Archive
Dave Douglas & Brass Ecstasy on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert
Dave Douglas & Brass Ecstasy released Spirit Moves earlier this year, and it is fantastic… one of the best releases of the year so far. It’s out now on Greenleaf Music (Dave’s label).
Well, yesterday (7/20), their recent Tiny Desk Concert (a great feature on NPR) was posted as streaming video and as part of the NPR: Live Concerts from All Songs Considered Podcast. From the article… Afterward, I heard a colleague who works elsewhere in the building rave, “I don’t know anything about jazz, but that was amazing!” See, the mere mention of jazz may scare off many, but when you see experts performing as ebulliently as these folks did, it’s hard to remain unmoved.
Click for Streaming on NPR’s site
Click the picture or hotlink above for streaming video on NPR’s site, or search for “NPR: Live Concerts from All Songs Considered” podcast on iTunes or your favorite podcatcher.
Setlist (17:54)
- “Spirit Moves” (Douglas)
- “This Love Affair” (Wainwright)
- “Twilight of the Dogs” (Douglas)
Personnel
- Dave Douglas, trumpet
- Luis Bonilla, trombone
- Vincent Chancey, French horn
- Marcus Rojas, tuba
- Nasheet Waits, drums
~Dan – np: Jónsi & Alex – Riceboy Sleeps
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
JFJO hates me. Placebo loves me.
I’m either out of town, in town at another show, out of town at another show, or barricaded out of a show whenever Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey comes to town. Anyway, JFJO is back in Eugene on 9/18, and I’ll be up at Sunny Day Real Estate in Portland. Oh well, I guess I shouldn’t complain… JFJO comes through twice a year it seems… I’ll try again next time… :rolleyes: Tour dates below…
The Michael Jackson “memorial” service was yesterday (even though he is not dead)… JFJO & Friends did their own takes on some MJ on NYE 2008 and posted them to their website last week. You can download their live takes of “Billy Jean” and “Thriller” via the links (links from a recent JFJO email). Vocally, the MJ cover tunes… are… um… are they drunk? Anyway… they’re free.
JFJO Summer/Fall 2009 tour:
- Aug 8 | Cain’s Ballroom | Tulsa, OK (ABOT Awards)
- July 10 | The Lizard Lounge | Boston, MA
- July 11 | The Lizard Lounge | Boston, MA
- July 14 | The Iron Horse | Northampton, MA
- July 17 | Downright Music & Arts | Collinsville, CT
- July 18 | Joe’s Pub | New York, NY
- Sept 2 | The Deli | Norman, OK
- Sept 3 | Granada Theater | Dallas, TX
- Sept 4 | The Parish | Austin, TX
- Sept 5 | Arts Festival Oklahoma | Oklahoma City, OK
- Sept 8 | Winston’s | San Diego, CA
- Sept 9 | Catalina Jazz Club | Los Angeles, CA
- Sept 10 | Kuumbwa Jazz Center | Santa Cruz, CA
- Sept 11 | Cafe du Nord | San Francisco, CA
- Sept 12 | TBA | Humboldt, CA
- Sept 17 | The Dojo | Ashland, OR
- Sept 18 | Jo Federigo’s | Eugene, OR
- Sept 19 | Jimmy Mak’s | Portland, OR
- Sept 20 | High Dive | Seattle, WA
- Sept 25 | The Marquee | Tulsa, OK
- Oct 22 | The Encore | Stevens Point, WI
- Oct 23 | Cranky Pats | Neenah, WI
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UPDATE (8/17): Placebo have canceled/postponed their North American tour due to Brian collapsing during a show in Japan.
