Archive
Dave Douglas on vinyl
So, Expand from Dave Douglas & Keystone – the second in the Spark of Being trilogy – is now up for pre-order. Spark of Being is Dave’s recent collaboration with experimental filmmaker Bill Morrison (read more here). As a cool option, it’s going to be made available on vinyl – a first for Greenleaf Music.
I’ve got mine on pre-order… boxset and now vinyl. Oh, and once pre-ordered… you get to download it, even though its release date is August 24th.
~Dan – np: Dave Douglas & Keystone – Spark of Being: Expand 
more Nellie McKay details
More details coming in on Nellie McKay‘s forthcoming follow-up to Normal As Blueberry Pie from Lehigh Valley Music…
Some of the key points… It is expected to be all original songs due out in September 2010. It’s being “overseen” by Talking Heads founder and world-beat practitioner David Byrne, and per Nellie it is a made up of a bunch of “wide-ranging” songs.
Read the full interview HERE.
Dave Douglas & Keystone’s Spark of Being
The latest music from Dave Douglas & Keystone is a three-part release.
Part 1: SOUNDTRACK (out June 22nd)
Part 2: EXPAND (out August 24th)
Part 3: BURST (out September 21st)
All three releases were inspired by Douglas’ recent collaboration with experimental filmmaker Bill Morrison on the new multi-media project Spark of Being, and were written by Douglas for his electric sextet Keystone. The first release, to the aforementioned film, will be available exclusively through Greenleaf Music on June 22. Two additional releases, Expand and Burst, will follow later this year and feature Douglas and Keystone exploring and interpreting the themes of the film.
Spark of Being, which premiered on April 24 at Stanford University’s Lively Arts, combines a re-interpretation of the Frankenstein story featuring new, archival and distressed footage on film by experimental filmmaker Bill Morrison with an original score by Douglas. Spark of Being was commissioned by Stanford Lively Arts as the centerpiece of a campus-wide “Art + Invention” project throughout the 2009–10 season, and was also the culmination of a multi-stage residency at Stanford by Douglas and Morrison.
Expand is a fully realized new jazz album by Douglas and Keystone. It will be released by Greenleaf Music and distributed through traditional music channels on August 24. Greenleaf will follow with the release of Burst on September 21, which, like Expand, further develops the musical ideas of Spark of Being, without the parameters of a soundtrack composition. All three albums will also be available in a full box set on September 21.
“Spark of Being began its life as a meditation on humanity and technology,” said Douglas. “Through the lens of contemporary music and film, Bill Morrison and I were both interested in a collaboration that showed the various uses for invention, from the quirky to the profound, from the benign to the murderous.”
Greenleaf Music rolled this out as part of their newly expanded subscription series. The new subscription service offers expansions to their levels… newly included are subscriber-only podcasts, full streaming of the ENTIRE Greenleaf catalog, complimentary tickets to a Greenleaf artist’s show, meet & greet opportunities, et cetera. My subscription was expiring anyway; so it was a great time to re-up. :)
~Dan – np: Maery Lanahan – Lessen
REVIEW: Charlie Hunter @ WOW Hall (Eugene, OR – 5/18/10)
Charlie Hunter‘s new CD Gentlemen, I Neglected To Inform You You Will Not Be Getting Paid was the first CD through the gates in 2010. The CD is named after a saying from an undisclosed curmudgeon musician who used to pull that on his players (no, it’s not indicative of Charlie’s payment habits).
The album is a fun jaunt full of the groove-laden jazz that Charlie Hunter fans know and love. It’s a highly recommended purchase for 2010… (pictured to the right)
The current “Evening with Charlie Hunter” tour is slightly stripped down compared to the album… it features Hunter on guitar, Ron Miles (trumpet) & Eric Kalb (drums). They hit the WOW Hall stage just after 8pm and played two sets and a long encore… well over two solid hours. All three men played effortlessly… their first set was smokey and soulful. Their second set was a bit more upbeat with more solos, including a few standards mixed in with the Neglected tunes.
Eric and Ron were very tight players, with stunning solos in their own right. Eric had a great feel, and while I think Ron stayed in the shadows more during the sets, the trumpet flavor he added to the trio was a perfect fit.
One of the most amazing things from the night was watching Charlie play. His seeming ease at which he plays bass and guitar on one instrument is stunning (and curse-worthy for the guitar aficionado in the crowd). If you weren’t watching the stage, you’d easily be fooled that it was a quartet and not a trio. It’s quite an amazing thing to see and hear. He’s so unassuming about it, too… a showman without the show-off attitude.
more photos below
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Charlie Hunter’s Site
- Charlie Hunter on MySpace
- Ron Miles on MySpace
- Eric Kalb on MySpace
- Charlie ‘Neglected‘ interview on NPR Music
- WOW Hall
~Dan – np: Method of Defiance – Inamorata
CHARLIE HUNTER PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2010 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
Dave Douglas & Keystone – Spark of Being
From the Greenleaf Music blog…
Dave Douglas: “Keystone and I have finished our new recording and it will be released very soon. Here is the cover of the first album in the trilogy of CDs and we’re all really excited about the collaboration with filmmaker Bill Morrison on Spark of Being. ‘Soundtrack’ is the first release of three — it’s the music from the actual film. We’ve documented much more than that, with two CDs of Keystone recordings from the sessions in Stanford.
