26 June 2009
Medeski Martin and Wood @ Party in the Park
Well, I missed them twice in 2008, so it is nice to see them twice in 2009. Not quite as engaging as the show at the Smith, due in large part to the venue, but also the music just didn't get to the level of playing achieved previously. Last time I concentrated on the "and" factor, but at this show, as I am often drawn when I see MMW, I was magnetized to Wood. Being the free outdoor show that it was, the bass became the key in keeping the easily disengaged crowd rapt, and Wood delivered. Speaking of the crowd, it was an impressive turnout on a night when the skies threatened to open all night, and for a band who let's face it, doesn't exactly cater to the lowest common denominator after-work alcohol-fueled party in a parking lot. Speaking of the parking lot, what the heck is up with this great free music series still being held in the parking lot now that Manhattan Square Park is an available venue again? It was so much better when it was there and should be returned post-haste. Don't even wait until next year, do it now! Why not?
I missed the opener Giant Panda Geurrilla Dub Squad due to waiting out the storm that never hit. They continue to be one of those bands I always seem to miss for one reason or another.
22 June 2009
Rochester International Jazz Fest - Night Nine
I couldn't stay long for the last night of jazz fest so I had a short and specific agenda. I arrived too late to get into Joe Lovano but seeing as though I would not be able to make the 10 show, I waited. I waited for a good 45 minutes before they let us in. Lucky for us stragglers, Lovano played for another 45 minutes, a lengthy set by this festival's standards. I arrived to the blissful noise of an odd-time-signatured polyrhythmic freely-improvised near masterpiece. I eyed the singer sitting at the side of the stage with trepidation. But when she, Lovano's wife, rose up to sing, no words came out, her voice was her instrument, an instrument that no man-made instrument could mimic completely. Her range was incredible. She would pick up where her husband's solo left off and travel on her own improvisational journey. Lovano switched often and seamlessly between his unique arsenal of intstruments, including his tenor sax, and what I later learned was an aulochrome (essentially two soprano saxes fused together -- an instrument Rahsaan Roland Kirk would be playing if he were still alive) and a taragot, a Turkish woodwind that looks and plays similarly to a clarinet. Equally interesting was Francisco Mela's drumkit, with its many cymbals, one of which was purposefully cracked, and many toys which he would throw onto his kit creating new and interesting sounds. Cameron Brown on bass was not content to hang back and bang out basslines, he was adjusting and shifting his lines constantly. And James Weidman might be the most selective piano player I have seen, hitting only the necessary notes, nothing more nothing less. I wish I had seen the whole set, but it was definitely worth the wait.
Perhaps I should have left the festival on that note, but I wanted to catch one more bit of Norwegian jazz, which was some of the most consistently good stuff I had seen all week. Delirium though, was a disappointment for me. The trumoet and sax up front were interesting enough, but I found the rhythm section to be completely lifeless, and the music just hung and died because of it. I gave them a good half hour before I called it a night and thus my first RIJF (not counting the lone Bad Plus set I caught last year) came to a close. I will try to add a summary post sometime soon. Already looking forward to next year, they should be selling next year's club passes at this year's festival, or at least immediately following, while it is still fresh in everyone's minds.
Perhaps I should have left the festival on that note, but I wanted to catch one more bit of Norwegian jazz, which was some of the most consistently good stuff I had seen all week. Delirium though, was a disappointment for me. The trumoet and sax up front were interesting enough, but I found the rhythm section to be completely lifeless, and the music just hung and died because of it. I gave them a good half hour before I called it a night and thus my first RIJF (not counting the lone Bad Plus set I caught last year) came to a close. I will try to add a summary post sometime soon. Already looking forward to next year, they should be selling next year's club passes at this year's festival, or at least immediately following, while it is still fresh in everyone's minds.
