “exclusive” Barnes & Noble bonus track version and the iTunes bonus track version. Have I mentioned that Universal Music Group’s tactics suck!? Anyway, the album is great (special track tactics notwithstanding). The album lacks some of the bite and wit of Nellie’s prior 3 (and a half) solo albums. But, I love it all the same. It’s got Nellie trademark nostalgia / campiness, as evidenced by the photos surrounding the release (see to the right).
OK… on to the review of the show…
I really dig Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley. It’s small and intimate (but large enough for the room to breathe). Also I like the idea of making an experience out of the show – a fantastic meal, great atmosphere, and an attentive audience makes for a wonderful evening. Oh, and free parking in downtown Seattle is like the cherry on top. This was only my second time here (Hiromi in June was my first), but it is quickly becoming one of my favorite venues in the PacNW, if not ever. I just wish it wasn’t so far away from me in Eugene all the time.
Nellie went on around 7:40pm with her backing band, The Aristocrats. This was my first time seeing Nellie with a band. They were excellent. They were all younger than I was expecting. I mean, this wasn’t her studio backing band… but as hired guns solely for touring, they really worked well with Nellie in a fun & playful way. The band was Nellie McKay (piano and ukulele), Howard Fishman (guitar), Charles Schiermeyer (sax), Ben Bynum (drums), Scott Litroff (violin and flute), and Daniel Policar (keys).
Setlist: just shy of 90 minutes
- If I Ever Had a Dream
- Close Your Eyes (Doris Day cover)
- Sentimental Journey (Doris Day cover)
- Send Me No Flowers (Doris Day & Burt Bacharach cover, Nellie on Uke)
- Do Do Do (Doris Day cover) *a fave of the night*
- Mean To Me (Doris Day cover)
- Dig It (Doris Day cover, Nellie dance-off) *a fave of the night*
- The Very Thought of You (Doris Day cover)
- A Wonderful Guy (Doris Day cover)
- I Remember You (Doris Day cover)
- “I Killed Larry David and I Liked It” / Grunge Song *a fave of the night*
- Crazy Rhythm (Doris Day cover) *a fave of the night*
- Black Hills of Dakota (Doris Day cover)
- A-Tisket, A-Tasket (Ella Fitzgerald cover)
- The Dog Song *a fave of the night*
- Encore: Zombie (with Gary Danielson on sax)
- I Wanna Get Married (Doo Wop Version, with Gary Danielson on sax) *a fave of the night*
So, yeah, holy crap… Nellie just keeps on getting better each time I see her. I thought I’d be slightly bummed by a mostly Doris Day set (as I really like Nellie’s original songs a lot), but the Doris Day material was really fantastic in a live band setting. The addition of a jazz combo behind her really made the songs gel, and her interaction with the others was really fun. She’s kinda of a nutty person (or maybe as corny as Kansas in August)… but I wouldn’t want her to be any other way. I didn’t get a chance to meet her after the show, but I had a fun night regardless. Nellie and the Aristocrats are playing a second night (Wednesday, October 21st) at the Jazz Alley. If you go, drop me a line with your thoughts on Night 2.
Some of the best lines of the night by Nellie…
“I still can’t go back to Olympia, because I have overdue library books.”
“There’s hashish in that music… that was a score!” (really funny in context)
The Jazz Alley’s description of Nellie as a “martini cool chanteuse” was kinda of spot on. :) If you don’t have her newest one, get it… it’s fun (and out on vinyl, too):
The Appropriate Linkage:
~Dan – np: Erik Friedlander – Topaz
NELLIE McKAY PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2009 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
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REVIEW: Wynton Marsalis & LCJO @ Hult (Eugene, OR – 9/17/09)
Well, I got into Wynton Marsalis from Ken Burns’ (long ass) JAZZ documentary. I had heard of him, but never really heard him, and he was featured heavily in the movie. I came to find out that he was the artistic director & co-producer of the documentary series. Anyway, I love trumpet (Dave Douglas & Steven Bernstein being top of my other Top 3 living trumpeters). This year, I’ve had a chance to see all three of them… Yay!
I like the Hult. I saw Wynton’s brother Branford at the Hult around this time last year. I like the Hult this week in particular (due to it being a 4 concert week): I like that the show started early (7:30pm), ended on time (9:25pm), and I got home at a reasonable time. Double Yay!
Wynton and his near-double octet hit the stage after a short introduction. Wynton was position at the top center of the bandstand and went directly into announcing the first song…
Setlist:
1st set – 40 mins
- Free for All (Art Blakey) *a fave of night*
- Peace (Horace Silver)
- I Like to Take My Time (Mr Rogers)
- Itsy Bitsy Spider
- Up from Down (Gardner) *a fave of night*
2nd set – 45 mins
- Weary Blues (sextet band, ragtime tune) *a fave of night*
- Joe Turner’s Blues (septet, Wynton sang impromptu)
- Tattooed Bride (Duke Ellington)
- Portrait of Mahalia Jackson (Duke) *a fave of night*
The first set started off with “Free for All” which had some great solos… sax, trombone and trumpet. The entire night was filled with some great solos, and “Free for All” kicked it off right. For the second set we moved to some open seats near the center… right by the very energetic soundman. He was humorous. While I dug the first set a lot, the second set was smokin’ hot. More ragtime and New Orleans street jazz in spots versus the more held back, big band vibe from the first set. The first two songs of the second set were a stripped down cast (sextet and the septet before the rest of the band re-joined them for the Duke tunes. I think my favorite tune of the whole night was “Weary Blues, ” which was really hoppin’. Seem ironic that the entire crowd (of largely white hair) was just idly sitting in their seats. :)
All in all, a great evening of great jazz.