We’ll be making a big push for this first release as well as for the three CD set and new subscription podcasts and conversations.
I think you’ll enjoy it as much as we enjoyed making it.”
Sweeeet… more news will be posted when I hear the word…
~Dan – np: Holy Fuck – Latin
Dave Douglas – Masada seminar at the Stone
If you’re in New York City next week and love jazz, you have to go to this…
John Zorn, Ner Tamid, from the Masada songbook.
Monday, May 10, 7PM – 10PM:
Stone Seminar 19 – Dave Douglas on the Music of Masada
At The Stone in NYC
When John asked me to present a seminar, I thought: why not take a handful of Masada tunes, old and new, and play them with people? We’ll have the charts in Zorn’s incredibly-expressive handwriting… Bring your instrument as the goal will be to play as many tunes as we can get through. I learned a lot playing these tunes, and I think people may enjoy coming to get a closer look at how the tunes look and how performances of them work. Word is the composer may even come by and answer some of the many remaining questions I have for him.
Playing this music has always been fun, challenging, and thought-provoking for me. I can’t say that I have any answers, but Monday we will open up the book and see where the charts take us. Each of these tunes points in a unique and inspiring direction.
More info and specifics at The Stone website.
I’m really, really, really jealous…
~Dan – np: Kembwe – Kembwe
Nellie McKay in the studio
Jazz-pop songstress Nellie McKay is in the studio working on her follow-up to Normal As Blueberry Pie (the wonderful Doris Day tribute from 2009). This news comes in via a twitter update on May 2nd from studio musician – David Raven (pictured at right).
“recorded today with nellie mckay for her new record… brilliant songwriter.”
As more concrete info about the forthcoming about comes out, I’ll be sure to post it…
~Dan – np: Minamo – Kuroi Kawa ~ Black River
Reptet Coast to Coast Tour
I wasn’t able to hit their most recent local gig (in Cottage Grove, OR), but good news for non-West Coasters, Seattle-based jazz sextet REPTET is making a jaunt through the north, midwest and east coast…
2010 Coast-to-Coast Agendacide Tour
- Apr 27 Seattle, WA – Sunset Tavern
- May 6 Wilmington, DE – Mojo 13
- May 7 Philadelphia, PA – Chris’s Jazz Cafe
- May 8 Tivoli, NY – The Black Swan
- May 9 New York, NY – The Local 269
- May 10 Brooklyn, NY – Rose Live Music
- May 12 Cleveland, OH – Nighttown
- May 13 Grand Rapids, MI – Founders
- May 14 Three Oaks, MI – The Acorn Theatre
- May 15 Chicago, IL – The Viaduct Theatre
- May 16 Madison, WI The Frequency
- May 17 Minneapolis, MN Acadia Cafe
- May 18 Fargo, ND – The Red Raven
- May 20 Missoula, MT – Top Hat Lounge
- May 21 Sandpoint, ID – Eichardt’s
Their latest release is the 7″ vinyl Agendacide. Find out more about Agendacide and the tour at: http://www.reptet.com/
~Dan – np: Clogs – The Creatures in the Garden of Lady Walton
recent jazz {Mar/Apr 2010}
So, I usually don’t do album reviews, but I get tons of music; so I figured I’d do little snippet reviews once a month or so… here are some recent jazz CDs I got recently. All of them were pretty darn fabulous…
The Dreamers – Masada Book Two, Book of Angels, Volume 14: Ipos (Mar 2010) The Dreamers sextet is made up of Cyro Baptista, Joey Baron, Trevor Dunn, Marc Ribot, Jamie Saft, and Kenny Wollesen and it quite frankly one of John Zorn’s most accessible bands. They weave in and out of some new Masada compositions. Highly enjoyable and easily drinkable with enough complexities to keep you coming back to the well!
http://www.myspace.com/zornroz
John Zorn – In Search of the Miraculous (Feb 2010) This album was inspired by “esoteric spiritual practices, white magic, ritual, traditional myths and ancient legends.” This album is a great adventure, and as a plus is performed by the soothing Alhambra Trio (who had a great, evocative album out in late 2009) joined by special guests Kenny Wollesen, Carol Emanuel, and Shanir Blumenkranz.
http://www.myspace.com/johnzorn
Jamie Saft – A Bag of Shells (Mar 2010) This soundtrack album is for the four films Murderball, God Grew Tired of Us, Dear Talula, and Brooklyn Exile. It jumps all over the place, starting with the harder edged “Murderball” title track to many different styles – some background music and some that catch your ears and take them for a ride.
http://www.myspace.com/jamiesaft
Haftor Medbøe – A Box of Monkeys EP (Jan 2010) My only complaint about this EP is that… it’s too short. Haftor Medboe bridges the gap from contemporary jazz to electronic, and while I’m usually not fond of vocals in my jazz music, the Björk-like vocals from guest singer Anneke Kampman are a superb match. This guitar-driven EP has a great mix of electronics and traditional jazz instrumentation (sax & trombone).
http://www.haftormedboegroup.net/
Loose Grip – Looking Glass (Apr 2010) This guitar and tenor sax infused contemporary jazz band is led by drummer Chris Wallace. I dig this record a lot… great for fans of Chris Potter and Joe Lovano on the sax angle, great for fans of the guitar jazz like John Scofield, etc. It’s a well made record, that I’m sure will get many more spins from me this year.