Rochester International Jazz Fest - Night Eight
Started night eight with Pat Martino at Kilbourn Hall. I wouldn't have thought that this show would feature the best B3 trio I saw at the fest, but it did. I have always loved Martino's playing, both his tone and his style of picking and strumming simultaneously. He plays some rapid fire notes but in a very unshowy way, it always makes sense and always sounds perfect. His band was quite good too, I especially enjoyed Tony Monaco on B3, he KNEW how to get the right sound out of that thing, really holding the right notes and for the right amount of time, sounded great. Martino told a great story that started with him a teenager playing 7 40m sets a night in the city under the tutelage of Les Paul, and ended with him eating an early morning breakfast after a night's work with Les Paul, George Benson, Wes Montgomery, and Grant Green. WHOA...
Passed through briefly to hear Norma Winstone sing with only a piano accompaniment. Great voice and interesting style, which I dubbed Mr. Roger's jazz, and I don't mean that as a slight. Rewatching that show with my daughter I found a new appreciation for the music behind that show, especially when they pulled back the curtain on one episode and revealed that the music was all played live in the studio while they recorded. Anyway, Winstone's music was very visual and carried a lot of feeling.
Grabbed a quick bite over the sounds of Po Boys Brass Band who I have previously really enjoyed, but the short segment I caught here was a cover of Carry On Wayward Son that was played WAY too close to the original and sounded kind of silly I thought.
Next was Arve Henrikson. It will be tough to do these guys justice in words, I have no idea what exactly was going on up on stage, but it was freakin amazing. Just two guys, Henrikson played trumpet and sang into two different mics hooked into some major effects, and another guy with a keyboard, multitudes of pedals, and what appeared to be his own soundboard type thing, I just say he was the electronic facilitator since he really didn't "play" anything. When Henrikson sang what came out was very jarring at first, a beautiful high-pitched woman's voice, not unlike the voice of Sigur Ros. That was most of the time, other times it was very low, like a throat singer almost. The other guy would loop and manipulate what Henrikson was playing and create new sounds and rhythms. At one point Henrikson played his trumpet in short percussive blurts that were then used as the beat for the song. In one of the final pieces they got the crowd to sing in two part harmony and recorded and looped it and kept us singing over the top of it all. I know it is against the rules of the RIJF, but I couldn't help but get a quick video of this, just too cool. In announcing the "band" Henrikson introduced the soundman, meaning either they travelled with their own soundman and he was integral to the music, or they just really wanted to thank the guy running the boards for the RIJF.
Then I headed down to see Robert Randolph do his thing. I was hoping to make it back and see some more jazz to end the night, but damn that stage is far, once you're out there there's no coming back...
I haven't seen the Family Band in a few years and have done a pretty poor job of keeping up with them. Though as I would come to find out, nothing much has changed in their act, still doing and teaching The March, still inviting oodles of young ladies up on stage to dance during Shake Your Hips etc etc. There were a couple of new tunes I had never heard, but for the most part it was old hat, and as good as it ever was. Fairly early into the set they got Phil Campbell from the Campbell Brothers to sit in on guitar which was good. But later they got Chuck to sit in on pedal steel and that was AMAZING. They were really going at it. Add to that Susan Tedeschi and Ryan Shaw on vocals and we had ourselves a good old-fashioned throwdown that was reminiscent of some of the first times I saw RRFB when they would play with anyone and everyone for a chaotic and crazy time. I had said earlier that there weren't enough sit-ins at the RIJF, leave it to Robert Randolph to fix that problem.
A fantastic night of music in downtown Rochester.
UPDATE: Robert Randolph recording up on LMA
Passed through briefly to hear Norma Winstone sing with only a piano accompaniment. Great voice and interesting style, which I dubbed Mr. Roger's jazz, and I don't mean that as a slight. Rewatching that show with my daughter I found a new appreciation for the music behind that show, especially when they pulled back the curtain on one episode and revealed that the music was all played live in the studio while they recorded. Anyway, Winstone's music was very visual and carried a lot of feeling.