The Appropriate Linkage:
~Dan – np: Fima Ephron – Soul Machine
REVIEW: Porcupine Tree w/ That1Guy @ Roseland (Portland, OR – 9/16/09)
Rarely do two bands you like happen to tour together. Porcupine Tree is touring with King’s X on this U.S. Leg… well… ok, starting in a week in Ohio. This West Coast leg, though gets That1Guy (another musician I like a lot). I’m bummed I’m missing a KXC/PT show, but That1Guy is a fun live act as well.
I guess I’ll have to get used to the Roseland, as I imagine I’ll be seeing more and more shows here over the years. It’s an “OK” venue… a basic stand-y rock club. They do have a nice food menu, though… and I got as Zappa veggie dog (I heart the PacNW). The band had a ban on cameras, outside of the officially selected photographer for the Incident tour blog; so no photos from me this time.
That1Guy played a short set. Pretty much the same set as the last time I saw him in Feb, but just cut short. I was kind of bummed that he didn’t play “Buttmachine” or “Mustaches.” Maybe he was trying to be “more serious” for the prog fans. I don’t know. I think “Buttmachine” is one of his catchiest songs, regardless of its ridiculous lyrics. Watch the video here. Overall his set & jams were a bit redundant / repetitive, but he’s still fun to watch.
Setlist: about 40 mins
- Intro Jam
- Jigsaw
- Weasel Potpie leading into Instrumental Jam
- Heaven or Heck
- Dig (with the magic boot)
- Outro Jam (T1G’s credit card jam with snippets of “Smoke on the Water”)
That1Guy’s 2007 album, The Moon is Disgusting, aged well. I’m still digging it a bunch, and wish he would have played more off of it outside of “Jigsaw” and “Dig.” You can listen to samples of the album HERE.
Next up, Porcupine Tree, whose new album, The Incident, arrived to my earbuds last weekend (thanks to Demonoid) but also hit my hands in a the lush limited edition on Tuesday. Wow… it’s freakin’ excellent. Great packaging in the deluxe edition. I think the limited edition is sold out, but the standard CD is available worldwide now.
Porcupine Tree hit the stage around 9:15 and played a first set entirely made up of The Incident‘s 1st disc. They didn’t stray from the album in scope or sound. It was very great being in the same room as Steven again. He’s truly a great musician and songwriter, which is a hard moniker to assign to a progressive rock musician (most of them can’t write a song to save their lives). Their set…
Setlist:
- The Incident (in its entirety)
I – Occam’s Razor
II – The Blind House
III – Great Expectations
IV – Kneel and Disconnect
V – Drawing the Line
VI – The Incident
VII – Your Unpleasant Family
VIII – The Yellow Windows of the Evening Train
IX – Time Flies
X – Degree Zero of Liberty
XI – Octane Twisted
XII – The Séance
XIII – Circle of Manias
XIV – I Drive the Hearse
2nd Set - The Start of Something Beautiful
- Buying New Soul
- Anesthetize Part 2
- Lazarus
- Strip the Soul
- .3
- Bonnie the Cat
- Encore: Way Out of Here
- Trains
Great show for their fantastic new album. They played right around 2 hours total. The Incident is easily the best album they’ve done since In Absentia, IMO. This was only the 2nd show of their tour, and it didn’t really show. I mean, they were on top of their game. Steven mentioned that they were a little nervous at the Seattle show the day prior. Somehow I’m skeptical of that. They probably roll out of bed and could play these songs blindfolded. :)
The Appropriate Linkage:
- PorcupineTree.com
- The Incident on Tour (official blog)
- Another Portland 9/16 Review (by Mark Colman)
- Porcupine Tree on MySpace
- That1Guy & the Magic Pipe
- That1Guy on MySpace
- Roseland Theater
~Dan – np: Patton Oswalt – My Weakness is Strong
Further U.S> Porcupine Tree Tour Dates (as of now)
Tue 15 Sep SEATTLE, WA MOORE THEATER [opener: That1Guy]
Wed 16 Sep PORTLAND, OR ROSELAND [opener: That 1 Guy]
Fri 18 Sep SAN FRANCISCO WARFIELD [opener: That 1 Guy]
Sat 19 Sep LOS ANGELES CLUB NOKIA [opener: Big Elf]
Mon 21 Sep CLEVELAND, OH HOUSE OF BLUES [opener: King’s X]
Tue 22 Sep CHICAGO, IL VIC THEATER [opener: King’s X]
Thu 24 Sep NY, NY TERMINAL 5 [opener: King’s X]
Fri 25 Sep BALTIMORE RAM’S HEAD [opener: King’s X]
Sat 26 Sep PHILLY ELECTRIC FACTORY [opener: King’s X]
Sun 27 Sep BOSTON, MA HOUSE OF BLUES [opener: King’s X]
Tue 29 Sep MONTREAL METROPOLIS [opener: King’s X]
Wed 30 Sep TORONTO QUEEN ELIZABETH THEATRE [opener: King’s X]
REVIEW: Erik Friedlander @ Winningstad Theatre (Portland, OR – 9/12/09)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
Erik Friedlander grew up spending many of his summers on the road with his family due to his photographer father, Lee Friedlander. I knew his dad was a photographer with some notoriety, but I hadn’t known about the long, cross-country summer road trips – which were the basis for Erik’s 3-day run of Block Ice and Propane at the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art (PICA)’s TBA Festival (aka T:BA:09). More about T:BA:09 later…
I have been into Erik for a while… basically contemporaneously with my immersion into John Zorn, as Erik is a mainstay in the Downtown NYC jazz scene and finds his way on maaaaany of the Tzadik releases that I love. He’s a part of the Masada String Trio & Bar Kokhba Sextet, and has played with Dave Douglas, Ikue Mori, Wadada Leo Smith, severalk of Zorn’s Filmworks series, et cetera.