http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/LooseGrip
VW Brothers – Muziek (Feb 2010) The Van Wageningen Brothers have played with many immense talents in the jazz world (anyone heard of Stan Getz?). Finally on their own… they captured some great sounds on their band-leading debut album. From the funk of “You Guys Done Yet?” to the South American flavor of “Benito” and “Zapatos de Madera” to the Miles Davis cover “Milestones,” the VW Brothers don’t disappoint – check it out now!!
http://www.vwbrothers.com/
Chris Tedesco – Living the Dream (late 2009) Partially recorded with a big band and partially with a 32-piece studio orchestra, Living the Dream grabs for the 1960s jazz gusto led by Chris’s wonderful trumpet work. This is a definite record to pick up if you dig the swinging big band style. The album also features singer Tony Galla on a handful of tracks.
http://www.christedesco.com/
The Ullmann Swell 4 – News? No News! (early 2010) German reed-man Gebhard Ullmann and New York free-jazz trombonist Steve Swell trade off writing duties and collaborate to bring some great free-jazz improvisations as well as some concise, beautiful compositions to our ears. There is definitely a noticeable juxtaposition between the four songs from each leader and the 2 collaborative pieces. While the album isn’t cohesive, it’s not really intended as such. With that being said, it is definitely an enjoyable spin for my ears.
http://www.gebhard-ullmann.com/
http://www.steveswell.com/
More by late April/early May…
~Dan – np: Sevendust – Alpha
REVIEW: Nellie McKay @ Berbati’s Pan (Portland, OR – 3/31/10)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
Nellie McKay‘s most recent album, As Normal As Blueberry Pie, came out last year, and while different from her prior records, it definitely fit in her catalog nicely. It featured her at her campiest but also her jazziest, versus her edgier side. For evidence of the campiness, check out the lovely publicity shots over on nelliemckay.com. The serious and silliness perfectly fit her personality. I wouldn’t want Nellie any other way.
On to the show…
The venue, Berbati’s Pan, was known to me more for its rock acts. The “jazzy, bluesy, singer-songwriter evening” in store for us was bound to be a big question mark regarding how it would come across… well, it was delightful. The lighting and small couches on the outskirts of the club made for a nice atmosphere. We got to the show just before Howard went on. Most of the people were hanging out on the chairs & couches; so we got some spots right up front.
Howard Fishman opened up the show and hit the stage around 8:45pm. He played guitar in Nellie’s backing band, the Aristocrats, last fall. He played a good set of bluesy standards and originals. He had a lap steel guitarist, Henry Bogdan, playing with him. He played about 25-30 minutes, primarily “upbeat blues” tunes… with a few darker tunes thrown in near the end. Some of my favorites were “The One Rose (That’s Left in My Heart),” a silly song about the Red Sox, and the capper called “Best Days.”
After a short break, Nellie hit the stage alongside both Howard and Henry around 9:20pm. Her set was a more stripped down version of what she brought to Seattle last fall. A great selection of Doris Day and other older standards, with a few of her own songs thrown in for good measure. Her originals were some of my favorites for the night – specifically “Toto Dies” and “The Dog Song.” The newer cover tunes added to her setlist – “Small Day Tomorrow” and “Two Sleepy People” – were really great as well.
She was a giddy and lovable as usual… very jokey and generally in a delightful mood.
Setlist: about 75 minutes
- Do Do Do (Doris Day cover)
- Sentimental Journey (Doris Day Cover)
- A Wonderful Guy (Doris Day cover)
- Georgie Girl (The Seekers cover)
- Mean to Me (Doris Day cover)
- Prisoner of Love (Kitty Wells cover)
- Close Your Eyes (Doris Day cover)
- “Happy Birthday” (to Becky)
- If I Ever Had a Dream
- Toto Dies
- P.S. I Love You
- Mother of Pearl
- Alone When It Rains (duet with Howard Fishman)
- The Dog Song
- A-Tisket, A-Tasket (Ella Fitzgerald cover)
- Small Day Tomorrow (Bob Dorough / Fran Landesman cover)
- Crazy Rhythm (Doris Day cover)
- Encore: “Old-fashioned Bodega” (title unknown)
- Two Sleepy People (Hoagy Carmichael cover, duet with Howard Fishman)
many more photos below
Howard joined her on vocals on two songs. “Alone When It Rains” is actually a song of his, which was sung last night as a tribute to her former dog, Charro. The Hoagy Carmichael duet (“Two Sleepy People”) had a giggle-fit lyrical screw up, but they kept rolling with it. Henry’s lap steel changed the Doris Day sound to a more bluesy feel from the jazz sound of the Aristocrats backing band. The more stripped down Nellie backing band was a treat. I hope she keeps on swinging through the Pacific Northwest.
They’re off to Seattle next (check out more tour dates below). Catch them if you can!
