After hearing about the
Podsafe Music Network on Adam Curry's
The Daily Source Code, I knew that I needed to get my music up there. Not only did I quickly upload a bunch of tunes, but I got on my gmail account and told as many people as would listen to do the same. I envisioned all these Seattle jazz folks invading the new site, and thankfully, we are finally getting some notice. Since first putting my tracks up a few weeks ago, I have had at least ten plays in podcasts of various styles and genres, and within a couple days of putting their tracks up last week, both
The Core and
Swampdweller are getting notice as well. While the PMN is designed to allow podcasters to just grab music and use it in their podcasts, I greatly appreciated the e-mail I received from Sundown Lounge host Larry Winfield prior to his using
The High Country in his podcast last week. Larry's show is a great mix of poetry, music, politics, and "Venue Verite" -- snipets of open-mic sessions from across the West Coast -- and his variety and easy-going style make for a very listenable podcast. Thanks, Larry! Here's a list of some podcasts we've been featured on recently:
Filling in some gaps, I'm writing this entry much after the fact -- like two months! But I have to say, having been a Seattle jazz listener for a long time, you'd be hard pressed to find a stronger, deeper group of musicians playing in one group. The Deardorf-Peterson Group, featuring Dave Peterson on guitar and Chuck Deardorf on bass, served up a nice group of Dave Peterson originals, plus a new take on John Coltrane's
Mr. P.C., arranged by pianist Bill Anschell (subbing for usual bandmember Hans Teuber). Chuck Deardorf is certainly one of the most versatile bassists in town, and his experience and professionalism comes through in everything he does. With John Bishop holding down the rhythm section, Dave Peterson was really the featured solo voice, and he never disappoints -- Peterson seems to move from bebop to freebop to whatever with the ease of a tightrope walker. He's exciting, dynamic, and technically beyond most -- there is little left to be desired when listening to the guitar playing of Dave Peterson. Be sure to check out their new recording for the Origin Arts label which features pianist George Cables,
Portal.
After a long, hot day of organizing and cleaning, I made my way to Jazz Alley to hear one of the legends of jazz music and his trio, the incomparable Ahmad Jamal. Also featured with his trio was another influential figure in jazz music, one of the great drummers of the last 35 years, Idris Muhammad on drums. Rounding out the trio was longtime bandmate and bassist James Cammack.
As a listener and fan, you couldn't have asked for two better sets of music. Ranging from new originals appearing on recent recordings to such Jamal classics as On Green Dolphin Street and Poinciana, the full 90+ minute sets demonstrated to all that Ahmad Jamal is still at the top of his game, both on a technical and musical level. The biggest revelation for me as a musician was to see Jamal directing the changes in feel from the piano; the arrangements, while very specific and thought out, seemed to ebb and flow at Jamal's visual cueing, keeping the pacing of each tune well under Jamal's control. And yet, despite all of this, every tune felt like we were somehow hearing the trio play that song for the first time; one might even say that it felt loose. So -- controlled looseness? Not sure if this is the best way to describe it, but I think that this term applies here.
And what a treat to hear Idris Muhammad -- he is also someone who, though I've listened to him for many years, I've never heard play live. He's dynamic, tasty, and certainly skilled in a variety of styles and feels, and as Marc Seales used to say, "Everybody comes to see the drummer - EVERYBODY!" With James Cammack, who was a little more subdued that I would have liked, Idris creates a palette that never overpowers Ahmad, but also continues to challenge the time and rhythm. I know that Ahmad is not touring as much as he used to, but if you get the chance to hear him with his trio, you should not miss him. A true legend of the music, Ahmad Jamal certainly deserves the title of "master".
Wow! This was a fun gig tonight -- while I won't comment on my hang at The Owl and Thistle (just hanging and drinking), this gig deserves more than just a few sentences.