Grabbed a quick bite over the sounds of Po Boys Brass Band who I have previously really enjoyed, but the short segment I caught here was a cover of Carry On Wayward Son that was played WAY too close to the original and sounded kind of silly I thought.
Next was Arve Henrikson. It will be tough to do these guys justice in words, I have no idea what exactly was going on up on stage, but it was freakin amazing. Just two guys, Henrikson played trumpet and sang into two different mics hooked into some major effects, and another guy with a keyboard, multitudes of pedals, and what appeared to be his own soundboard type thing, I just say he was the electronic facilitator since he really didn't "play" anything. When Henrikson sang what came out was very jarring at first, a beautiful high-pitched woman's voice, not unlike the voice of Sigur Ros. That was most of the time, other times it was very low, like a throat singer almost. The other guy would loop and manipulate what Henrikson was playing and create new sounds and rhythms. At one point Henrikson played his trumpet in short percussive blurts that were then used as the beat for the song. In one of the final pieces they got the crowd to sing in two part harmony and recorded and looped it and kept us singing over the top of it all. I know it is against the rules of the RIJF, but I couldn't help but get a quick video of this, just too cool. In announcing the "band" Henrikson introduced the soundman, meaning either they travelled with their own soundman and he was integral to the music, or they just really wanted to thank the guy running the boards for the RIJF.
Then I headed down to see Robert Randolph do his thing. I was hoping to make it back and see some more jazz to end the night, but damn that stage is far, once you're out there there's no coming back...
I haven't seen the Family Band in a few years and have done a pretty poor job of keeping up with them. Though as I would come to find out, nothing much has changed in their act, still doing and teaching The March, still inviting oodles of young ladies up on stage to dance during Shake Your Hips etc etc. There were a couple of new tunes I had never heard, but for the most part it was old hat, and as good as it ever was. Fairly early into the set they got Phil Campbell from the Campbell Brothers to sit in on guitar which was good. But later they got Chuck to sit in on pedal steel and that was AMAZING. They were really going at it. Add to that Susan Tedeschi and Ryan Shaw on vocals and we had ourselves a good old-fashioned throwdown that was reminiscent of some of the first times I saw RRFB when they would play with anyone and everyone for a chaotic and crazy time. I had said earlier that there weren't enough sit-ins at the RIJF, leave it to Robert Randolph to fix that problem.
A fantastic night of music in downtown Rochester.
UPDATE: Robert Randolph recording up on LMA
17 June 2009
Rochester International Jazz Fest - Night Five
Sidsel Stromnes, a Norwegian songstress, started off my evening. She sang in perfect English, with no hint of her native accent, and beautifully I might add. Her lyrics were touching and heartfelt, and again, all in English. So when she had trouble coming up with the word to get the audience to snap in one of her songs, it just made me laugh. How was she writing these poetic ballads in English and she didn't even know the word "snap?" While this certainly didn't deter from my enjoyment, I still wasn't too fond of the music. It just wasn't my thing, but she and her band were quite good and the crowd was rapt.
Bonerama played to a surprisingly packed Big Tent. It doesn't appear this venue can reach capacity, but it came damn close here. The three trombone assault blasted through some New Orleans brass and funk. First band that I saw that has truly played loud and it was welcome, though I did see some pop in the earplugs. They had one lone superfan dancer up front for the early set. But when I popped back midway through their late set, there was a huge group of people dancing up front. I wish I had before and after pictures, because it was a hilariously contrasting scene and a great advertisement for what Bonerama can do to a crowd (though perhaps not, as the crowd had dwindled significantly).
Paula Gardiner Trio, from Wales (the 'international' part of the jazzfest's name is no joke), played arhythmic, amelodic pieces. With Gardiner on bass as the centerpiece of the music with constantly moving almost droning lines, the sax (or flute) followed a similar trend in the higher registers, while the drums flourished around it all. The sax became the most rhythmic of all the instruments and it was like a typical role reversal. Huw Warren was slated to join in on piano but in the first 30 minutes of the set was not yet featured unfortunately so I missed out on that.