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Nellie McKay’s Site
- Nellie on MySpace
- A good Nellie fansite at .NET
- Howard Fishman’s Site
- Howard Fishman on MySpace
- Berbati’s Pan (venue)
- My Prior Nellie McKay Reviews~
~Dan – np: Coheed & Cambria – Year of the Black Rainbow
no free download or torrent here
2010 Tour Dates (so far)
- 3/28/2010 Los Angeles, CA Alex Theatre
- 3/29/2010 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall
- 3/31/2010 Portland, OR Berbati’s Pan
- 4/3/2010 Seattle, WA Paramount Theater A Prairie Home Companion
- 4/10/2010 Delaware Water Gap, PA Deerhead Inn
- 5/15/2010 Sellersville, Pennsylvania Sellersville Theater 1894
- 6/1/2010 through 6/12/2010 New York, NY Feinstein’s at The Regency
- 9/17/2010 Monterey, California, United States Monterey Jazz Festival
NELLIE McKAY with HOWARD FISHMAN PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2010 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
Higher Resolution (8 pics)
Limited to 1200 pixels wide or tall (32 pics)
recent jazz {Feb/Mar 2010}
So, I usually don’t do album reviews, but I get tons of music; so I figured I’d do little snippet reviews once a month or so… here are some recent jazz CDs I got recently. All of them were pretty darn fabulous…
Mycale – Masada Book Two, Book of Angels, Volume 13 (Jan 2010) I’m a BIG fan of the Masada Book Two series. John Zorn’s post prolific book of music was for the Masada quartet… until he had a spurt of writing material and wrote 300+ songs for the Masada Book Two series. Each year, 3 or 4 different artists release albums on Tzadik covering Zorn’s MB2 series (Secret Chiefs 3 and Medeski Martin & Wood have been my faves thus far). This Mycale group is the first vocal group, and I was skeptical how it’d turn out. Well, it turned out fantastic. It features vocalizations by Ayelet Rose Gottlieb (Israeli singer), Sofia Rei Koutsovitis (jazz vocalist), Basya Schecter (of Pharoah’s Daughter), and Malika Zarra (Moroccan-French singer). I am a fan!! My favorite track is “Moloch.”
http://www.myspace.com/mycalevocalgroup
Yuka Honda – Heart Chamber Phantoms (Jan 2010) Yuka Honda puts out great music – whether it be with Cibo Mato, Sean Lennon, or downtown NYC jazz musicians. This is her third CD in Tzadik’s Oracles series. It’s a breath of fresh air. Experimental yet poppy. She keeps making enjoyably melodic music that punches the envelope in the mouth. Give “Hydrosphere” a listen. I hope it’s sooner than 5 more years until her next solo record.
http://www.myspace.com/yukahonda
Mark Feldman & Sylvia Courvoisier – Oblivia (Jan 2010) The duo of Feldman-Courvoisier is a familial one in the Tzadik catalog. I always know I’ll like it. While I can’t say that Oblivia is much different than their past releases, it is an enjoyable listen. My favorite track is “Messiaenesque.”
http://www.myspace.com/sylviecourvoisier
http://www.myspace.com/markfeldmanviolin
Satoko Fujii & Natsuki Tamura – 4 records: Ma-Do’s Desert Ship / Zakopane / Gato Libre’s Shiro / First Meeting’s Cut the Rope (late 2009/early 2010) I’ve been a fan for Satoko Fujii’s for a while. Her 2009 duo album Minamo with violinist Carla Kihlstedt (or Two Foot Yard & Sleepytime Gorilla Museum) was excellent. For these four CDs, she teamed up with trumpeter Natsuki Tamura (with whom she has collaborated in the past). Cut the Rope is a bit more experimental and improvisational (fave song is the title track). Desert Ship is an acoustic quartet jazz album (fave song is the title track and “February – Locomotive – February”). Zakopane features a larger orchestra led by Satoko (fave songs “Tropical Fish” and “Desert Ship”). The Gato Libre album Shiro features a more subdued accordion and guitar alongside Tamura’s trumpet (fave song “Memory of Journey”). All four of these records are great works in modern jazz, and Desert Ship has a great chance of making my 2010 favorites list. These aren’t listed on Amazon yet, but they can be obtained from Downtown Music Gallery (my favorite jazz store, by far).
http://www.myspace.com/satokofujii
http://www.myspace.com/natsukitamura
Salvatore Bonafede Trio – Sicilian Opening (late 2009) This album is quite enjoyable, from start to finish. Salvatore’s piano work is masterful, and the drums and upright bass bounce around nicely. Sal has worked with Lester Bowie, John Scofield, Joe Lovano, Dave Douglas and more (and his musical chops show it). He threw in a couple Beatles covers and a gospel number amongst a great album of original jazz numbers. My favorite track is the opening title track, but the entire album moves really well from speakers to your ears.
http://www.myspace.com/salvatorebonafede
Peppe Merolla – Stick With Me (Feb 2010) So… drummers as band leaders. I was skeptical, but I don’t know why. Joey Baron’s done it nicely. Bobby Previte does it consistently well. George Hrab, while not in the jazz world, puts together a great band. Paul Motian is legendary. Art Blakey – do I even need to go into Art Blakey? OK, Peppe Merolla… he’s in good company of being a great jazz drummer bandleader. His smokin’ sextet is full of horns – which definitely adds to the appeal for me – sax, trombone, trumpet, piano, bass, and drums. The album swings through its hard bop edges. This is a great jazz album – plain and simple.
http://www.myspace.com/merollapeppe
More by late March/early April: including VW Brothers, Chris Tedesco, The Ullmann Swell 4, Loose Grip, Ron Miles, and February & March releases from Tzadik Records…
~Dan – np: Opeth – Blackwater Park
PDX Jazz Photo Wrap-up
As mentioned earlier, there is a Flickr stream for all official Portland Jazz Festival 2010 photos by Fran Kaufman. Check them out, they capture various aspects of the fest from shows, jam sessions, interviews, et cetera…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pdxjazz/
(click link for larger photos)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pdxjazz/
(photos by Fran Kaufman)
And if you missed it, check out my reviews for Dave Holland Quintet (2/27), Pharoah Sanders (2/28), and Dave Douglas & Brass Ecstasy (2/28). It was a truly fantastic weekend. Also check out Oregon Music News’ complete coverage…
Stay tuned to http://www.pdxjazz.com/. Sign up for their mailing list and be there for next year’s fest!