When I showed up for the event, I was caught off guard by the vast amount of people milling about the lobby. “Does Erik have this big of a draw in Portland?”
Well, the answer to that question is, “now he does.” This was the third night of his three-night run as part of the T:BA:09 festival put on by PICA. The entire 10-day festival was also coming to a crescendo on the 12th… needless to say, the program looked amazing, full of art of all kinds, not just music. I’m definitely putting T:BA:10 on my radar for next year.
Erik’s solo chair, laptop stand, and microphone in front of a projector screen was nicely lit with a blue light as the herd of an audience entered the Dolores Winningstad Theatre. I’d never been to the Winningstad Theatre, but it’s in the same complex as the Newmark Theatre (where I saw the SF Jazz Collective in ’08 and where I’ll see Patton Oswalt tonight), and it’s right next door to the Arlene Schnitzer Hall (where I’ve seen many shows). “The Winny” was a great venue… small & intimate, but seemingly able to fit in a large amount of people, including 2 tiers of balcony seating. Luckily I was solo; so I found a stray seat right up front-left.
As mentioned prior, the show was Erik playing solo cello in front of a backdrop of photos from his childhood, primarily taken by his father Lee Friedlander. The performance, specifically the backdrop, had a very “Americana” feel set to non-“Americana music.” Or perhaps it was Americana music set through the filter of the cello. It wasn’t Woody Guthrie-esque, but it had that dirty, road weary, wow-look-at-this-wonderful-country feel to it. Amongst the photos were also some videos shot by Bill Morrison.
Outside of photographing the country on big summer roadtrips, Erik’s father Lee also photographed many musicians… Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane… even up to the current era like a famous Madonna photo. Lee’s love of music spilled over to Erik, who found a love for music early in his life. He started on guitar and eventually moved to cello. However, his basis in guitar drove much of the style of playing last night. Only a few times did Erik pull out a bow – rather he plucked and strummed his cello like one would with a guitar… well, a guitar that you were holding like a cello. :)
Setlist:
- Block Ice & Propane
- Road Weary
- King Rig
- I’m Not Here
- Cold Chicken
- Yakima
- Pressure Cooking
- Winking at Highway 7
- Rusting in Honeysuckle
- Dream Song
- Airstream Envy
- Night White
Some of my favorite pieces were the lead-in, title track (to the 2007 CD of the same name), as well as “Pressure Cooking” and “Night White” (nice harmonics). The story about “Cold Chicken” was great, about how at a diner they were served very slowly and Lee stormed into the kitchen to complain about “who wants to eat cold chicken!?” while the family scurried away. The music, which I’ve heard several times before on the CD, totally made sense now. Nice…
Block Ice and Propane (the 2007 CD) can be purchased directly from Erik HERE.
The Appropriate Linkage:
~Dan – np: Porcupine Tree – The Incident
ERIK FRIEDLANDER PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2009 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
REVIEW: Skerik & McTuff @ Sam Bond’s (Eugene, OR – 7/8/09)
The Joe Doria led McTuff hit the stage at Sam Bond’s last night around 10pm. While Joe is the bandleader (and quite awesome), a large part of the draw seems to be for tenor saxophonist Skerik. The entire band is fantastic, and really put out a great groove last night. We stayed for a little over an hour, and caught “Seven Bullets,” “Arrow Tip,” Michael Jackson‘s “Human Nature” (identified by my wife) and some other unannounced songs/jams. The 3rd or 4th song (“Seven Bullets”) had some very klezmer-sounding melodies to me.
Last time I saw them, it seemed to be much more organ & sax (or maybe that’s just my poor recollection). This time, the guitarist (Andy Coe) also seemed to really break out. It was nice to hear him take some leads. Drummer D’vonne Lewis was also killin’ it. Great groove all around from the band. I’m glad they come around a couple times a year.
They’ve got their first record out, McTuff Volume 1, which I picked up last night. Check them out on the MySpaces: http://www.myspace.com/mctuffmusic
~Dan – np: Derek Webb – Stockholm Syndrome
REVIEW: Hiromi’s Sonicbloom @ Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley (Seattle, WA – 6/16/09)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
Well, I’d never been to Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley. It’s an amazing little room (maybe 200 seats) with dinner served if you show up early. Plus, in downtown Seattle, it offers free parking. Yeah, you read that correctly – free parking. :) Anyway, I showed up shortly after 6pm after fighting with traffic heading through Tacoma and into Seattle. I got seated right up front, which was also the benefit of showing up early for the dinner & show deal. Fantastic food, and wonderful staff! The venue earns an A+!! I hope they bring in some more choice acts… it was worth the trip.