From somewhat Avant to VERY Avant, up next was Andrei Razin & Second Approach from Russia. They are 30% jazz, 20% classical, 30% opera, and 20% comedy routine. 100% bizarre yet 100% enjoyable. I don't don't know how or why they decided to do what they do, but the fact that they do it and do it well is a source of great amazement to me. Where did they come up with this shit? They left me laughing, smiling, and shaking my head.
The overflow line was too long to wait for Lionel Loueke Trio and it seems I may never make it in to Max this whole week. So the Cuban Dafnis Prieto Sextet it was. From Norway, to New Orleans, to Wales, to Russia, and now off to Cuba. This was quite the trip. The sextet was talented and interesting but somewhat standard for what you'd expect from the instrumentation on stage (saxes, trumpet, rhythm section). Prieto had a very stiff playing style, his body remained almost still, and his arms seemed to move independently, like they were possessed and he had no control over them. Once I caught onto this, I couldn't keep my eyes off of him, it was making me laugh. Peter Apflebaum, seen previously with Jazz Mandolin Project Friday night, made another appearance here and was again fantastic. I wondered though, what was he doing for the past few nights? Did he stay in Rochester? And if so, why hadn't he sat in with anyone else? That is one thing missing from this festival, there are few if any collaborations between all of the artists involved. The setup with each band playing two sets a night probably makes this difficult, but still, it would be nice to see.
Bonerama played to a surprisingly packed Big Tent. It doesn't appear this venue can reach capacity, but it came damn close here. The three trombone assault blasted through some New Orleans brass and funk. First band that I saw that has truly played loud and it was welcome, though I did see some pop in the earplugs. They had one lone superfan dancer up front for the early set. But when I popped back midway through their late set, there was a huge group of people dancing up front. I wish I had before and after pictures, because it was a hilariously contrasting scene and a great advertisement for what Bonerama can do to a crowd (though perhaps not, as the crowd had dwindled significantly).
Paula Gardiner Trio, from Wales (the 'international' part of the jazzfest's name is no joke), played arhythmic, amelodic pieces. With Gardiner on bass as the centerpiece of the music with constantly moving almost droning lines, the sax (or flute) followed a similar trend in the higher registers, while the drums flourished around it all. The sax became the most rhythmic of all the instruments and it was like a typical role reversal. Huw Warren was slated to join in on piano but in the first 30 minutes of the set was not yet featured unfortunately so I missed out on that.
From somewhat Avant to VERY Avant, up next was Andrei Razin & Second Approach from Russia. They are 30% jazz, 20% classical, 30% opera, and 20% comedy routine. 100% bizarre yet 100% enjoyable. I don't don't know how or why they decided to do what they do, but the fact that they do it and do it well is a source of great amazement to me. Where did they come up with this shit? They left me laughing, smiling, and shaking my head.
The overflow line was too long to wait for Lionel Loueke Trio and it seems I may never make it in to Max this whole week. So the Cuban Dafnis Prieto Sextet it was. From Norway, to New Orleans, to Wales, to Russia, and now off to Cuba. This was quite the trip. The sextet was talented and interesting but somewhat standard for what you'd expect from the instrumentation on stage (saxes, trumpet, rhythm section). Prieto had a very stiff playing style, his body remained almost still, and his arms seemed to move independently, like they were possessed and he had no control over them. Once I caught onto this, I couldn't keep my eyes off of him, it was making me laugh. Peter Apflebaum, seen previously with Jazz Mandolin Project Friday night, made another appearance here and was again fantastic. I wondered though, what was he doing for the past few nights? Did he stay in Rochester? And if so, why hadn't he sat in with anyone else? That is one thing missing from this festival, there are few if any collaborations between all of the artists involved. The setup with each band playing two sets a night probably makes this difficult, but still, it would be nice to see.