~Dan – np: First Meeting (Satoko Fujii, Natsuki Tamura, etc) – Cut the Rope
REVIEW: Dave Douglas @ PDX Jazz Fest (Portland, OR – 2/28/10)
Right on the heels of Portland Jazz Fest‘s Dave Holland Quintet and Pharoah Sanders, was Dave Douglas and his Brass Ecstasy band – the capper to the festival. I’d seen Dave Douglas four times before, twice with John Zorn‘s Masada quartet and twice with SF Jazz Collective (with Joe Lovano, Miguel Zenon and others). I was looking forward to seeing my first show with Dave Douglas as primary bandleader.
This new band of his features Dave Douglas on trumpet, Vincent Chancey on french horn, Luis Bonilla on trombone, Marcus Rojas on tuba, and Nasheet Waits on drums. Their debut album, Spirit Moves, came out last year, and it was in my Top 5 Instrumental Albums from 2009. Go get it!
They hit the stage shortly after 7:30pm and went right into the title track from their record, “Spirit Moves.” It’s a fun number and a great start to the set. Right after that, they did a lengthy version of “Bowie,” which is dedicated to Lester Bowie. It was fun to see that song breathe and take over the room. I’m also impressed by Luis Bonilla’s soloing on it. It has to be difficult to solo on a trombone…
The trombone, horn, and definitely tuba drive the sound of this band to a familiar New Orleans street band – which I’d imagine was what Dave Douglas was aiming his sights towards. Marcus Rojas also did some “tuba beat boxing” to mix things up.
I knew all of the songs they played, but luckily Dave announced them from the stage (yay, I didn’t have to keep them all up in my head)…
Setlist: about 90 minutes
- Spirit Moves
- Bowie
- I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry (Hank Williams)
- Fats
- Rava
- Awake Nu (Don Cherry)
- The Brass Ring (with drum solo)
- Mr Pitiful (Otis Redding)
- Encore: Twilight of the Dogs
All members got their fair share of solos. The drum solo on “The Brass Ring” was fantastic, and Dave Douglas’s trumpet solos were colorful and vibrant, as usual. Favorites of the night were the bebop of “Fats,” and the acrobatic trumpet on “Rava.” Dave played a lot of that song off mic, yet his sound carried throughout the room. Thank you Portland Jazz Fest! It was a wonderful weekend of great music. See you next year!
I took a few iPhone photos. I wish I was able to bring in my regular camera, as I was right up front and the iPhone only takes marginal photos at best (::sigh::). Anyway, check out my photos below, or check the link at the bottom for PDX Jazz’s Flickr photo stream.
DAVE DOUGLAS’ BRASS ECSTASY PHOTOS
these pictures are (cc) 2010 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
For photos from this and other PDX Jazz shows, check out PDX Jazz’s flickr stream:
(photos by Fran Kaufman)
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Dave Douglas’s Site
- Dave Douglas on MySpace
- Greenleaf Music (Dave’s Record Label)
- PDX Jazz Fest
- Crystal Ballroom
- Oregon Music News‘s Review of the Show
~Dan – np: Susie Ibarra & Roberto Rodriguez – Electric Kulintang
REVIEW: Pharoah Sanders @ PDX Jazz Fest (Portland, OR – 2/28/10)
So, Pharoah Sanders is a legend. He’s played with jazz great John Coltrane, and his tenor sax work has eclipsed those around him. Free-jazzmaster Ornette Coleman referred to Pharoah as “probably the best tenor player in the world.” He has a large swath of albums over the past 5 decades. Passing up an afternoon concert at this year’s Portland Jazz Fest wasn’t an option. :)
I was just at the Newmark Theatre the night prior for the smokin’ Dave Holland Quintet show. My seat for Pharoah was is almost the exact same spot (L12 versus L11). I got a good spot right in the middle to check out Pharoah’s band: William Henderson on piano, Hans Glawischnig on bass, and Justin Faulkner on drums. After a short introduction, the band hit the stage – Pharoah in a bright purple shirt…
The feel of the show was all over the place. When Pharoah first started, it was quite remarkable. He doesn’t play in straight lines, but your mind tends to connect those lines right as his sax is connecting them for you. He seemed very much like a songbird who was free to sing what he wanted – but still very melodic. He was very much like a bridge between John Coltrane and the more free-jazz Ornette Coleman.
They started off the show with a 25+ minute “My Favorite Things.” Most of the rest of the 2+ hour show was the power trio of piano/bass/drums playing with Pharoah walking on and off stage and jumping in where he saw fit. His long disappearances were interesting, but a 70 year old jazz legend can do whatever he wants. :) On three of the songs, Portland (now New Orleans) saxophonist Devon Phillips came up and joined the band.
They played 6 or 7 tunes, and ended the show with an encore of “Save Our Children,” sung by Pharoah. 2 hours in total… utterly brilliant work from this master and his great band.
