Concert Reviews (851)
Nothing beats experiencing live jazz music as its being created right in front of you. Stop here for reviews of your favorite jazz artists live and in concert.
Hold onto your hat jazz fans, San Francisco is quickly becoming one of the hottest jazz scenes in the country thanks to high-profile jazz concerts and festivals, films, educational events and first-class jazz clubs that offer some of the world’s most outstanding jazz performances. San Francisco is not only a beautiful city, but for the diehard jazz enthusiast, a visit promises a whirlwind of venues and activities to make your heart go pitty-pat. Thanks to serious jazz devotees like Randa
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Codifying the performance of improvised music into another language as I am doing here is a very difficult task- - one that requires removing all, sometimes unknowable, obstacles especially of cliche-ridden descriptions that do not respect the creative nature of what was heard. In the long run, I do hope that I honor with words the music I hear. And induce those who read the words to find the music. The concluding night of the Conway New Music Society’s Fifth Anniversary Concert Series reache
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At 3 pm on Saturday, Oct. 21st, Michael Ehlers introduced the first performer of the afternoon who had appeared in the first Meetinghouse Music Festival in 1995. The performer was Lawrence Cook. Cook played a drum solo in four movements. The structure of the first part was measured. He would place rests among the sounds that rose from the cymbals, the snare and the toms. He gave a character to each instrument while sustaining a steadiness that became similar to the hum of a sewing machine. Hi
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This past weekend of October 20 & 21, Michael Ehlers designed a musical explosion of a birthday party for the 5 year-old Conway New Music Society in Amherst, Ma. As is Ehler’s forte, he never fails to bring many times, new, and always outstanding musicians to the Meetinghouse arena. There were three major sets to the weekend. The first began on Friday night with the folk/blues performance of Mike Cooper from England followed by the drum and saxophone duet of Donald Robinson and Joe McPhee.
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It was a rainy first day of autumn and Milwaukee native Bunky Green was back in Chicago for a week at Joe Segal's Jazz Showcase. Physically fit, Bunky blows as though he is competing in an Olympic event. His athletic prowess is matched by a sympathetic understanding of the jazz encyclopedia. Playing many familiar standards, he made each one fresh and new with twists and turns from his alto that would make even Bird raise an eyebrow. The band was composed of Stu Katz on piano and vibes, Larry
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In an unexpected solo concert at the Iron Horse in Northampton, Ma., Brad Melhdau exhibited his incredible talents. It is fortunate that he always puts this venue on his tours, for to behold this ever developing artistry is an extremely satisfying occupation. Melhdau’s performance characteristics are immediately identifiable. He plays from a special folding stool.Each of his arms move together into positions that are between being completely outstretched to being bent well into themselves at
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Bernie Kaplan, a famous entertainment lawyer in London used to tell people that Dave Frishberg’s "My Attorney, Bernie" was written for him. When Kaplan died, they played the sardonic little tune at his funeral, and someone later remarked to the composer, "It’s too bad about Bernie, isn’t it?" But Dave Frishberg just thought it was a nice, silly little rhyme, and had never met Kaplan. We learned all this on September 7th at the Jazz Spot, where Frishberg played to a house full of fans. The eve
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I was lucky enough to catch Stanley Turrentine in Seattle last month at one of his last performance gigs. He played the week of August 17th at the Jazz Alley, a great club off 5th Street and home to many star players. The band began with a short number to introduce themselves-Larry Fuller on piano, Dave Streicher on guitar, Paul Thompson on bass, and Lenny Robinson on drums-before the sax legend joined them onstage. What makes Turrentine a legend? Perhaps it's his mastery of the subtone-the s
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Vienne is a small town on the river Rhone, population around 30,000 some 30 minutes south of Lyon, which was the second largest city of France till Marseilles took over just a few months ago. The venue of the festival is an ancient Roman open air semi-circular theater where the bulk of the audience has to sit on blocks of stones and the last row is high up - rising 200 feet from the stage! Yet, the "Jazz A Vienne" festival attracts nearly 100,000 (average of 6300 per night) over two weeks - that
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The huge peace event went off fantastically thanks to the strong leadership of KTWV's Morning Show team; saxophonist and radio personality Dave Koz, Jazz Personality Pat Prescott, Director Greg Schoenbaum and Producer Rosemary Jimenez of southern California's powerful smooth jazz station WAVE 94.7. September 11th National Disaster of the attack by the terrorists on the Big Apple and the Pentagon in Washington D.C. were mega-nightmares for ordinary folks who feel that inner peace is an importa
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At a time of frayed nerves and weary hearts, Rosemary Clooney took a San Francisco audience under her care and provided solace. She made her entrance walking across a darkened stage on the arm of her husband. Seeing the shadowy figures, the audience surrounded them with applause. When the lights came on, Clooney was sitting in a chair at center stage, flashing her famous smile and easing into a fitting opening. "Gonna take a sentimental journey," she sang in a voice as warm and soothing as a ton
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Dianne Reeves is a vocalist with much more than just a great voice - she is an instrumentalist bearing the torch of her idols and keeping jazz vocal music alive and well. Reeves along with her seasoned band, performed a diverse set of material throughout the evening- featuring selections from the Grammy-winner’s latest Blue Note release, "The Calling"(a tribute to Sarah Vaughan), while including a song she penned at age nine. The audience was simply mesmerized as Dianne Reeves performed beautifu