16 June 2009
Avett Brothers @ Water Street Music Hall
Determined not to miss yet another chance to see the Avett Brothers, I jumped off the jazz train just as it was picking up a full head of steam, and switched gears entirely with some hard-rockin' bluegrass. Hard rockin'? Yep, not to mention head bangin', floor shakin', roof rattlin', knee bucklin' and smile inducin'. They raced through a fairly quick 80 minute or so set. The quality was high and consistent, and my dogs were screaming, so the brevity was excused.
These brothers plus 2 aren't the greatest musicians technically that you will see (if they are they don't show it), there is a rough and tumble rawness to their playing. But, they write some of the finest tunes being written today, and play them with reckless abandon, much to the delight of the rowdy crowd.
Coming from the throngs of dedicated jazz heads, hushed with their attentive but critical ear, this crowd was a full 180, with the only thing connecting the two a voracious appetite for live music. I had no idea Avett Brothers had such a rabid following. With their individually numbered Team Avett shirts, Avett Nation banner hanging high, floorboard-buckling jump dancing, and singing every word to every song at the top of their lungs (with the exception of most of the few new numbers played), this crowd was extremely into the band... and young as hell. I don't claim to know what the kids are into these days, but I had no idea it would be this.
Local americana rock act Auld Lang Syne opened things up. They had me at hello, and kind of lost me by good-bye. Seemed like they were doing something different with an accordian and french horn meeting up with the usual guitars and drums, but it ended up sounding like many other things I have heard and generally been indifferent to.
Also made it to Abilene before the show for the Hypnotic Clambake clambake. Wonder how many times someone's thought to pair those two things together? The burgers were cold but the music was hot (these guys know how to include an accordian into the mix), great start to the evening and Abilene continues to be one of the best spots for a beer and free music in the city. Don't shy away from the Porkslap Pale Ale...
15 June 2009
Rochester International Jazz Fest - Night Two
After a relatively easy time getting in to shows Friday night, I hit a bit of a snag come Saturday. Arrived on Jazz Street to insurmountable lines at Joey Defrancesco and Erin Bode, so I headed over to Montage for the Terrel Stafford Quartet. Just squeezed in to a packed house at Montage, really the only true club on the club pass. And it isn't typically a jazz club, but they really nail the jazz club feel. And Terrel Stafford was a great act to be catching in that atmosphere. They played a classic straight ahead no frills jazz, but they played it with exuberance and fire. The playing was phenomenal and the band was tight. I later read that the drummer was still in high school! and I am pretty sure Terrel mentioned something about the bassist still being in school too, I assumed college. Youth aside, the drummer was fantastic, hopefully he doesn't unlearn what he hasn't yet learned, because he already has IT. And let's not forget Terrel Stafford who's trumpet playing was of historic excellence. You really knew you were seeing someone special.
Next I made it over to see the final half of Tim Posgate's Banjo Hockey. An interesting lineup of trumpet, clarinet/sax, tuba, and yes, even a banjo. They played mostly composed pieces (read off sheet music) that reminded me of some of Bela Fleck's side projects. Melodic yet layered and complex, soothing yet jarring. I really liked it but was dismayed as a quarter full crowd dwindled after every song, until only a small group remained to hear the final notes.
Stopped in at Nordic Connect and stuck around for a couple of songs hoping they'd get my attention but it was for naught and I made a quick exit to get some dinner and take in some funk, New Orleans-style on the Jazz Street stage with Papa Grows Funk. This was a nice change of pace, but after a slice of pizza, I had more to see. More New Orleans that is. Jon Cleary was just warming up some Fess-style piano boogie over at the big tent. He played a fantastic version of Tipitina and a wonderful tribute to the late Snooks Eaglin. Cleary can pound and belt out a tune with the best of them.
The lines for Joey D and Erin Bode were again astronomical already with an hour left to showtime so I went to hear a little bit of Lianne Carrol scatting and singing, but wasn't drawn enough to stay and decided to wait on line to hear some more of Terrel Stafford. I got in but was stuffed into the back again and had to stand around for a while waiting for the show to begin, my first real wait for music all weekend. Finally the band came on a bit late, and through the first 30 or so minutes they didn't seem to be as on as when I had seen them earlier so I decided to see if I could somehow get in to see Joey Defrancesco for a little bit.