Hiromi Uehara and Sonicbloom took the stage around 7:40. The band was Hiromi on piano (a Steinway & Sons, if I recall correctly) & keyboards (3 different keyboards/syths), Tony Grey on 6-string electric bass, Dave Fiuczynski on double-neck guitar (12 string on top, 7 string on bottom), and Mauricio Zottarelli on drums. Both Tony & Dave played on Hiromi’s two Sonicbloom records. Actually, Tony played with Hiromi on her last four records (not just the recent Sonicbloom moniker).
As a band, they were pretty tight. I liked Tony a lot on bass. He had a nice groove, and his “mouthing” of the solos was fun, too. Maurice was also great, but he was shielded from me for most of the night from an older “bigger hair” couple; so I didn’t catch many glimpses of him. Dave was good, too… but sometime he got too “noodley” versus what the band was doing. His solos weren’t great in my opinion, but when he was playing lead, his playing worked well. Maybe guitar in a jazz quartet wasn’t my thing this time around.
As far as setlist, no luck. Hiromi only announced one song from the stage: “Time Travel” from Time Control (the 2007 Sonicbloom record). I’m pretty sure that they didn’t play “XYZ” (or the variation “XYG”). That was a bummer, but not too much of a bummer – as the show was amazing all around.
They played a few standards, one that the name is on the tip of my tongue, but I can’t for the life of me remember it. I can hear it still in my head (doo doo doo, doop doop doodle doop). Damn, there are too many songs in my head and barely any names. Hiromi also played a solo classical piece that was very familiar, but again, I’m drawing a blank. Regardless of song names, Hiromi’s handwork is amazing. I swear, I don’t know how she can pull off playing two different melodies at the same time with different hands. Anyway, the whole group was an amazing bunch of musicians. Most of the show was pretty jammy, but had elements of straight ahead jazz, and again some classical.
They’re playing again at the Jazz Alley as I type this… if anyone went tonight (June 17th), let me know how it went.
For the uninitiated to Hiromi, check out the video electronic press kit for Beyond Standard featuring “XYG“:
Or check out the video for “Time Difference“…
The Appropriate Linkage:
~Dan – np: Anakronic Electro-Orchestra – The Yiddish Part -EP-
HIROMI’s SONICBLOOM PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2009 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
REVIEW: Holy Fuck @ Doug Fir Lounge (Portland, OR – 6/4/09)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
I love my job. I get to be in towns that quite often host artists I like to see… so I don’t have to drive up to make a special trip. Well, this time, it was for my second time seeing the instrumental, avant-groove, live electronic band from Toronto – – Holy Fuck. While their name may be offensive to some, their music is delicious. I tried to make the “gotta eat there while in Portland” stop at Blossoming Lotus, but downtown was PACKED – no parking to be found; so I crossed the River and checked out The Farm instead. Then I scuttled off to the venue to meet some Eugene friends and take in some great music.
Crocodiles went on first, and they played about a half hour. It was a singer & guitarist playing to a drum machine or tape. It wasn’t too shabby. Two man bands are usually more miss than hit, but these guys had some good songs and rocked out fairly well.
Holy Fuck took the stage around 10:15 and played a jam-packed hour or so. I forget how infectious these guys are, even when not playing something all that melodic (though they had plenty of groove last night as well). We got right up front, and I was able to snap some pics and a video or two (see below). I was glad to see the audience show up, too… at first, it was looking grim, like a 10 person crowd. By HF show time, the MFDF was filling up quite nicely. Much groove, much film scratchin’, oft screamin’ and looping, with a thumping rhythm section…
Songs are harder to distinguish when there are no vocals (i.e.- no official “setlist” here). I know they played The Pulse, Super Inuit, and Lovely Allen, and I’m pretty sure they played Milkshake, Safari, Frenchy’s, Jungle, maybe Royal Gregory. Those last five are just a guess, though. I do know that it was a bitchin’ show!! It’s great to see them in progressively bigger venues. First Newport, KY’s Southgate House “parlor” (i.e.- the very small room upstairs) to the real venue of Doug Fir Lounge as the headliner. A+… and I hope it’s not another 2+ years until I get to see them again.
Holy Fuck “The Pulse” @ Doug Fir Lounge, 6/4/2009
The videos are just “OK,” but not too shabby for a digital camera (not a digital video camera), if I do say so myself. Regardless of the video quality, quite frankly, this show is probably one of my favorite shows this year so far.
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Holy Fuck Online
- Holy Fuck on MySpace
- Holy Fuck review & pics from Brooklyn Vegan <— *great shots*
- Holy Fuck interviewed by Joe Walker (YouTube link)
- Crocodiles on MySpace
- Doug Fir Lounge
~Dan – np: John Zorn – Alhambra Love Songs
no torrent or free download available here
CROCODILES / HOLY FUCK PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2009 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
REVIEW: Steven Bernstein’s Sex Mob @ Goodfoot Lounge (Portland, OR – 5/23/09)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
Sex Mob is a downtown NYC jazz band made up of bandleader Steven Bernstein on slide trumpet, Briggan Krauss on saxophone, Tony Scherr on bass, and Kenny Wolleson on drums. For those keeping score, Steven Bernstein is one of my top 3 favorite (living) trumpet players [Dave Douglas & Wynton Marsalis being the other 2]. I got into Steven via some of his CDs on John Zorn’s label Tzadik and their Radical Jewish Culture series… then I found Sex Mob (and also Millennial Territory Orchestra). Steven Bernstein came through Ohio just shortly after I moved away; so last night was actually my first time to see him live. And for it to be a Sex Mob show made it much more special.