Placebo is hitting Portland on their upcoming tour in support of Battle for the Sun. I shall be going. I last saw them in Cleveland (it was a miserable drive from Cincinnati and back in the same night, but a great show nonetheless). More Placebo 2009 dates as follows:
- Sep 12th 2009 – Roseland Theatre, Portland OR
- Sep 13th 2009 – The Show Box at Market, Seattle WA
- Sep 14th 2009 – Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver BC
- Sep 16th 2009 – Murray Theatre, Murray UT
- Sep 17th 2009 – House Of Blues, Las Vega NV
- Sep 20th 2009 – Club Nokia Live, Los Angeles CA
- Sep 21st 2009 – SOMA, San Diego CA
- Sep 23rd 2009 – Gothic Theatre, Denver CO
- Sep 25th 2009 – La Zona Rosa, Austin TX
- Sep 26th 2009 – House Of Blues, Dallas TX
- Sep 27th 2009 – Beaumont Club, Kansas City MO
- Oct 2nd 2009 – House Of Blues, Chicago IL
- Oct 3rd 2009 – Newport Music Hall, Columbus OH
- Oct 4th 2009 – Sonar, Baltimore MD
- Oct 6th 2009 – Sound Academy, Toronto ON
- Oct 7th 2009 – Metropolis, Montreal QU
- Oct 10th 2009 – Northern Lights, Clifton Park NY
- Oct 11th 2009 – Terminal 5, New York City NY
~Dan – np: Deliverance – Camelot-in-Smithereens
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: 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)
Medeski Martin & Wood’s “Amber Gris”
click for Vimeo video linkThis is the music video for “Amber Gris“, the first single off of Medeski Martin & Wood‘s newest release, Radiolarians II. Radiolarians II is available now.
Video Credits: Filmed, directed and edited by Billy Martin. Digital Effects Artist: David Gottlieb. Additional camera operators: Leigh-Ann Beverly, David Kent, Alan Martin, Dakota Martin, Matthew Mcclain, John Medeski, Kenny Raduazzo and Chris Wood. Special thanks to David Gottlieb, Aaron Bessel, Bill Gilman, James Marshello, Matthew Mcclain , Grey Gersten and Leigh-Ann Beverly
~Dan – np: Guy Klucevsek – Dancing on the Volcano
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/
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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)
Seinfeld + Curb / Reptet Tour / OTC Tour / Jurassic 5 spin-off
Entertainment Weekly reported recently that Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Alexander, and Michael Richards will have appearances in multiple episodes of (co-Seinfeld creator) Larry David‘s Curb Your Enthusiasm this season. Yay!
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One of my favorite jazz bands from Seattle, Reptet (part of the Monktail Creative Music Concern) is hitting the road again this spring.
March 12th – Mississippi Pizza – Portland, OR
March 13th – The Stage Door – Mt. Shasta, CA
March 14th – Divided Sky – S. Lake Tahoe, CA
March 15th – The Zephyr Lounge – Reno, NV
March 16th – Don Quixote’s – Santa Cruz, CA
March 17th – Delta of Venus – Davis, CA
March 18th -Amnesia Bar – San Francisco, CA
March 19th – Cozmic Pizza, Eugene, OR
March 20th – Triple Door (Musiquarium) – Seattle, WA
I’m bummed, as when they’ll be here in Eugene, I’ll be up in their neck of the woods in Seattle. And when they’re back in Seattle the next day, I already got Spinal Tap tickets at the Paramount in Seattle. “Boo” for too many things on the same day. Anyway, they put on a great show. Check ’em out… it’s fun, frolicky, goof-off jazz wonderment.
http://www.reptet.com/
http://www.monktail.com/
http://www.myspace.com/reptet
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Jason Schimmel’s Orange Tulip Conspiracy put out one of my favorite CDs of 2008 and played one of my favorite concerts of 2008 is also hitting the road again.