Walked in near the end of Defrancesco's set to a bit of a cheesy ballad and was disappointed to see he wasn't playing a real B3. The band was interestingly 2 keyboards and a drummer and a singer, at least for the time I was there. They closed out the set with "Betty Crocker Blues" and called out RIJF producer John Nugent out to play some sax, and then he and Defrancesco on melodica went at it a bit for a decent jam. The crowd ate it up. He was very appreciative of the crowd's enthusiasm, comparing us to Japanese and European crowds, We go it, he said, and told us it was a spiritual connection. Again, music is a religion. They encored with Take Me Out to the Ballgame (speaking of religion) and got the entire crowd singing, loudly. It was potentially a cheesedog move, but it actually worked quite well.
Sunday I was off to see the Avett Brothers at Water Street but tried to get in a litte jazz beforehand only to be closed out at California Guitar Trio unfortunately. I'm taking a rest day tonight and tomorrow night and will be back on the bus for the rest of the fest, I think...
Next I made it over to see the final half of Tim Posgate's Banjo Hockey. An interesting lineup of trumpet, clarinet/sax, tuba, and yes, even a banjo. They played mostly composed pieces (read off sheet music) that reminded me of some of Bela Fleck's side projects. Melodic yet layered and complex, soothing yet jarring. I really liked it but was dismayed as a quarter full crowd dwindled after every song, until only a small group remained to hear the final notes.
Stopped in at Nordic Connect and stuck around for a couple of songs hoping they'd get my attention but it was for naught and I made a quick exit to get some dinner and take in some funk, New Orleans-style on the Jazz Street stage with Papa Grows Funk. This was a nice change of pace, but after a slice of pizza, I had more to see. More New Orleans that is. Jon Cleary was just warming up some Fess-style piano boogie over at the big tent. He played a fantastic version of Tipitina and a wonderful tribute to the late Snooks Eaglin. Cleary can pound and belt out a tune with the best of them.
The lines for Joey D and Erin Bode were again astronomical already with an hour left to showtime so I went to hear a little bit of Lianne Carrol scatting and singing, but wasn't drawn enough to stay and decided to wait on line to hear some more of Terrel Stafford. I got in but was stuffed into the back again and had to stand around for a while waiting for the show to begin, my first real wait for music all weekend. Finally the band came on a bit late, and through the first 30 or so minutes they didn't seem to be as on as when I had seen them earlier so I decided to see if I could somehow get in to see Joey Defrancesco for a little bit.
Walked in near the end of Defrancesco's set to a bit of a cheesy ballad and was disappointed to see he wasn't playing a real B3. The band was interestingly 2 keyboards and a drummer and a singer, at least for the time I was there. They closed out the set with "Betty Crocker Blues" and called out RIJF producer John Nugent out to play some sax, and then he and Defrancesco on melodica went at it a bit for a decent jam. The crowd ate it up. He was very appreciative of the crowd's enthusiasm, comparing us to Japanese and European crowds, We go it, he said, and told us it was a spiritual connection. Again, music is a religion. They encored with Take Me Out to the Ballgame (speaking of religion) and got the entire crowd singing, loudly. It was potentially a cheesedog move, but it actually worked quite well.
Sunday I was off to see the Avett Brothers at Water Street but tried to get in a litte jazz beforehand only to be closed out at California Guitar Trio unfortunately. I'm taking a rest day tonight and tomorrow night and will be back on the bus for the rest of the fest, I think...
