Tonight's program shamelessly pandering to the broadest demographic of Jazzheads if they are free wheeling modernists unconcerned by implications of structure and/or the suggestion of reconstructed textures vis-a-vis oblique voicings. It's a three day weekend where we should be more thankful than Thanksgiving. Game On!
I felt like the first hour should have been enjoyable if one is anywhere near the above rhetorical description.
Sun Ra was born 100 years ago, hence the spotlight tonight. I just call it Sun Ra Day. It could be any day of the year. It will always be special. Besides, I don't want to get into it about the Saturn thing.
Jazz great Bobby Watson plays with the next generation of Jazz greats from the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA) Jazz Ensemble at Jazz Live San Diego, Tuesday, May 20, 2014, 8-10 PM PT. The 2 hour Jazz Live broadcast includes an interview with Bobby and a preview of our next Jazz Live (Stanley Jordan, 6/10/14). There's a lot that goes on before, during, and after the show, and we'll do our best to capture it all right here on the Jazz Live San Diego Blog...scroll to the bottom of the post to see how you can be part of he show.
I have been operating on the assumption that it's the 9th of May. Forty five minutes left in the day and I just found out it's the 8th. Could be worse, somehow. And now, Program Notes:
John McNeil arranged a great spin on Giuffre's 'The Train And The River,' and I played 'Sugar Craft' instead of 'Whatever Happened To Gus' by MMW. Once a year I make myself go to a different tune from Combustication. It's only because WHTG is the most perfect assemblage of ideas ever.
Each layer of Free Time has brought some new angle to fascinate me so I'm hoping it's doing the same for you. Joseph Jarman, Steve Lehman (spotlight on Damion Reid), Steve Lacy, Shadow Boxer's Delight (unreal), Jason Kao Hwang, Tin/Bag (Free Time can be pretty, too), and Andrew Hill to end the show.
May 25th, check the Jazz Calendar for the Jazz Workshop event.
An image from somewhere in the pages of William S. Burroughs comes close to dramatically summarizing my mind of late, "a blizzard of glass shards." Google doesn't back me up on this but it doesn't matter. Tonight was really about making it "just this" and not "that."
Dusk, by Andrew Hill, sounded especially beautiful tonight. The Sun Died, as reconstructed by Ellery Eskelin, was superb. Apparently, context is everything. Some close calls really showed the value of my Index of Possibilities theory. Similar to Cecil Taylor's "...just don't hesitate."
Cecil Taylor, Dewey Redman, and Elvin Jones. Lots of space and power.
Grachan Moncur III has a real way with making a tune hum. Love And Hate, from Exploration.
The theme for the May 4, 2014 edition of Johnny D’s Jazz Journal is “Sueños: The Cinco de Mayo Show”. “Sueños” is Spanish for “dreams,” and in this case it refers to 19th-century Mexico’s dreams of freedom following centuries of domination by Spain and France; coincidentally, the word sueños also kept popping up in the titles of the songs I was auditioning for this show, so it became a recurring motive.
Like Jazz and Blues, nonprofit organizations were created by Americans, in America. The music and the organizations sprang up with a spirit of kinship and mutual understanding. The music is an expression of the condition of life: what’s happening, why it seems to be happening, and what, (if anything), we can do about it. Nonprofits sprang up in response to common needs, filling a gap where, depending on one’s point of view, government cannot, or should not, go; funding scientific research, or feeding the hungry, or making arts and culture available to entire communities. Jazz and Blues - and nonprofit organizations of all types and sizes - serve the public good
And they are funded, for the most part, by the very people they serve, and their loved ones.
The interview with Nathan Hubbard went well for a high wire act, and all encompassing enough to obliterate any thought of Program Notes until Friday afternoon. Then it took another two days to get to it. So much for spontaneity.
Volume 4 of Encinitas And Everything After will be presented on Sunday, 4/27/14. Ogd_S(11) Translation Has Failed is a mobile unit and is fully accountable for processing Hubbard's ideas. Taoist Sanctuary, 4229 Park Blvd 92103. 8pm.
Klang is the James Falzone Quartet. They bring such energy and ability that I'm sure some promoter in town has an eye on them. Has to.
Between Bynum at the beginning and Cherry at the finish, Steve Lacy singlehandedly astounded the aural capabilities of man and machine. Gusts, in case you need to track it down.
Progressive Nights concludes with the subtle textures and captivating inventions in the particular style as curated every Thursday night by yours truly. This might sound like a generic phrase cooked up before a pressing deadline, but it's the real deal. Get into The Speakeasy and have a listen. Individual experience may vary each week, but this is a long term commitment and relevant within its context.
Yes I played "Western Wren (A Bird Call)" again. It's a magical interaction between Jeff Ballard drums, Lionel Luoeke guitar, and Miguel Zenon saxophone. Found on Ballard's Time's Tales.
Yes the Rosetta Trio piece might have seemed out of place after "Bloodcount." But what a transition to "Lena" and the majestic power of Cecil Taylor. Free Time!
Yes Todd Sickafoose Tiny Resistors came to the rescue at the very last minute. What a great night. Special thanks to Mark and Kimi from Brooklyn.
The Lisa Hilton Trio is performing tonight, Tuesday, April 15, 2014, during Jazz Live San Diego, 8 to 10 PM PT and whether you are at the Saville or listening live in San Diego and around the world, you can share what you think about the show before, during, and after...we will!
Well, well, lucky me. I happen to tune in to one of the best darn Blues shows in the world. T's 'Every Shade of Blue'. And there it is, pure gold. Harmonica John and Bud Lite are wailing away in the studio prompting the blues ringmaster to belt out along with them, and wouldn't ya know, T's got pipes! Thanks to Harmonica John and Bud Lite for coming to the station. They are promoting Spring Harp Fest this weekend in La Mesa. All the proceeds (after expenses) goes to 'Blues in the Schools', a program that teaches the kids about Blues music. Please stop by the event to hear some great music and buy a beverage (or two) to support the cause. Here's the Information.
Nonprofits sprang up in response to common needs, filling a gap where, depending on one’s point of view, government cannot, or should not, go; funding scientific research, or feeding the hungry, or making arts and culture available to entire communities. Jazz and Blues - and nonprofit organizations of all types and sizes - serve the public good