First off, the band was loaded with killer soloists: Travis Ranney, Steve Tressler, Vanessa and Vern Seilert, Thomas Marriott, and Reuel Lubag, to name a few. With Greg "Bam Bam" Williamson and Chuck Kistler rounding out the rhythm section, I can only say that this band is certainly ripening with age. Add a whole bunch of power charts from our own Matso Limtiaco and elsewhere across the country and you've got one helluva great night of music. I'll go ahead and give you the sets, too, so you can see what you missed:
First Set:
- Come Rain or Come Shine - arr Matso Limtiaco
- Speak No Evil - arr Matso Limtiaco
- Stella by Starlight - arr Matso Limtiaco
- You Stepped Out Of A Dream - arr Matso Limtiaco
- Blues #4 - comp/arr Matso Limtiaco
- On The Up and Up - comp Jim McNeely, arr Matso Limtiaco
- Jumpin� At The Woodside - arr Matso Limtiaco
Second Set:
Manteca - arr Matso Limtiaco- All Blues - arr Matso Limtiaco
- Giant Steps - arr Matso Limtiaco
- Pieces of Dreams - comp Michel LeGrand, arr Dick Lieb
- Tell Me A Story - comp/arr Matso Limtiaco
- Claudettes Way - comp Pepper Adams, arr Matso Limtiaco
- Cherokee - arr Matso Limtiaco
Third Set:- Honeysuckle Rose - arr Matso Limtiaco
- Blues #2 - comp/arr Matso Limtiaco
- Hi Fly - arr Matso Limtiaco
- Inner Urge - arr Matso Limtiaco
- In A Mellow Tone - arr Matso Limtiaco
The momentum of this band is back and, as the title of our first CD describes, alive and swingin! Be sure to stay tuned for the new ECJO
website -- launching soon -- and the new CD,
Come Rain or Come Shine. The Emerald City Jazz Orchestra performs at Tula's the second Tuesday of every month -- see you there!
I've been hearing about "Collier and Dean" from my folks for years, but I'd never heard them on recording or in performance until tonight at the Musicquarium. Tom Collier was certainly a major presence at the UW School of Music while I was there, but I never really got to hear him do "his thing" with Dan Dean. Thankfully, they are back performing live, getting ready for a 40th anniversary concert, and have a new CD out on Origin Arts titled
Duets.
Collier and Dean started their set as a duo, performing Lines from their new CD with energy and precision. With John Bishop added to give a little rhythmic support, they launched into a Victor Feldman funky-groovy tune, Rockified Baby. General Mojo's Well Laid Plan, a beautiful tune by bassist Steve Swallow, really stood out for me -- the late 70's straight-eighth, ECM sound really seems to fit this group and the players' styles. John Coltrane's Giant Steps was capably performed as a bossa-nova groove, giving the changes a little more room to breath than in the breakneck style the tune is usually played in. The group finished with a very loose, very free-inspired version of Thelonious Monk's Straight No Chaser. The intention may not have been to be this disconnected to the blues changes, but it was refreshingly fun to hear them play on this tune -- you could really hear them trying NOT to play stale blues licks and vocabulary. All in all, I can certainly understand the appeal that these two have had for so long, and I will assuredly be joining that bandwagon.
So I promised myself after hearing the early set of Terence that I would go out and support Rick's gig at the Oddfellows Hall, especially since is was a small crowd last week (see my
earlier post). And you know what? I WAS THE ONLY ONE AGAIN! Come on people! I know Sunday from 8-10pm is not the best, but it's damn near free, and it's three of Seattle's finest jazz musicians! Rick Mandyck, Jeff Johnson, and John Bishop once again played for two hours for basically themselves! So, I WANT YOU! To come out at the end of the month, August 28th, to the Ballard Oddfellows Hall, 1706 NW Market Street, from 8pm to 10pm! And bring a friend! Enough said (and enough exclamation points).
After the Swampdweller session, I headed down to Jazz Alley to hear Terence Blanchard and his quintet. I've been a fan of Terence since I first head him live almost 15 years ago when he played at the Seward Park Amphitheatre while promoting his album,
Terence Blanchard, and he continues to be an inspiring force in jazz music, both to old fans and newcomers. With his new album,
Flow, produced by Herbie Hancock, I knew I'd be in for a treat with the latest incarnation of his band.
The choice of tunes was great -- some material from the new album, complete with synths and drone, and some classic material like I Thought About You, played almost as slow as I've ever heard a ballad. Lionel Loueke, a guitarist from Benin, had an interesting mix of acoustic and synthetic guitar sounds that really adds to the core quintet sound -- even simulating a Hammond organ at times. Aaron Parks on piano, a friend from my Manhattan School of Music days and another of Seattle's jazz products, sounded fabulous as always, stretching into different territory with his new Roland V-Synth. 