Rochester International Jazz Fest - Night One
The RIJF is an interesting breed of music festival, certainly unlike any I have participated in. Not sure if it is modeled after a longer standing festival, or if it is of its own making. Essentially, if you want to experience it as a festival, and not a small smattering of one-off shows, you need to be armed with the club pass, which gives you the ability to saunter in and out of 8 different venues as you see fit for 9 straight days in downtown Rochester. I say "as you see fit," but in reality, it is very likely you'll be waiting in line to get into a venue for upwards of an hour or longer if you really have the patience and a burning desire to see a particular musician. There is a science to this, and it is a science I will continually need to perfect. First step is figuring out the best way from point a to point b for each venue permutation.
Friday night, opening night, looked to be one of, if not the best lineup for the festival, on paper at least. I arrived on scene a little later than I intended, and jumped right on the corner-turning line which was already filing in for the Bill Frisell Trio, the one act that I absolutely knew I could not miss. I was one of the last people to make it inside (phew!) and was told there were 3 seats left in the first level. I walked down the aisle to find a seat and spotted the three empties, front row, flush right. Full view of the stage though, this place is too small for obstructed view. The week was getting off to a great start. Bill Frisell and his trio, Tony Scher on bass and Kenny Wolleson on drums, came out about 15m late, c'mon, we're on a tight schedule here! The set got off to a spacy start, with birds chirping in the monitors, and a drifting lilting tune from the band. They continued along with some more meandering and mellow and heavily improvised music. My mind was set adrift, zoning out after a very long week. But the musicians' meandering gave way to some truly satisfying moments, particularly gelling in a set-closing Boubacar. Wolleson, with his short tie, ragged suit, and unkempt hair, was the star of the set, not so much for how he played, but how he played within the music. Pushing it, stretching, holding it together. After a standing O and a beautiful encore, it was back out onto the street on onto something else.
That something else ended up being the Jazz Mandolin Project at the Harro East. Plopped in a seat right up front again, and enjoyed a couple long jams featuring Peter Apflebaum on horns, keys, and percussion. Been a while since I have seen Jamie Masefield's band, good to see them again. But JMP did display one of the factors that made the RIJF a difficult place to navigate. I tried hard not to get an itchy trigger finger when checking out each band, it's nice to try and least get a range of what they're doing before handing down judgment on them. At a pop fest it's easy to get in 4 or 5 songs in under 20 minutes and get a good feeling for the music. But in jazz, sit with a band for 20 minutes and you won't even be through the second piece, maybe not even the first. So spending 30 minutes with JMP I saw one and a half songs. Hardly a good cross section, but I was ready to move on.
So I left the Harro East with its Star of David up above the doorway, and into the Lutheran Church next door... music is a religion don'cha know? The Lutheran Church is the Nordic Jazz Series venue all week. Tonight it was home to Kari Ikonen Karriko. It was SRO when I got in so I leaned up against the wall and took in a wonderfully boppy piano trio, edgy enough to keep me interested and excited. After that song ended, 3 more musicians entered stage right. Sax, trumpet, and viola. Oh yeah, and the piano player swiveled in his seat to play the Moog sitting next to him. Things changed quickly. The boppin trio turned into a swirling soundtrack-esque soundscape, with the viola taking some nice leads above it all. That was some interesting stuff.
Stopped in quickly into the Big Tent for a little Organissimo to see if they were indeed more than just another B3 trio like their program description promised. Nope, pretty standard. Then tried to stop in for some Peter King at the Christ Church, but it was at capacity, so I kept moving.
And on I moved to see violin sensation Billy Bang at the Xerox Auditorium. Billy Bang and his band are certainly an entertaining and talented bunch of guys, but in the first 30 minutes Billy banged out a lengthy violin solo (and I mean solo, w/o accompaniment) that was simply wankery with no musical bearing whatsoever, almost immediately following that was nearly the same thing out of the bass player. That got me out of my seat, and out the door. Taking a fantastic solo doesn't impress me nearly as much as taking a fantastic solo that actually speaks to the music being played around you, or better yet that completely blends into the music being played around you.
I wasn't planning on seeing Frisell again, but my out-of-town friend was headed there so I joined him to check out some more of the goods. And I am glad I did, the late set trumped the early, with a close-to-epic rocking improv that really stole the entire evening. That's how you do it, no soloing necessary.
