Hey, I forgot to mention...last week I did a little clinic with the saxophone section of the Valley View Middle School jazz band right here in Snohomish WA. I'm happy to report that tenor players Andrew and Josh (didn't get their last names), both 8th graders, are now checking out John Coltrane recordings. That's great! I look forward to hearing how the 'Trane influences their playing.
And that's who Andrew and Josh are checking out. So...what are you listening to?
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Dave Marriott's "Pop Culture" band at Egan's in Ballard
I took my 11-year-old, trombone-playing son Alex to hear Dave Marriott's new band, "Pop Culture" at Egans' Ballard Jam House last Friday night. The band was Dave on trombone, Marc Fendel on alto, Chris Symer on bass, and Evan Woodle on drums.
The band's name refers to the tunes they play, the titles of which all have some reference to pop culture. For example, they opened with a tune by Ron Carter called "81," which is apparently a numeric, secret code for the Hell's Angels motorcycle gang. There was an original by Dave entitled "How to Draw a Bunny," based on the improvised score that legendary drummer Max Roach performed for a documentary of the same name about artist Ray Johnson.
It's really fun to hear a band that doesn't use a piano, guitar, or some other chordal instrument that provides harmony. What you get with Pop Culture is sometimes a single horn playing with bass and drums; sometimes both horns playing against each other with bass and drums; sometimes just a horn with either bass or drums; and all combinations of the four players you can imagine.
The sound is not really free jazz, in that Pop Culture tends to stick to the general harmonic layout of the tunes they play, but there's so much room to try different combinations of instruments, grooves, moods, and sounds, that every tune sounds fresh and different.
And here's good news for young players: Egan's is open to ALL AGES until 11 PM, so if you can get to their Ballard location you can hear real pros playing real, live jazz music. The food is terrific also, so get something to eat while you're there, and help support live music in Seattle. It's a tiny little place, so every seat is a great seat. Their web site is here and you should check out their calendar.
And that's who I listened to last Friday night. So...what are you listening to?
The band's name refers to the tunes they play, the titles of which all have some reference to pop culture. For example, they opened with a tune by Ron Carter called "81," which is apparently a numeric, secret code for the Hell's Angels motorcycle gang. There was an original by Dave entitled "How to Draw a Bunny," based on the improvised score that legendary drummer Max Roach performed for a documentary of the same name about artist Ray Johnson.
It's really fun to hear a band that doesn't use a piano, guitar, or some other chordal instrument that provides harmony. What you get with Pop Culture is sometimes a single horn playing with bass and drums; sometimes both horns playing against each other with bass and drums; sometimes just a horn with either bass or drums; and all combinations of the four players you can imagine.
The sound is not really free jazz, in that Pop Culture tends to stick to the general harmonic layout of the tunes they play, but there's so much room to try different combinations of instruments, grooves, moods, and sounds, that every tune sounds fresh and different.
And here's good news for young players: Egan's is open to ALL AGES until 11 PM, so if you can get to their Ballard location you can hear real pros playing real, live jazz music. The food is terrific also, so get something to eat while you're there, and help support live music in Seattle. It's a tiny little place, so every seat is a great seat. Their web site is here and you should check out their calendar.
And that's who I listened to last Friday night. So...what are you listening to?
Sonny Rollins!
One of THE all-time greats, Sonny Rollins, played a short gig at the Paramount Theater in Seattle last night. For those not in the know, Rollins is one of the most influential tenor saxophonists of all time. He played with Miles Davis while still a teenager, Thelonious Monk a bit later, with Clifford Brown and Max Roach in the 50s...the list goes on. See his web site, http://www.sonnyrollins.com/ for details.
The band: Mark Soskin on piano, Bob Cranshaw on electric bass, Kobie Watkins on drums, Victor Y. See Yuen on percussion, and of course Sonny on tenor...and vocals to close the show.
It's amazing to see anyone play with the energy and stamina that Sonny showed last night, sounding more like a young lion than a 79-year-old elder statesman. He went outside...WAY outside...on each tune, playing what to me sounded like extensions of the chord extensions. Sometimes I was able to follow what he was doing with the lines, sometimes not. There were moments when it sounded like he was deliberately playing against the key, letting long dissonant notes crunch against everything going on the busy but grooving rhythm section.
Everyone was featured on at least one tune, and everyone in the band really cooked. I really liked Soskin's work on "Don't Stop the Carnival," in that you could hear the musical stories he was telling - each chorus sounded like a new chapter being added to a book, using familiar characters and developing the plot over time.
Sonny even sang a couple of choruses on "Low Down Dirty Shame," the raucous blues that ended the performance. Sadly, there was no encore...he came out and waved, and that was it. Still, it was quite a treat to hear him play. There aren't many left from his generation of jazz luminaries, and if any of them are passing through the Seattle area (such as Jimmy Heath at this summer's Port Townsend Jazz Festival) you should get out to hear them play.
And that's who I checked out yesterday. So...who have you been listening to?
The band: Mark Soskin on piano, Bob Cranshaw on electric bass, Kobie Watkins on drums, Victor Y. See Yuen on percussion, and of course Sonny on tenor...and vocals to close the show.
It's amazing to see anyone play with the energy and stamina that Sonny showed last night, sounding more like a young lion than a 79-year-old elder statesman. He went outside...WAY outside...on each tune, playing what to me sounded like extensions of the chord extensions. Sometimes I was able to follow what he was doing with the lines, sometimes not. There were moments when it sounded like he was deliberately playing against the key, letting long dissonant notes crunch against everything going on the busy but grooving rhythm section.
Everyone was featured on at least one tune, and everyone in the band really cooked. I really liked Soskin's work on "Don't Stop the Carnival," in that you could hear the musical stories he was telling - each chorus sounded like a new chapter being added to a book, using familiar characters and developing the plot over time.
Sonny even sang a couple of choruses on "Low Down Dirty Shame," the raucous blues that ended the performance. Sadly, there was no encore...he came out and waved, and that was it. Still, it was quite a treat to hear him play. There aren't many left from his generation of jazz luminaries, and if any of them are passing through the Seattle area (such as Jimmy Heath at this summer's Port Townsend Jazz Festival) you should get out to hear them play.
And that's who I checked out yesterday. So...who have you been listening to?
Monday, May 10, 2010
Waiting to hear the legendary Sonny Rollins!
Hey, I'm at the Paramount Theater in Seattle about to hear Sonny Rollins! I'll be back a little bit later with a concert report. I'm sending this from my handy-dandy iPad, and I'm still trying to figure out just how I'm going to use it as a productive music tool. Anyhoo, I'll be back in a bit.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)