The opener, Trio Subtonic, was great. I saw them last fall at a small college, but this time it was nice to see them in a more intimate, non-auditorium setting. They played for 75 minutes or so, more than a normal opener. In fact, had they not been so good, I would have kind of been pissed. :) In my opinion, the best part of their set was when they ripped into an instrumental jazzy, slightly obscured cover of Radiohead‘s “Just” (the original has one of my favorite videos). I was singing along… Shortly thereafter, they were joined on stage by a saxophonist for about half of their set – which was a great addition. Maybe they should add him permanently and change their name to Quartet Subtonic.
Sex Mob came on around 11:45, and they started in on an avant-garde piece. I’d seen Sex Mob’s saxophonist Briggan Krauss play with NYC downtown avant-garde musicians Ikue Mori and Jim Black in March 2007; so I expected some avant-garde from this group of downtown NYC musicians. Sex Mob mixed it up a bit and jammed as well, but every corner had a bit of the avant-garde nature hiding in it. Maybe more of a halfway point between groove jazz and avant-garde jazz would be a good explanation – “raucous.” I think my favorite from their set was the tune whose opener reminds me of Dizzy Gillespie‘s “Salt Peanuts.”
Sex Mob Intro @ the Goodfoot, 5/23/09
Sex Mob #2 @ the Goodfoot, 5/23/09
I hope they come back again soon… and maybe start earlier (or play closer to me). :) I bailed around 1am to head back home to Eugene. All in all, a great night for jazz.
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Sex Mob’s official page
- Steven Bernstein’s official page
- Sex Mob on MySpace
- Trio Subtonic
- Trio Subtonic on MySpace
- The Goodfoot Pub & Lounge
~Dan – np: Isis – Wavering Radiant
no torrent here
TRIO SUBTONIC / SEX MOB PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2009 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
REVIEW: Swing Shift Big Band @ Wildish Theater (Springfield, OR – – 4/10/09)
Ok, I’m totally gonna “phone this in”… the snippet from the invite email I got covers what they played:
While Swing Shift has always based much of its style on the inspiration of Count Basie, this is the first time that we have offered a full evening of music in the classic Basie tradition. The band will perform standards such as “Moten Swing,” “Corner Pocket” and “Vine Street Rumble,” along with lesser-known gems, including Quincy Jones’ “Jessica’s Day.” Featured soloists for the evening will be trombonist Glenn Bonney, who will be heard on Benny Carter’s beautiful “Sunset Glow,” and trumpeter Warren Wellford, performing “Pensive Miss,” a gorgeous ballad by Neal Hefti. There will also (of course) be generous helpings of piano in the Count Basie tradition, ably essayed by pianist John Polese, as well as contributions from alto saxophonists Sean Flannery and Travis Wong and trumpeters Steve O’Brien and Dana Heitman.
The second half of the concert will showcase music that was performed by the remarkable pairing of singer Frank Sinatra and the Basie band. The three albums that they recorded in the early 1960’s still serve as the model for a singer working with a big band, and virtually every song from those collaborations are standards today. Aaron Anderson, Swing Shift’s regular vocalist, will be finally be heard as a featured artist, singing (among others) “Come Fly With Me,” “Nice And Easy,” “Fly Me To the Moon” and “I’ve Got You Under My Skin.” Lead trumpeter Dana Heitman is responsible for the recreation of many of these arrangements, most of which have never been available for performance by other groups.
Great show… they played a 45 minute instrumental Count Basie set, and then came out with trombonist Aaron Anderson on vocals for a 45 minute Frank Sinatra / Count Basie set. I was really impressed all around with the musicianship, the venue, and the vocals (and I usually don’t really prefer jazz with vocals). It was a really, really good show… and not just because it was free.
Setlist:
- Step Right Up
- Corner Pocket
- In a Mellotone
- Jessica’s Day
- Pensive Miss
- 4-5-6
- Sunset Glow
- Every Tub
Intermission - Come Fly With Me
- I’ve Got You Under My Skin
- Fly Me to the Moon
- The Shadow of Your Smile
- One for My Baby
- Nice and Easy
- I Get a Kick Out of You
- That’s Life
- My Kind of Town
- Encore: Smack Dab in the Middle
The Appropriate Linkage:
~Dan – np: Jerry Cantrell – Degradation Trip, Vols 1 & 2
REVIEW: Madeleine Peyroux @ the Shedd (Eugene, OR – – 3/25/09)
Great show last night… Madeleine Peyroux and her jazzy quartet played a smooth hour and half set at the Shedd. I’m really coming to love the early start time, no opener, and home at a reasonable time shows at the Shedd. No pictures or (accurate) set list from me for this show… I was in a hurry and drove straight in from work in Portland to make it time for the show.
Madeleine had a backing quartet made up of a piano/keyboard/organ/melodica player, an electric/upright bassist, a mandolin/guitarist, and a drummer/cardboard box player. They were a really well put together band…
Songs I remember them playing:
Dance Me to the End of Love, Bare Bones, You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go, La Javanaise, Love and Treachery, Our Lady of Pigalle, I Must Be Saved. They came back for an encore dedicated to Barack Obama (There’s Something Grand).
Great, soothing show. Wonderful, lush, Billie Holiday-esque vocals, great accompaniment. If she comes through your town, check her out! Oh, she also has a new CD out, Bare Bones:
The Appropriate Linkage:
- http://www.madeleinepeyroux.com/
- http://www.myspace.com/officialmadeleinepeyroux
- http://www.theshedd.org/
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Totally side note cool news…
- Tool is touring this summer.. read more at Blabbermouth.
