MicroVlog 015: UNICEF Benefit with Peter Daniel

Blast from the Past: Marriott Jazz Quintet with Kenny Kirkland (1998)

Here's a blast from the past: back on September 20th, 1998, Benaroya Hall was just opening in Seattle and celebrated with a Day of Music -- tons of free concerts all day throughout the Benaroya Hall facility.  My brother Thomas and I were asked to bring our band, the Marriott Jazz Quintet, for a short set.  At the time, we didn't have a regular piano player or drummer, and it just so happened that Kenny Kirkland was in town with Branford Marsalis.  As the old saying goes, "It never hurts to ask," and getting the chance to play with the legendary Kenny Kirkland was, and still is, a high point in my musical life. Sadly, he passed away less than two months later -- I spent many hours thinking of "what might have been," as I'm sure so many did in the wake of his passing.  I came across these pictures at my folks' house a few weeks ago, and just had to scan them.  Hope you enjoy -- I know it brings back many fond memories for me.  

Saturday, July 24th - Wayne-ing Brass: The Music of Wayne Shorter for Brass Trio and Rhythm Section

Wayne-ing Brass: The Music of Wayne Shorter for Brass and Rhythm

Thomas Marriott (tpt), Tom Varner (horn), David Marriott, Jr. (tbn), Bill Anschell(pno), Phil Sparks (bass), Matt Jorgensen (drums)

Music at Tula's begins at 7:30pm. $15 Cover. Reservations recommended. Call Tula’s at (206) 443-4221

Debuting at Tula's, this re-imagining of Wayne Shorter's music for brass trio and rhythm section is sure to be a unique night of music. Don't miss it!

On Working and Performing with the Liberty High School Jazz Band

I had the pleasure this past week of spending a few days with the Liberty High School Jazz Band, under the direction of Phil Donley. At his kind invitation, I spent some time with them Monday working with the band, performed some lunchtime concerts at the school on Friday with a short Q-and-A for the band members, and performed with them as guest artist at the Eighth Annual Liberty Jazz Night. Phil has done a great job getting his students to deal with some complex arrangements in a musical way, not just technical. Their rhythm sections are solid, the band features a few fine soloists, and they seem to dive in head first to whatever music Phil throws their way. They peaked at the performance Saturday night, so what more could you ask for!

It's always nice getting good feedback from students, so I was delighted to get mentioned in a few posts on Twitter by some students from Liberty High School's Jazz Band:

My thanks to director Phil Donley for the invitation, and to all the band members of the Liberty High School Jazz Band for making my time with you so fun and easy. The performance Saturday night was a blast, to be sure! For those of you not in attendance, here's the program from the concert:

Playing "Cabaret" in San Jose

Lots to talk about! Sorry to have been away from the blog so long, but I keep needing to take breaks and reinvent this thing. I've yet to officially launch the site as "completed", but it's coming soon, I promise -- almost there! I've been playing trombone and tuba in a three-ctiy production of "Cabaret" for the last month and going through the middle of May, and I'm having a great time on a great gig. I've met many talented people -- all of whom I hope to stay in contact with for many years to come. I've also had a great time documenting the process.  With my T-Mobile Dash and Kodak C813 for stills and video, I was armed at all times -- although I will admit in hindsight that I missed some great moments, only because I was too busy enjoying them! I'll be posting many more detailed posts about this gig in the coming weeks, but to wet your appetite, you can check out all my photos on Flickr, and here is a video of me doing my make-up:

www.flickr.com RedRaspus' Cabaret - San Jose photoset

Is This The End for the Fuffering Suckheads?

You'll have to tune in next week, folks -- actually, it sounds like we will be back at the Sunset Tavern on the first Sunday of every month starting up in June, so we are all very excited to be going back to a club and staff we know and love. The gig on Sunday night was zany as always, but everyone was even more on edge as it was seemingly the end of era -- over a year and a half of Sundays devoted to this strange experiment of Ron and Mike's they call "punk jazz".  I still haven't decided it that's the right term for the band, despite having played with them for the better part of the last year or so. I've posted some pictures over on my Flickr account, and I'll try to see if there are any more out there -- many people were taking pictures besides me.  We will also be trudging along at the Seamonster Lounge, where we play the last Saturday of the month.  Throw in a gig here and there at the Fiddler's Inn, and you'll have no problem finding the Fuffering Suckheads (referred to as such for the sake of public decency).

www.flickr.com

Duo with Tim Kennedy at the Columbia City Theater

I honestly can't remember when I met pianist Tim Kennedy, but it must have been at a jam session at the Owl and Thistle. I don't recall ever having played a gig with him, and I can't you how excited I was when he asked me to play duo at a new club in the South end of Seattle, the Columbia City Theatre. A great little bar-style in the front was our station for the evening, but the very inviting and larger back room is the true jewel of the establishment. This place has a history all its own, and it felt great to be just a part of it for one evening. In the tradition of the room, we tried to cover as many bases as possible from the classic jazz and standard repertoire, from I Cover the Waterfront to Nica's Dream. As a pianist, Tim really has a handle on a variety of approaches, from a Duke-ish kind of stride, to more open Tatum-esque runs, and dashes of blues, bebop and more in the mix. He just put the finishing touches on a new recording, so do look around for that, and possibly I'll play a bit on my podcast. Tim appears every Thursday at the Columbia City Theatre, so if you have a chance, be sure to go check him out!

Blue Flavor Holiday Party

Blue Flavor Holiday Party
Originally uploaded by nickf.

Dig this! Mike Stone, Joe Doria and I had a blast last night playing for the Blue Flavor Holiday Party. Brian Fling, Director of Strategy for Blue Flavor, brought in Joe and I to play the party, and after hearing Mike Stone again the other night at the Sea Monster, we both made sure it would work for a trio. I hope the audience had as much fun as we did, because I know all three of us had a fun time playing funky-groovy, playing standards, and playing holiday songs to the backdrop of It's a Wonderful Life and The Miracle on 34th Street. Nick Finck, Director of User Experience, posted some photos from the party over at Flickr -- check out the whole set!