For photos from this and other PDX Jazz shows, check out PDX Jazz’s flickr stream:
(photos by Fran Kaufman)
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Pharoah Sanders’ Site
- Pharoah Sanders on MySpace
- PDX Jazz Fest
- PCPA – Newmark Theatre
- Oregon Music News‘s Review of the Show
~Dan – np: David Bazan – Curse Your Branches
REVIEW: Dave Holland @ PDX Jazz (Portland, OR – 2/27/10)
I got into Dave Holland around the same time as a lot of other jazz. I got into jazz through the backdoor (John Zorn) and then slowly moved into the more straight ahead jazz. I think I can officially blame Ken Laster and his In the Groove, Jazz and Beyond podcast for playing a lot of Dave Holland. Anyway, shortly after hearing Holland, I picked up Extended Play: Live at Birdland and Critical Mass. Both are great, but the latter is quite fetching. When I found out he was one of the headliners at this year’s Portland Jazz Fest, I was stoked.
I was equally stoked that he’d be bringing saxophonist Chris Potter and drummer Nate Smith with him. I saw Chris & Nate play in Cincinnati a few years back, and I loved both of them but was quite entranced with Nate’s drumming. His flow and style are a sight to behold.
Well, on to the show…
I missed PDX Jazz Fest last year. I was deeply entrenched in busy season at work (I’m a CPA), and perhaps there wasn’t as big of a draw in 2009 as in 2008 (SF Jazz Collective and Ornette Coleman). 2010, well, that’s another story… as I ended up staying the night to catch two shows on Sunday, too (check back for the Pharoah Sanders and Dave Douglas’ Brass Ecstasy reviews on Monday). Anyway, no cameras allowed. I took a couple with my iPhone, but they didn’t come out all that well; so, yeah, I’m not posting them.
The band went on around 7:40pm after a short introduction. The band was Dave Holland on upright bass, the aforementioned Chris Potter (sax) and Nate Smith (drums), along with Alex Sipiagin on trumpet and Steve Nelson on vibes. The first thing I noted was how Dave’s bass really breathed. There’s a reason why he’s a heavyweight in the jazz world. His tone, his swing, his lyricism – all very prevalent.
They started off with “Step To It,” which started with Nate Smith drumming barehanded and featured a massive Chris Potter solo, and was capped off with a great gentle back and forth between Dave and Nate. Here’s how it all went down last night…
Setlist: 95 minutes
- Step To It
- Last Minute Men
- Looking Up
- Cosmosis
- Make Believe
- Free For All
- Encore: Easy Did It
“Cosmosis” and the encore “Easy Did It” both featured great Dave Holland solos. On “Free For All,” Nate Smith drum solo was quite playful. He was going all out, and actually lost one of his drumsticks amidst his free for all. I haven’t mentioned Alex or Steve yet… both were great, but didn’t seem to take as many solos as Chris or Nate. Alex’s few solos were superb. I love some good trumpet music (hence my Sunday plans for Dave Douglas). Steve’s vibe work was great, moreso as a back-up for the band (his solos didn’t do much for me). I think as far as a quintet goes, I’d opt for piano over vibes (especially with an already powerful drummer on the stage).
All in all, Dave Holland reaffirmed his place with me as a force to reckon with. They played over an hour and half, and it seemed like it was about 20 minutes. It totally flew by and was highly energetic. I hope he brings this band around sometime soon!
For photos from this and other PDX Jazz shows, check out PDX Jazz’s flickr stream:
(photos by Fran Kaufman)
Well, off to the next show, Damien Jurado across town at the Mississippi Studios…
The Appropriate Linkage:
REVIEW: Medeski Martin & Wood @ McDonald (Eugene, OR – 2/25/10)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
This was my fourth time seeing the great trio of Medeski Martin & Wood… and the second time as an “evening with,” which tends to work out nicely for a weekday concert. No painful opener to sit through, and less likely a late show time.
We got to the venue only a few minutes before they went on. They came out around 8:20 and started off with one or two from Zaebos, their album from John Zorn‘s Masada Book Two: Book of Angels series. From there, they hopped right into a Medeski-keys-oriented tune and a more exotica piece. Overall, their show last night was definitely more of the MMW groove show, versus a improvisational MMW “messin’ around” kind of show. 
Sure, at one point illyB pulled out the ducks calls while Chris and John noodled around, but then they ripped right back into the more lyrical pieces.
McDonald had the floor set up with chairs for the evening, which was a shock for me. The crowd started out in chairs, but by the third song, they were moving up the aisles and dancing. 
When MMW came back out for the second set, it was pretty much a dance party… well, a dance party with a bunch of pesky chairs in the way.
I’ll post the setlist when/if I find it… again, I recognized a couple Zaebos tunes, 
plus I’m pretty sure they played “Amber Gris,” “Padrecito,” “Amish Pinxtos,” “Reliquary,” “Free Go Lily,” and a few more Radiolarians tracks. Don’t quote me on all of those songs, but it was definitely a Radiolarians-heavy show.
Setlist: (thanks, nastyshadows!)