- Medeski Martin & Wood‘s Radiolarians II is coming out April 14th.
~Dan – np: Buckethead – Colma
REVIEW: SFJazz Collective @ the Shedd (Eugene, OR – – 3/19/09)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
This is my second time seeing the SF Jazz Collective. Last time (Feb 2008) was a tour dedicated to Wayne Shorter. This time, it was a McCoy Tyner-focused tour. The same line-up as last year, except for this show we were missing Stefon Harris’ vibraphone playing. Perhaps he wasn’t able to make it or isn’t in the touring version of the band this spring. He’s on all of the promo photos. Regardless, they likely wouldn’t have had room for him, as it was a packed stage at the Shedd with the seven members of this tour: Dave Douglas (on trumpet), Joe Lovano (on tenor sax), Miguel Zenon (on alto sax), Renee Rosnes (on piano), Robin Eubanks (on trombone), Matt Penman (on bass), and Eric Harland (on drums).
The show started promptly at 7:30pm, and the band hit the stage after a short introduction. I’m getting spoiled with these Shedd shows: no opener, 90-120 minutes – – boom goes the dynamite, and then you’re done and home at a reasonable time (we even got home in time to watch 30 Rock; i.e.- the best show on network TV right now).
The band started in a way quite opposite to what I just told my wife… “oh, SF Jazz isn’t avant-garde, they’re much more poppy / groove-oriented.” Well, I’d never heard McCoy Tyner, and the first song started out with a bunch of free jazz “noodling” that almost sounded like a warm-up. I like this kinda of stuff (hey, I’m a big John Zorn fan)… but I looked over at my wife, and she had this look of, “oh, crap, this is gonna be a long night.” Well, this noodling quickly turned into the swinging, groovy jazz fest that I came to know from the prior SFJC show and their CDs. So, I think my wife had a good time despite the uncertain start. :)
(Robin, Dave, Matt, Joe)
Setlist: [solos noted as best I remember… I likely forgot to note some of them]
- Fly with the Wind – by McCoy Tyner, arranged by RR
- Three Flowers – by McCoy Tyner, arranged by MP; solo: DD
- Yes We Can (Victory Dance) – by Robin Eubanks; solo(s): RE, DD, RR
- Sycamore – by Dave Douglas; solo(s): MP, JL, MZ, JL & MZ trade-off
- Jazz Free – by Joe Lovano; solo(s): basically everyone
- No Filter – by Miguel Zenon; solo(s): RE, MZ (was on fire) (*fave of the night*)
- Encore: Concensus – by McCoy Tyner, arranged by EH; solo: DD
Oddly enough, they had a congo drum over to the right but never used it… well, other than for Miguel to rest his hands on occasion. Oh well… they treated us to 90 minutes of some great, smokin’ jazz… so, 7 songs over 90 minutes – – you do the math. The show was a wonderful treat, and I hope they keep this up in the coming years.
The Appropriate Linkage:
- SFJazz Collective
- Dave Douglas (trumpet)
- Dave Douglas on MySp
- Joe Lovano (tenor sax)
- Miguel Zenón (alto sax) – 2008 MacArthur Foundation Grant recipient
- Robin Eubanks (trombone)
- Renee Rosnes (piano)
- Matt Penman (bass)
- Eric Harland (drums)
- Stefon Harris (vibraphone – not at the show)
- McCoy Tyner (SFJC ’09 tributed artist)
- http://www.theshedd.org/
~Dan – np: Paul Brody’s Sadawi – Kabbalah Dream
SF JAZZ COLLECTIVE PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2009 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
John Zorn in San Fran 2009
First off… Happy Pi Day…
Also, tomorrow (Sunday the 15th) marks the end of the run of special John Zorn’s Masada at Yoshi’s in San Francisco. Here’s a YouTube clip of the Secret Chiefs 3 performance of “Omael” from Xaphan on Tuesday night (pardon the video quality, the taper had to keep it “on the down low” due to the venue’s strict policies against such things):
And “Kemuel“…
Anyone able to sneak an audio recording of any of the Zorn Fest shows (below)? Hit me up…
~Dan – np: Kukl (early Björk punk band) – The Eye
Zorn Fest 2009
March 10 – The Secret Chiefs 3 Play Masada
March 11 – Masada String Trio – 2 sets
March 12 – Masada Quintet – 2 sets
March 13 – Bar Kokhba Sextet – 2 sets
March 14 – The Dreamers – 2 sets
March 15 – Electric Masada – 2 sets
REVIEW: Oregon Percussion Ensemble’s FRANK ZAPPA Tribute @ UO’s Beall Hall (Eugene, OR – – 3/7/09)
I went to the University of Oregon’s Beall Concert Hall yesterday afternoon for a wonderful tribute to Frank Zappa put on by the UO College of Music’s Oregon Percussion Ensemble, conducted by W. Sean Wagoner. It was a show that I found out about in the Eugene Weekly… yay for the local entertainment rag for giving us last minute cool info!