For a good compilation of all the local coverage of RIJF check out the Jazz@Rochester blog.
Friday night, opening night, looked to be one of, if not the best lineup for the festival, on paper at least. I arrived on scene a little later than I intended, and jumped right on the corner-turning line which was already filing in for the Bill Frisell Trio, the one act that I absolutely knew I could not miss. I was one of the last people to make it inside (phew!) and was told there were 3 seats left in the first level. I walked down the aisle to find a seat and spotted the three empties, front row, flush right. Full view of the stage though, this place is too small for obstructed view. The week was getting off to a great start. Bill Frisell and his trio, Tony Scher on bass and Kenny Wolleson on drums, came out about 15m late, c'mon, we're on a tight schedule here! The set got off to a spacy start, with birds chirping in the monitors, and a drifting lilting tune from the band. They continued along with some more meandering and mellow and heavily improvised music. My mind was set adrift, zoning out after a very long week. But the musicians' meandering gave way to some truly satisfying moments, particularly gelling in a set-closing Boubacar. Wolleson, with his short tie, ragged suit, and unkempt hair, was the star of the set, not so much for how he played, but how he played within the music. Pushing it, stretching, holding it together. After a standing O and a beautiful encore, it was back out onto the street on onto something else.
That something else ended up being the Jazz Mandolin Project at the Harro East. Plopped in a seat right up front again, and enjoyed a couple long jams featuring Peter Apflebaum on horns, keys, and percussion. Been a while since I have seen Jamie Masefield's band, good to see them again. But JMP did display one of the factors that made the RIJF a difficult place to navigate. I tried hard not to get an itchy trigger finger when checking out each band, it's nice to try and least get a range of what they're doing before handing down judgment on them. At a pop fest it's easy to get in 4 or 5 songs in under 20 minutes and get a good feeling for the music. But in jazz, sit with a band for 20 minutes and you won't even be through the second piece, maybe not even the first. So spending 30 minutes with JMP I saw one and a half songs. Hardly a good cross section, but I was ready to move on.
So I left the Harro East with its Star of David up above the doorway, and into the Lutheran Church next door... music is a religion don'cha know? The Lutheran Church is the Nordic Jazz Series venue all week. Tonight it was home to Kari Ikonen Karriko. It was SRO when I got in so I leaned up against the wall and took in a wonderfully boppy piano trio, edgy enough to keep me interested and excited. After that song ended, 3 more musicians entered stage right. Sax, trumpet, and viola. Oh yeah, and the piano player swiveled in his seat to play the Moog sitting next to him. Things changed quickly. The boppin trio turned into a swirling soundtrack-esque soundscape, with the viola taking some nice leads above it all. That was some interesting stuff.
Stopped in quickly into the Big Tent for a little Organissimo to see if they were indeed more than just another B3 trio like their program description promised. Nope, pretty standard. Then tried to stop in for some Peter King at the Christ Church, but it was at capacity, so I kept moving.
And on I moved to see violin sensation Billy Bang at the Xerox Auditorium. Billy Bang and his band are certainly an entertaining and talented bunch of guys, but in the first 30 minutes Billy banged out a lengthy violin solo (and I mean solo, w/o accompaniment) that was simply wankery with no musical bearing whatsoever, almost immediately following that was nearly the same thing out of the bass player. That got me out of my seat, and out the door. Taking a fantastic solo doesn't impress me nearly as much as taking a fantastic solo that actually speaks to the music being played around you, or better yet that completely blends into the music being played around you.
I wasn't planning on seeing Frisell again, but my out-of-town friend was headed there so I joined him to check out some more of the goods. And I am glad I did, the late set trumped the early, with a close-to-epic rocking improv that really stole the entire evening. That's how you do it, no soloing necessary.
For a good compilation of all the local coverage of RIJF check out the Jazz@Rochester blog.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)