- Set 1: Agmatia
- Pappy Check
- Broken Mirror >
- Disrobe >
- Open Improv >
- Padrecito
- Amber Gris
- Set 2: Free Go Lily
- Jean’s Scene
- Reliquary
- New Planet
- Cloud Wars
- Encore: Bass Solo >
- Chubb Sub
Two hour-long sets plus encore (which started out with a nice Chris Wood bass solo). Excellent show. Medeski Martin & Wood do not disappoint.
more photos below
The Appropriate Linkage:
- MMW’s Site
- MMW on MySpace
- Nov 2008 McDonald Theatre – Concert Review w/ Photos
- McDonald Theatre
Check out more tour dates below.
~Dan – np: Dave Holland Quintet – Critical Mass
MEDESKI MARTIN & WOOD PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2010 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
Higher Resolution (9 pics)
Limited to 1200 pixels wide or tall (21 pics)
February 2010 Tour Dates
- 17 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues
- 18 – Los Angeles, CA – El Rey Theatre
- 19 – Anaheim, CA – House of Blues
- 20 – Santa Cruz, CA – Rio Theatre
- 21 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore
- 23 – Petaluma, CA – The Mystic Theatre
- 24 – Crystal Bay, NV – Crystal Bay Club Crown Room
- 25 – Eugene, OR – McDonald Theatre
- 26 – Portland, OR – Roseland Theater
- 27 – Seattle, WA – Showbox at The Market
John Zorn 15 instead of 12
this week in the Village Voice:
John Zorn: Deciding to spend a year in NYC with no traveling has led me to one of the most creative periods in my life. In the past four months alone, he has recorded six albums and written the music for three others. He initially planned 12 Tzadik releases for 2010, one per month, but tends to underestimate his own frenetic output, as “it looks like it will be more like 15.”
So, anyone go to the Masada Marathon at Abron’s Art Center in New York yesterday or today (Feb 17-18)? How was it?
DAY 1 February 17th (Wednesday)
Cyro Baptista’s Banquet of the Spirits
Ben Goldberg Quartet
Mark Feldman/Sylvie Courvoisier
Mycale
Masada Sextet
DAY 2 February 18th (Thursday)
Uri Caine solo
Masada String Trio
Jamie Saft Trio
Erik Friedlander solo
Masada Quartet
~Dan – np: Charlie Hunter Quartet – Ready… Set… Shango!
PDX Jazz Fest :: Dave Douglas & Brass Ecstasy
Well, the PDX Jazzfest in Portland, Oregon, is only 1 week 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… last up Dave Douglas and his horny band Brass Ecstasy. I’ll be going to this show, which caps the PDX Jazz Fest. I got into Dave Douglas via John Zorn’s Masada. I’ve since gotten into Dave’s other bands: Tiny Bell Trio, Keystone, DD Quartet, DD Quintet, SF Jazz Collective, Second Sight, New & Used, Mosiac Sextet, Orange Then Blue, A Single Sky… tons of releases over 20+ years.
His Brass Ecstasy band released their debut recording, Spirit Moves, in 2009 – which features Dave joined by Vincent Chancey on french horn, Luis Bonilla on trombone, Marcus Rojas on tuba, and Nasheet Waits on drums and releases on Greenleaf Music.
Two-time Grammy-nominated jazz musician Dave Douglas is arguably the most prolific and original trumpeter & composer of his generation. From his New York base, where he’s lived since the mid 1980s, Douglas has continued to earn lavish national and international acclaim including trumpeter, composer, and jazz “Artist of the Year” by such organizations as the New York Jazz Awards, Down Beat, Jazz Times, Jazziz, and the Italian Jazz Critics’ Society. His solo recording career began in 1993 with Parallel Worlds on Soul Note and he has since released over twenty-eight recordings. In 2005, after seven critically-acclaimed albums for Bluebird/RCA, Douglas launched his own record label, Greenleaf Music. The same year, he was honored with a Guggenheim Fellowship. On Greenleaf, Douglas has released albums with his long standing Quintet, the electronic sextet Keystone, and the mixed chamber ensemble Nomad. His latest project, Brass Ecstasy, features a brass quintet of trumpet, french horn, trombone, tuba and drums and will release Spring 2009.
Douglas is currently the artistic director of the Workshop in Jazz and Creative Music at the Banff Center and the co-founder and director of the Festival of New Trumpet Music, which will celebrate its 7th year in 2009.
In addition to leading his own groups, Douglas has an important ongoing musical relationship as a member of John Zorn’s Masada and with artists such as Anthony Braxton, Don Byron, Joe Lovano, Miguel Zenon, Uri Caine, Bill Frisell, Cibo Matto, Mark Dresser, Han Bennink and Misha Mengelberg. As a composer, Douglas has been commissioned by the Trisha Brown Dance Company, Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, Norddeutscher Rundfunk, Essen Philharmonie, Library of Congress and Stanford University. Recent large scale works have included Blue Latitudes, for chamber orchestra and 3 improvisers, and Delighted States, for big band with soloists (both unreleased as of press date).
Webpage: http://www.davedouglas.com/
FOR INFO & TICKETS: http://pdxjazz.com/tickets/
~Dan – np: Hotel Lights – Hotel Lights
PDX Jazz Fest :: Pharoah Sanders
Well, the PDX Jazzfest in Portland, Oregon, is about 2 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 Pharoah Sanders.
Pharoah Sanders is a most distinctive tenor saxophone player and a legend, he’s one of the last living members of John Coltrane’s late ensembles of the mid-’60s. Pharoah Sanders possesses one of the most distinctive tenor saxophone sounds in jazz. Harmonically rich and heavy with overtones, Sanders’ sound can be as raw and abrasive as it is possible for a saxophonist to produce, and although he made his name with expressionistic, nearly anarchic free jazz in John Coltrane’s late ensembles of the mid-’60s, Sanders’ later music is guided by more graceful concerns.