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Is it possible to be sweet, sassy and devilish all at once? Well, if you're (talking about) Myra Taylor the answer is undoubtedly "yes." Myra is a native of Kansas, born in Bonner Springs, Kansas and grew up in the 18th and Vine section of Kansas City. Myra became a dancer and singer at a very young age and was no stranger to the world of jazz. Saturday afternoon July 21, 2001 at the 11th annual Kansas City Blues & Jazz Festival Myra gave a memorable performance that was truly unforgettable. Myr
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After a five year absence, George Benson returned triumphant to an adoring crowd at Ravinia Festival, just north of Chicago, IL. Ravinia, one of the best outdoor venues in the country, was the perfect setting for Benson's show. Band members, lighting effects, guitar, singing - all were at the level George's fans expect - excellence plus. And George's audience (packed pavilion, no grass to be seen on the lawn!) appreciated every minute of his show. Reviewing a George Benson live performa
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Gospel Jazz is fast gaining credibility as a musical genre to be reckoned with, and saxophonist Ron Brown's "Jazz In The Spirit" concert this past July helped to certify its musical strength. Over 1400 people filled Greater Bethany Community Church in Los Angeles as Ron Brown, Kirk Whalum and guitarist Doc Powell brought their powerful musicianship and even more moving testimony. All three performers have recorded together over the past decade, and the crowd was treated to classic duets; Brown a
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On Saturday night, August 11, there was a concert at the Flywheel Arts Center in Easthampton, MA that made perfect sense as an entire unit of performances. The performance coordinator, whom I believe is Matt Weston, combined successfully disparate elements in his choices for performers: the first set I understood in a classical context; the second set was totally different from the former, i.e. improvised rock (hey!); and the last set calmed and coagulated the sense of all the music in the form
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On a rainy Chicago night, Gregg Bendian brought his Interzone ensemble into the historic Schuba’s Tavern in the city’s Wicker Park area. The small hall was perfect for the mostly acoustic band. The sound was crisp and clear, and full of details. The band was touring in support of its recently released third CD, Requiem For Jack Kirby. Kirby was the famed comic book artist who redefined the art form with his work on the X-Men, Spider Man, The Fantastic Four, and many others. Bendian's comp
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Sandip Burman's all-star ensemble blew a cross-cultural wind into Milwaukee's Shank Hall on a hot August night. Sandip (pronounced San-deep) is a master tabla drummer from Calcutta, India. He used his energy and charm to convince some of fusion's biggest names to take a chance on playing his Indian music. The band's line up is: drummer Steve Smith (Journey/Vital Information), violinist Jerry Goodman (Mahavishnu Orchestra), harmonica and keyboardist Howard Levy (Bela Fleck & the Flecktones), bass
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Mid-August is always a predictable time in Chicago. The days get shorter; the wind whips around a little bit harder; each day gets a little bit cooler as autumn rears its ugly head. We Chicagoans are notorious for milking summer for all it's worth, which might be the real reason that the Chicago Jazz Festival is held on Labor Day weekend every year like clockwork. To this writer, there is something magical about sitting by the lake, taking in memorable melodies as the breeze from the lake keeps
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Composer/pianist Satoko Fujii makes it to NYC about once a year or so, so this show was indeed An Event. Though she lives in Japan (and she studied music at Berklee, incidentally), she's maintained a semi-regular American trio with Mark Dresser (bass) and Jim Black (bass), with who she's recorded several CDs on the Tzadik, Enja and Ewe labels. It was this trio that blew the roof off the mothersucka NYC jazz/etc. club Tonic on one otherwise calm 'n' cozy September night. Fujii has a nift
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Saturday night, in Rosendale, NY, that wisp of a town near the Hudson, three members of Joe McPhee's Bluette, Joe Giardullo, Michael Bisio, and Joe, himself, continued no doubt in the same musical vein as they had been while at the Guelph Jazz Festival just a day before. It does not take much on the part of the listener except the willingness to listen in order to hear the breadth , sincerity, commitment and beauty in the music that these three musicians played. Described as an
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The 2001 version of this event just ended and in this writers opinion it was a huge success. This is based primarily on the very positive fan reaction, enthusiasm generated by the performers, and my own humble opinion based on the mission of the founders of this event, more information on these views are explained at http://kmjazz.com/bg.htm. I have been to the Jazz Trax Catalina festival eight times and would recommend it to anyone, but considering that Kettle Moraine is a benefit and wa
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The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis will embark on a 46-city U.S. United in Swing Tour beginning September 13, 2001, drawing on a vast repertoire from the history of jazz to the delight of audiences around the country, with an emphasis on Coltrane and Mingus, and original works. Speaking as a designated UN Messenger of Peace, Mr. Marsalis said, "Wherever the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra plays throughout the world, audiences have the same joyous reaction to the pulse
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There's a promotional sticker on the Dave Holland Quintet's new release ("Not for Nothin'") that says something to the effect of "the best working band in jazz today." A consumer can usually throw such a statement into the waste pile of glib marketing hyperbole. However, after having heard the band at the Regattabar in Harvard Square on Saturday, September 29, I cannot think of too many jazz units more deserving of that title. The group led off the first set of the last night of their th
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Pianist/composer Burton Greene was/is one of the First Wave of Downtown NYC's avant garde/free jazz scene in the 1960s. He has played/recorded with Marion Brown, Alan Silva, Patty Waters and Pharoah Sanders, and was recorded on the legendary ESP Disk label (and a really rare one for Columbia!). For the past several years has been living and working in Amsterdam, both solo and with Klezmokum. Klezmokum is an ensemble - ranging from four to seven players - that combines loose-limbed, creative jazz
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