The show was great… about 90 minutes including breaks. All percussion, except for a bass player and a violinist for “The Black Page Part 1 & 2.” OK, there was a pianist and a tap dancer, too… but those are technically percussion instruments. :P
Setlist:
- Concerto No. 1, Op. 12.3(1986) – composed by Ney Rosauro, soloist: Paul Owen (marimba)
- I. Saudacao (Greetings)
- II. Lamento (Lament)
- III. Danca (Dance)
- IV. Despedida (Farewell)
- Ionisation for thirteen percussionists (1929-1931) – composed by Edgard Varese
- Waltz (1958) – composed by Frank Zappa, soloist: Merlin Showalter (vibraphone)
- Magnesium Zapp II (2009) – composed by Charles Dowd
- The Black Page Drum Solo (1976) – composed by Frank Zappa, soloist: Paul Owen (drumset)
- The Black Page, Part I (1976) – composed by Frank Zappa
- The Black Page, Part II (1976) – composed by Frank Zappa
The first part of the first piece (Saudacao) was very Zappaesque… heavy on the marimba and xylophonic percussion… fast melodies, and the crazy percussive triplets or whatever you drummers call them. :) The rest of Concerto No. 1 wasn’t as Zappaesque, but it definitely was a great warm-up to the rest of the show. Paul Owen’s marimba work was great and the rest of the band really broke loose on this 20-something-minute piece.
Next up was Ionisation by Edgard Varese, from whom Zappa had only one degree of separation… the conductor for the first performance of Ionisation in the 30s was Nicolas Slonimsky, who later became a friend of Frank’s and also went out on tour with Zappa’s early 80s band. The piece was an avant-garde percussive piece, if set-up as designed (which I assume they did) was 3 bass drums, 2 Side drums, 2 Snare drums, tarole, 2 bongos, tambourine, tambour militaire, crash cymbal, suspended cymbals, 3 tam-tams, gong, 2 anvils, 2 triangles, sleigh bells, chimes, celesta, piano, Chinese blocks, claves, maracas, castanets, whip (instrument), guiro, high & low sirens, and a lion’s roar. I don’t remember a whip or lion’s roar… but regardless, it was fun and adventurous.
Waltz was the first official Zappa piece of the afternoon. It was about a 2 minute, 12-tone vibraphone solo by Merlin Showalter. It seemed like it was over before it started, but it was a nice piece.
Magnesium Zapp II continued in the Zappa theme… though not written by him. It was written by UO Director of Music Charles Dowd, who drew inspiration from Frank Zappa’s “Girl in the Magnesium Dress” from The Yellow Shark. It was somewhat avant-garde, improvisational with some structure. It also had small melodies written in to represent F-R-A-N-K and Z-A-P-P-A, which they went over beforehand… and it was fun to pick it out when they were playing it. Basically a 26-note run equating to the English alphabet… blah blah blah, you do the math.
Next up was The Black Page… I’d seen Terry Bozzio play this at the 2006 Zappa Plays Zappa tour in Louisville, and for the uninitiated, Zappa wrote it as a technical challenge. The musicians dreaded seeing all of the black notes on the page… hence its name.
(click for larger)
Percussion/Battery drum transcript (PDF):
The Ensemble started this as simply a drum solo by Paul Owen. He did a great job on this 3-4 minute very technical solo. Then the solo was played again by Paul… and 9 more drummers (and a tap dancer) at the same time, nearly perfectly in sync. It was quite mind blowing seeing all 10 drum sets around the front of the stage when we got back from the short intermission, but I had no idea they all be playing the solo together. Crazy good stuff. The only downside, we could barely see the tap dancer (Alli Bach) as she was behind the drum sets, but she was going nuts and hitting all of the notes as well… per W. Sean Wagoner (the conductor), this was the world premiere of a tap dance transcription for The Black Page. :)
After the solo(s), they played the Black Page in both Zappa’s variations… the “Hard Version” and the “Easy Teenage NY Version.” Much more melodic (not all on drums, as some of the drummers moved to play other instruments). They were also joined by piano, electric violin and bass. Great stuff… about 5 minutes for each version.
Good stuff… well worth the $5… like criminally worth it.
~Dan – np: Ben Folds Five – Whatever and Ever Amen
REVIEW: That1Guy @ WOW Hall (Eugene, OR – – 2/11/09)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
Well, this was my 5th time seeing That1Guy and the Magic Pipe. He is a truly mesmerizing performer… the inclusion of the Magic Saw and Magic Boot are also great, but the true show is seeing Mr. 1Guy put a crazy go nuts university seminar on the Magic Pipe.
The opener was Seattle’s Flowmotion. I only caught their last 3-4 songs, but I liked them. Kinda of a more rock style jam band. The best part for me was their drummer and drummer/ percussionist combo. Two of the 3-4 songs I saw had some cool extended dual drum solos.
T1G came on right around 9:30. He seemed to play a very similar setlist to the time I saw him a year and a half ago at John Henry’s, but much more energetic… having a pretty packed house at a bigger venue on a Wednesday definitely didn’t hurt the energy. :)
Setlist:
- Forgotten Whales leading into Instrumental Intro Jam
- Jigsaw
- Weasel Potpie leading into Instrumental Jam
- the one with “heaven or heck” in the lyrics
- Dig (with the magic boot)
- Buttmachine (extended)
- Instrumental Jam
- Bananas
- Somewhere Over the Rainbow(with the magic saw)
- One(with card tricks)
- Jam Session with Flowmotion drummers (T1G’s credit card jam)
- …
Great show… I left at about the 90 minute point (it’s been a long week for me so far). If I had to wager a guess, I bet he played “Mash” and/or “The Moon is Disgusting” and/or “Birds” as encores… but that’s only a guess.