May 1- The Comet Tavern Seattle,WA
May 2- The Tonic Lounge Portland, OR
May 3- The Urban Lounge Salt Lake City, UT
May 4- Hi Dive Denver, CO
May 5- Knickerbockers Lincoln, NE
May 6- TBA Chicago, IL
May 7- TBA Buffalo, MA
May 8- TBA Boston, MA
May 9- The Studio at Webster Hall New York City, NY
May 10- TBA Philadelphia, PA
May 11- TBA Washington, DC
May 12- The Village Tavern Mount Pleasant, SC
May 13- Backstage Lounge Gainesville, FL
May 14- The Earl Atlanta,GA
May 15- Bo Bo Gallery Asheville, NC
May 16- Dragon’s Den New Orleans, LA
May 17- Rubber Gloves Denton, TX
May 18- Emo’s Austin, TX
May 19- Zeppelins Underground El Paso, TX
May 20- The Hut Tucson, AZ
May 21- Brick by Brick San Diego, CA
May 22- Knitting Factory Los Angeles, CA
May 23- Hotel Utah San Francisco, CA
I hope to hit the Portland show…
http://www.myspace.com/orangetulipconspiracy
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One of my favorite, now-defunct rap groups Jurassic 5 has a new spin-off. Solo albums first by Cut Chemist, Chali 2Na, and DJ Nu-Mark… Akil the MC has one in the works, too… Now Marc7 and Zakir (aka Soup) have formed a new group called Portable Payback. Sounds pretty smooth – which fits in with 7even & Soup’s style in J5.
Check them out on the MySpaces: http://www.myspace.com/portablepayback
~Dan – np: Ben Folds Five – Ben Folds Five
Nellie McKay – Daytrotter Session
Brooklyn-based piano-pop/jazz singer Nellie McKay came through the Daytrotter studios. Nine songs (much more than the usual 4 songs), in-studio for FREE…
http://www.daytrotter.com/dt/nellie-mckay-concert/20030524-3737802.html
1) Oversure 2) Pink Chandelier 3) Politan 4) Mother of Pearl 5) Tipperary 6) If I Had You 7) Do You Know 8 ) Inner Peace 9) Broadway Melody
If you like what you hear, check more out:
http://www.nelliemckay.org/
http://www.nelliemckay.com/
Past Daytrotter Sessions I’ve blogged about (and dug):
- Clare and the Reasons
- My Brightest Diamond #2
- Damien Jurado
- Talkdemonic
- Aimee Mann
- Ani DiFranco
- The Bad Veins
- Kaki King
- Holy Fuck …and David Bazan, My Brightest Diamond, Erin McKeown
~Dan – – np: Aaron Parks – Invisible Cinema (thanks, Matt!)
Dave Douglas & Brass Ecstasy – Spirit Moves
This from the latest Greenleaf Music email from trumpeter Dave Douglas…
My new recording with Brass Ecstasy, to be titled Spirit Moves, is to be released in the coming months. It’s a thrill to be playing alongside these great brass players: Luis Bonilla, Vincent Chancey, and Marcus Rojas. And the great drummer Nasheet Waits. This is kind of a new deal for me and I’m psyched to get out there and play some dates with the band.
Yay… Dave Douglas’ last studio album, Keystone’s Moonshine, was one of my favorite CDs of 2007 (by far). And his instant live series in 2006 & 2008 were awesomely jam-packed with great music (21+ hours in total, 11+ hours of non-repeating music among the two years). So, new music from this trumpeter / bandleader is a-OK with me. I get to see him next month play with the SFJazz Collective; so it’ll be nice to get that Dave Douglas live fix satiated in 2009. :)
http://www.davedouglas.com/
http://www.greenleafmusic.com/
~Dan – np: That1Guy – Let’s Hear That1Guy
Jacob FREE Jazz Odyssey
Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey have released their new studio album, Winterwood, for FREE. Go here… http://www.jfjo.com/info.php?i=3160
They’re also embarking on a tour which (of course) swings through Eugene when I’ll be out of town. So, three times through Eugene in 10 months… first time the same time as an in-town Ani DiFranco gig, second time when it was a ticketed show behind a ticketed festival (grumble), and third time when I’ll be 100 miles away for work. Sigh. At least they’ve proven that they’ve got love for Eugene… and I’m sure I’ll get to see them… eventually.