Brice Winston, who I've been listening to on record for a long time but never heard live, has great energy, style, and depth; this guy certainly fills the saxophone chair in this band with more than just his presence. Kendrick Scott and Derrick Hodge filled out the rhythm section -- I didn't know Hodge before tonight, but I've heard Kendrick many times in New York and Boston, and he certainly plays with lots of finesse and taste, but also gives some punch when needed. If you get a chance to hear these guys, the unmistakeable influence of Herbie Hancock on this band is certainly felt, but that show was all about Terence Blanchard. While he's spent many years honing his skills as a film composer, the dramatic effect this has had on his jazz playing and composing continues to stretch and expand his style away from the "neo-conservative" or "young lion" sound that he helped to define in the early 80s. And did I mention that he really can play the trumpet? I mean, really get around the trumpet! Terence is one of the few guys out there that I just don't hear making silly technical mistakes -- his sound is gorgeous, his technique impeccable, and his fearlessness unparalleled (except maybe by early Freddie Hubbard). Terence: keep it coming, and I'll be there with bells on.
We went back into the studio to add some more radio-length versions to the tunes we recorded yesterday.
Stolen from the Ancients by Marc Fendel and Ari Zucker's
Swamp Ugly were the tunes we focused on, laying down three or four takes of each. I should note here that a few personnel changed from last night: Chris Stromquist played drums, and Andy Sells moved over to turntables. Again, more fun music from a jungle-groove and drum-and-bass influence. After getting these tunes finalized for the album, we decided to try a free jam, and it ended up lasting 20 minutes! Just when Fendel and I thought that the end was there, BOOM! Change the groove and restart the energy! I played everything I could get my hands on for this track: my horn, mouthpiece, keys, bottles, voice -- we tried to fit it all in for the finale. We finished early enough in the day that I could go hear some more music... Stay tuned!
After the Sonarchy recording, I raced down to try and catch the last set of my brother Thomas at Tula's with Phil Sparks, Rick Mandyck, and Jose Martinez. I pulled by on my way to park to find four cops outside the club. After parking, I got to the club to find no disturbance any more, but boy had I missed it.
Our fine Seattle Police Department didn't have anything better to do on Satuday night than hastle the owner, staff and patrons of Tula's with an absolutely ridiculous inspection -- at 11:30pm no less! From what I was told, most of the patrons were scared -- the police were rushing around the club at all corners, as if there was a terrorist issue, bomb, or other possibly harmful person/item in the club. They also stood right in front of the bandstand while the quartet was playing! Needless to say, there will be some letter writing going on this week, especially with Dave and Jane Peck in attendance.
The music, on the other hand was great! Thomas was playing Old Folks when I came in, and then played a nice version of All of You. I was "coerced" into playing a few tunes to finish out the last set, and although being REALLY tired from my other gigs, we had a blast playing, especially on Society Red, an old Dexter Gordon blues we used to play in our quintet. Thomas is sounding as good as I've ever heard him, and though he's not playing as much as a leader, you can hear him around town with many groups. If you haven't heard his latest release on Origin Arts, Individuation, then get out there, check it out, and you'll hear what I'm talking about.
Saturday was another full day of music making, this time with longtime friend and musical compatriot, Marc Fendel. I first met Marc at the Port Townsend Jazz Workshop back in the early 90s when we were still in high school, and since his move to Seattle after graduating from Berklee, he's been on the scene with such bands as Bebop and Destruction, Big Bang Band, and his newest solo project, Swampdweller.
Marc had called me a few weeks ago to play a benefit gig for Books to Prisoners, a non-profit organization based in Seattle that gets books and other reading materials to prisoners across the country. While we were ably supported by Eric Bell on drums and Jon Batisti on guitar, we were without our bassplayer Lamar Lofton the whole first set, which certainly made things a bit tough, but kept a nice open sound for the event. Lamar made it for the second set, but we lost Jon (who had to split to another gig). We wrapped up the second set, and Fendel and I headed directly to Jack Straw Studios for the second-half of our double-header.
Doug Haire has been running the Sonarchy radio program for years, and it's always a pleasure to work with him. He's easy going, super-experienced, and generally seems at home among musicians, especially when it's music that fits his own tastes. Instead of doing the show live like it used to be, we just played for a solid hour and taped it direct -- it still feels like we played a full, straight set, and even though it isn't broadcast live, there are no edits or fixes or second takes. This is the way to record music!
Fendel's Swampdweller (at least for this session) is: Marc Fendel, Jay Roulston, Ari Zucker, Joe Doria, Andy Sells, Farko Dosimov, and Mune Yamakawa on turntables. I basically told Fendel after hearing the first CD that I wanted to be on the new one - period! And what a fun session it was -- a great mix of groove, jazz, turntablism, and more mixed with original compositions by Fendel and Zucker. Be sure to look out for this program on Sonarchy -- it should also be available as a podcast as some point in time.