the magic pipe
And now for some news from That1Guy…
He’s re-issued his first album… the one before Songs in the Key of Beotch called Let’s Hear That1Guy (click pic to find out more):
New animated video for “Mash” made by some ausome aussies at Silo:6…
Oh, and T1G’s “Buttmachine” is the new Rick Roll… try it on your friends. *cough*
The Appropriate Linkage:
- http://www.that1guy.com/
- http://myspace.com/that1guy
- http://www.flowmotion.net/
- http://myspace.com/flowmotionmusic
- http://www.wowhall.org/
~Dan – np: The Beatles – The Beatles
THAT1GUY PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2009 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
REVIEW: Jeremy Pelt Quintet @ the Shedd (Eugene, OR – – 1/16/09)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
Brilliant show last night at the John G. Shedd Institute… I literally walked in at 7:30pm, just as the Shedd was announcing the Jeremy Pelt Quintet to come out and play. Whew… barely made it. Jeremy Pelt and crew came out and played 7 pieces over 90 straight minutes with very few breaks to talk between the songs.
(click for larger)
I’d never seen Jeremy Pelt before, but I had gotten into him via Ken Laster’s great In the Groove and Beyond podcast a couple of years ago. The band was Jeremy Pelt (bandleader, trumpet), JD Allen (tenor saxophone), Danny Grissett (piano), Dwayne Burno (bass), and Gerald Cleaver (drums). They were hot… most of the songs were definitely extended jams over what’s put down on their latest record, November, which I picked up at the show.
Set list: (as called from the stage)
- Avatar
- Clairvoyant
- Phoenix
- Nephthys (based on the Egyptian goddess, not the Egpytian online movie rental store Netflix…)
- Shirley Horn’s You Won’t Forget Me (dedicated to the recently passed trumpet great Freddie Hubbard)
- (JPQ pianist) Danny Grissett’s Untitled
- 466-64 (based on JP’s visit to Nelson Mandela’s jail cell)
Great show. The hour and a half passed by too quickly. Apparently Jeremy Pelt comes through Eugene often (every year or so); so I’m looking forward to seeing him again in the future. He’ll be at the Shedd again in early March 2009 for the multi-day Jazz Fest / Party, but I don’t think I can make it.
The appropriate links:
- http://www.peltjazz.com/
- http://www.myspace.com/maxjazz (his record label)
- http://theshedd.org/
Next show… Skerik’s McTuff at Sam Bond’s on Thursday. I’m there if I’m not beaten down by busy season work…
~Dan – np: Jeremy Pelt – November
JEREMY PELT QUINTET PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2009 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
REVIEW: Jason Schimmel’s Orange Tulip Conspiracy @ Samurai Duck (Eugene, OR – – 11/17/08)
FYI… my PHOTOS of the SHOW are at the BOTTOM
Samurai Duck on a Monday night… ugh… but it was for a good cause. It was to see Jason Schimmel’s Orange Tulip Conspiracy (hereafter “OTC”). I’d seen Jason thrice prior (with Estradasphere once and with Secret Chiefs 3 twice). I fought the late night start to the week, the sleepiness, the sticky bar, and deep fried pizza (shudder). Egads, why did I let myself be sucked in by $3 fried pizza? I mean, sweet muscular Jesus… why!? It was wrong on too many levels…
Anyway, OTC went on around 10pm, or at least I thought. They were just foolin’, as I think Jason was setting up his Mac to tape the show and needed some levels. They went on for real around 10:20 and played until just about 11:30. I’m bad with the song names on instrumental bands, but they played most of the music from their eponymous debut CD. They also played a Django Reinhardt tune like no Django I’d previously heard (it was pretty fun, fast & furious). Hot Club de France was usually fun & furious, but not so fast… it was fun to OTC stretch it out at the end, too…
(click for larger)
The band was made up of bandleader Jason Schimmel (on guitars & swanky hat), John Whooley (on saxes & keys, an original Estradasphere member), Dan Robbins (on basses), Zach Cline (on guitar) and Lee Smith (on drums). John Whooley really ripped it up, and the live show was very much more sax-oriented than I remembered the CD being. It makes me wish I’d seen the earlier incarnation of Estradasphere (even though the current incarnation is excellent). Lee Smith also seemed more comfortable because he didn’t have to start his set in a ninja costume…
The 70 minute set was full of rockin’ jazz-infused tunes. Very swingy in spots, but Jason also pulled out a 7-string for a chunky low-end on a song. If John Petrucci (from Dream Theater) has taught me anything, it’s that I love me some 7-string. The night was full of what my wife might call a band in an “identity crisis,” but that’s exactly what I love about bands in which I’ve seen Jason play – – they’re full of energy & musical chops. OTC aren’t afraid to just push the envelope. They enjoy ripping it open like a birthday card from a rich Aunt. :)
The live show was pretty awesome, and the album is fantastic. It’s quite frankly in the running for faves of the year. It can (and should) be bought via Web of Mimicry/Lobefood (click the picture below):
The Appropriate Linkage:
Where they’re heading next on this 2008 West Coast Tour?
Nov 18 2008 – On the Y, Sacramento, California
Nov 19 2008 – Moe’s Alley, Santa Cruz, California
Nov 20 2008 – The Ruby Room, San Diego, California
Nov 21 2008 – The Knitting Factory, Hollywood, California
Nov 22 2008 – Hotel Utah, San Francisco, California
~Dan – np: Zakarya – The True Story Concerning Martin Behaim
-and- Ellery – You Did Everything Right -EP-
ORANGE TULIP CONSPIRACY CONCERT PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2008 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
-Eyvind Kang
-Frank Zappa
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