Anyway, here are their tour dates (as of 1/29/09):
01/29/09 :: George’s Majestic Lounge – Fayetteville, AR
01/30/09 :: Jardine’s – Kansas City, MO
01/31/09 :: Mojo’s – Columbia, MO
02/10/09 :: Winston’s – San Diego, CA
02/11/09 :: Largo – Los Angeles, CA
02/12/09 :: Yoshi’s – Oakland, CA
02/13/09 :: HopMonk Tavern – sebastopol, CA
02/14/09 :: New World Ballet Co. – Arcata, CA
02/18/09 :: Indigo – Eugene, OR
02/20/09 :: Eastside Club – Olympia, WA
02/21/09 :: Goodfoot Lounge – Portland, OR
02/22/09 :: Tractor Tavern – Seattle, WA
02/25/09 :: Hodi’s Half Note – Fort Collins, CO
02/27/09 :: The B-Side Lounge – Boulder, CO
02/28/09 :: Owsley’s Golden Road – Denver, CO
03/28/09 :: The Parish Room – Austin, TX
And I’m glad I’ll at least be spinning their new album for free in a bit.
~Dan – np: The Bad Plus – These Are the Vistas
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…
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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
REVIEW: Medeski Martin & Wood @ McDonald Theatre (Eugene, OR – – 11/15/08)
FYI… my PHOTOS of the SHOW are at the BOTTOM
Keys player John Medeski, drummer Billy Martin, and bassist Chris Wood make up one of my favorite groove and experimental jazz trios on the scene today. I’ve seen them twice prior (once only casually, once as a hardcore fan), and this third time was again in the clearly hardcore fan category.
This tour from Seattle to Reno is the last of three short jaunts in 2008 that are all part of their Radiolarian experiment. This special series – named after a type of single-celled organisms with remarkable exoskeletons – sees the trio getting together for five days to hammer out new material. Then they go on a brief tour to practice the pieces live, after which they cut a record of the new material. Instead of the standard industry practice of write -> record -> tour, MMW will write -> tour -> record.
The opener was no one. This was an “Evening With MMW” type of thing. Which, IMO, just rocked. It’s not to say that an opener might not have been enjoyable, but sometimes you just want to dig into to the real deal.
Medeski Martin & Wood were on top of their game. The hit the stage around 8:20pm and played a 1st set that was about 60/40 on the experimental vs. groove jazz. Their experimentation seemed a little bit more cohesive than, say, their Live at Tonic from a few years back. I dug it a lot, but some of the crowd was definitely itching for their more danceable, groove-oriented jazz. They ended this first set around 9:30pm and took a break…
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I toyed with the idea of leaving… I mean, I just saw 70 minutes of fantastic MMW. I’m glad I stayed, though. They hit the stage again around 10:00pm and played another solid hour plus of 120% groove. Great vibe, great fun… at one point all three were playing percussion of some sort. They also had a more rock tune in the bunch. Near the end of their 2nd set, I went to the “lounge” area to see what it was all about. I grabbed a beer and partially watched the encore via the TVs in the lounge (a weird but convenient trend in concert going these days). Near the end of the encore, I had to see it from the floor. Fantastic show all around!!
MMW’s setlist for tonight? Ha! I could only tell you that it was a smokin’ 2++ hour show… but song names and jazz music are usually hard to recollect. If I get wind of a set list via the MMWSetlist site, I’ll post it here. It may very well have been all Radiolarians Part 3 outside of the encore (which had been “Crosstown Traffic” at recent shows).
Their newest album, Radiolarians 1, is out now and is fantastic. As is their John Zorn / Masada Book Two album, Zaebos… Radiolarians 2 & 3 are expected out early 2009, I imagine. I’m glad to be part of the Radiolarians 3 performance this swing through Eugene. They’re going in to record Radiolarians 3 over Thanksgiving (or so said the merch lady).
The Appropriate Linkage:
Next show… tomorrow (Monday the 17th) is Jason Schimmel’s Orange Tulip Conspiracy at Samurai Duck in Eugene. OTC is a great eclectic instrumental band (similar to Jason’s other band Estradasphere but without the “metal” aspect). I wish it weren’t late on a Monday at a dive bar, but it promises to be a VERY good show nonetheless.