Pharoah Sanders (his given name, Ferrell Sanders) formed his first group in 1963, with pianist John Hicks (with whom he would continue to play off-and-on into the ’90s), bassist Wilbur Ware, and drummer Billy Higgins. His first record as a leader was in 1964 for the ESP label. The group played an engagement at New York’s Village Gate, where John Coltrane heard him and by 1965, Sanders was playing regularly with the Coltrane group. Strength was a necessity in that band, and as Coltrane realized, Sanders had it in abundance.
After John Coltrane’s death in 1967, Sanders worked briefly with his widow, Alice Coltrane, and then primarily as a leader of his own ensembles. From 1966-1971, Sanders released several albums on Impulse, including Tauhid (1966), Karma (1969), Black Unity (1971), and Thembi (1971). In the mid-’70s, Sanders recorded his most commercial effort, Love Will Find a Way (Arista, 1977); it turned out to be a brief detour. From the late ’70s until 1987, he recorded for the small independent label Theresa. From 1987, Sanders recorded for the Evidence and Timeless labels. The former bought Theresa records in 1991 and subsequently re-released Sanders’ output for that company. In 1995, Sanders made his first major-label album in many years, Message From Home (produced by Bill Laswell for Verve). The two followed that one up in 1999 with Save Our Children. In 2000, Sanders released Spirits — a multi-ethnic live suite with Hamid Drake and Adam Rudolph. In the decades after his first recordings with Coltrane, Sanders developed the capability of playing convincingly in a variety of contexts, from free to mainstream, and as a mature artist he has discovered a hard-edged lyricism that has served him well.
Webpage: http://www.pharoahsanders.net/
FOR INFO & TICKETS: http://pdxjazz.com/tickets/
~Dan – np: Clare & The Reasons – The Movie
recent jazz {Jan 2010}
So, I usually don’t do album reviews, but I get tons of music (some comp’ed and some purchased); so I figured I’d do little snippet reviews once a month or so… here are some recent jazz CDs I got recently. All of them were pretty darn fabulous…
Mostly Other People Do the Killing – Forty Fort (Jan 2010) So, I’m a fan of composer Moppa Elliott and trumpet player Peter Evans. Peter’s solo show in Eugene a couple of years ago was an avant-garde delight. MOPDTK is a little more straight forward than Peter’s solo stuff. It’s a fun jazz group… very similar in feel and youthful, party jazz energy as Reptet (up in Seattle). This is their second album that I’ve heard but their fourth released. My favorite tracks are “Nanticoke Coke” and the title track “Forty Fort.” I’m looking forward to more from this killer band ensemble.
http://www.myspace.com/mostlyotherpeopledothekilling
Big Crazy Energy New York Band – Inspirations (Feb 2010) Led by trombonist Jens Wendelboe, BCENYB’s latest record is a delight. The big band lead-off track, “Pleasant Pheasant,” is my favorite. There are a few slower tunes on the record, and even a vocal song or two (of which I’m only “so so” on). It ends strong with a big band instrumental version of the Beatles classic “A Day in the Life.” This record is only available on CD Baby, from what I can tell. Support indie music!
http://www.myspace.com/jenswendelboe
Charles Evans & Neil Shah – Live at Saint Stephens (Dec 2009) Slow and meandering in spots with nice piano, this live recording from baritone saxophonist Charles Evans and pianist Neil Shah touches on the minimalist and sublime. It’s a primarily improvisational and free-jazz in nature. I think it gets a little tedious in parts (too long of movements that I felt didn’t go anywhere), but that’s sort of the nature of the beast with improvisational free-jazz. Charles & Neil end of very strong with “What Worked, What Didn’t, What Wouldn’t, What Would’ve.”
http://www.myspace.com/charlesevansneilshahduo
Jon Lundbom & Big Five Chord – Accomplish Jazz (Dec 2009) Moppa Elliott (from the aforementioned Mostly Other People Do the Killing CD) is also involved in this album… via playing bass. Jon Lundbom is a jazz guitarist, and his pieces definitely gear towards that instrument. A meandering piece and a more classical-influenced piece split up the album. My favorite tunes were “The Christian Life” and the more energetic “Baluba, Baluba.”
http://www.jonlundbom.com/
Prana Trio – The Singing Image of Fire (Jan 2010) World music meets jazz… I dug the instrumental pieces moreso than the ones with vocals (that’s the nature of what I’m liking as of the past few years). It features classic poetry from ancient Persia, India, and China – and I’m sure it’ll grow on me fairly well. The music is very fit well with the poetry, very colorful and nuanced.
http://www.brianadler.com/prana.htm
Next up will be the January 2010 Tzadik & Franck Smith/Zn’shñ releases – which I just got and need to find some time to digest (soon)…
~Dan – np: John Zorn/Mike Patton/Ikue Mori – Hemophiliac
-Eyvind Kang
-Frank Zappa
Amazon.com mp3 downloads
Creative Commons
This blog and concert photos therein are licensed under a Creative Commons License. Available with Attribution for Non-Commercial, Non-Derivative Use.
pacificlectic : concert reviews & eclectic music news 