~Dan – np: John Zorn – Film Works XXI: Belle de Nature / The New Rijksmuseum
MEDESKI MARTIN & WOOD CONCERT PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2008 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
a new John Zorn book & more MBD
A biography John Zorn by John Brackett is available by Indiana University Press. John Brackett is Assistant Professor of Music at the University of Utah. This is the full-length study of avant-garde American composer John Zorn.
http://www.iupress.indiana.edu/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=84773 (paperback)
http://www.iupress.indiana.edu/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=84699 (hardback)
“Brackett’s groundbreaking book . . . confronts Zorn’s contradictory modes of expression that couple the aesthetics of Stravinsky, Boulez, Duchamp and Godard with the transgressive sexuality and violence of Bataille, Genet and Maruo, brilliantly demonstrating how these powerful dualities of thought-real yet fantastic, pleasing yet horrifying-synergize to make Zorn’s compositional voice unique and seminal in the 21st century.” -Severine Neff, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Check out the Table of Contents
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And to be totally nonsequitur, here’s a cute new animated video for My Brightest Diamond‘s song “Inside a Boy“:
Oh, and by cute, obviously that is to mean killing aliens with marbles slung from a slingshot…
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Oh, and go vote. Tomorrow is D-Day…
~Dan – np: Piano Magic – Dark Horses -EP-
REVIEW: Skerik’s McTuff @ Sam Bond’s (Eugene, OR – – 10/26/08)
I saw Skerik and his Maelstrom Trio for the first time back in May (review here – Skerik’s Maelstrom Trio & Stebmo). Since Skerik’s from Seattle, it seems like he comes through Eugene more than occasionally, which is more than a-OK with me. This time was with a groovier, organ-and-sax infused jazz project, McTuff, led by organist Joe Doria. Think if Medeski Martin & Wood had a saxophonist, added more bop, swapped the bass for a guitar, and kept going with it… OK, maybe it’s not like MMW, but it’s in the same vein at least.
There was no opener… I walked in right as they were starting (nice!). McTuff features Joe Doria on Hammond B-3 organ, Skerik on tenor sax, Alan Coe on guitar, and D’vonne Lewis on drums. All four guys cut loose on the songs, but Skerik stole the show for me. I’m not too familiar with the McTuff band, but I like Skerik quite a bit. He sat by while the band jammed a lot, and then busted in usually after a few minutes on a jam. It’s was nice to hear the sax in this groove-oriented jazz band. It kind of makes me pine for the Bobby Previte’s Coalition of the Willing show that I missed in Columbus (OH) in 2006 (or 07?)…
Also, rarely do you leave Sam Bond’s Garage at 10:30pm and still be able to say that you just saw an hour and half of great music… usually it starts later and ends later. So, this tired guy is glad he got a get earful before heading home and to bed. They were going to go on for a 2nd set, but I had to head back home in order to get up early to go to Portland for work.
Here’s hoping Skerik makes it through Eugene a few more times before I’m too old to stay up past 10pm. ;)
The Appropriate Linkage:
- http://www.myspace.com/mctuffmusic
- http://www.myspace.com/43304272 (Skerik’s solo page with links to other Skeriky goodness)
- http://www.sambonds.com/
- A Great Jambase review
Now off on a work-scursion to lovely Portland…
~Dan – np: Medeski Martin & Wood – Radiolarians I
REVIEW: Trio Subtonic @ Lewis & Clark College (Portland, OR – – 10/9/08)
Quick review… I didn’t make it to Jo Fed’s in Eugene a few weeks ago to see Portland jazz group, Trio Subtonic. Alas, they were playing in Portland last night, and I was in town for work.
(camera phones are kinda pointless)
Trio Subtonic are a piano/bass/drums jazz trio… in the same vein as Medeski Martin & Wood (to give you a frame of reference). What I’ve heard on record is really groove oriented jazz with keys, samples, etc. Last night was more organic, acoustic jazz (i.e.- still a nice groove, but with acoustic piano). They were recording the show at Lewis & Clark College for a future release. I stayed through the first break (about an hour), and of the songs that they announced, I caught: Not There, Subtronics, Why Are the Mountains Crying, and Kaleidoscoping. They played three or four others of which I didn’t catch the names.
Catch them if you’re in Portland or if they swing through your town… they were quite enjoyable. Check out their music below:
The Appropriate Linkage:
~Dan
-Eyvind Kang
-Frank Zappa
Amazon.com mp3 downloads
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