WBGO Blog

  • About Last Night - SF Jazz Collective at SOPAC

    March 12, 2008. Posted by Joshua Jackson.

    Add new comment | Filed under: bias, caliber, collective performance, commissions, Jazz Alive, Jazz Community, jazz composer, modern jazz, musicians, new yorkers, newark, Notes, Places and Spaces, preconceptions, pride, saxophonist, seeing eye, set of circumstances, sf jazz, user viewprofile, wayne shorter, wbgo

    SF Jazz Collective - Live at SOPAC

    I am a city dweller, plagued by the New Yorker bias. That is, I very rarely go to New Jersey for anything other than to work at WBGO. However, I am not so entrenched that I won't shake my preconceptions for the right set of circumstances. So last night, I ventured to SOPAC for a performance from the SF Jazz Collective, a pride of eight musicians of the highest caliber.

    Each year, the collective features original commissions, as well as arrangements of a noted modern jazz composer. This season, the band turns their all-seeing eye on composer and saxophonist (and Newark native) Wayne Shorter.
    The end of time was the beginning of the set. Saxophonist Miguel Zenon's arrangement of Shorter's "Armegeddon" set us on the trailhead.
    Here's what followed:
    This That and the Other - a Joe Lovano original
    The Angel's Share - penned by Matt Penman, a New Zealand import
    Diana - from Shorter's Native Dancer, arranged by Renee Rosnes
    Go - Stefon Harris arranged this Shorter composition with some backbeat boom bap. Great way to end the first half.

    The second set pushed ahead into the abstract, modern aesthetic that makes the collective such a great band to hear. Drummer Eric Harland's "The Year 2008" set the tone, a composition built around a recorded vocal chant, Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech, and a reading of the Declaration of Independence. Rosnes' "Aurora Borealis" followed. Trumpeter Dave Douglas contributed "Secrets of the Code," an original work that used snippets of Wayne Shorter's music as source code embedded as a thread throughout the composition. Great stuff. The newest member of the collective, trombonist Robin Eubanks, ended the evening with his arrangement of Shorter's "Black Nile."

    Only two complaints. The piano monitor levels in the house made the trombone articulation inaudible. That's just the music nerd in me. The other issue is this: I could not hear all of the band's repertoire in a single night. The SF Jazz Collective had more music in the kitty, but I'll have to see them again to hear the rest. Will do.
    -Josh

    © 2008 WBGO

  • Catherine Russell - Live at J&R Music World

    March 10, 2008. Posted by Joshua Jackson.

    Add new comment | Filed under: Jazz Alive, Listening Post, Live Music, Places and Spaces

    Catherine Russell - Live at J&R Music World
    Free music at J&R was the lone spot of sunshine on an otherwise gloomy Saturday. Catherine Russell performed live on Saturday Afternoon Jazz, hosted by Monifa Brown. Listen to the show now. You can also catch Catherine Russell singing at our next Kids Jazz Series program, this Saturday, March 15th 12:30pm at NJPAC. Don't forget to bring a kid. Preferably one you know.
    -Josh

    © 2008 WBGO

  • On the Scene - Trio 3 and Geri Allen at Jazz Standard

    March 10, 2008. Posted by Joshua Jackson.

    Add new comment | Filed under: alto saxophone, andrew cyrille, bassist, brain music, exhortations, geri allen, guest pianist, initiation ritual, intimacy, jazz standard, listener, Live Music, november 1, oblivion, Oliver Lake, Places and Spaces, quartet, reggie workman, saxophonist, sketches, stalwarts, youngish couple

    Trio 3 and Geri Allen

    Despite the name, Trio 3 - saxophonist/flutist Oliver Lake, bassist Reggie Workman, and drummer Andrew Cyrille - are anything but redundant. All are stalwarts of improvised music, each a master on their respective instrument. They just finished a run at Jazz Standard with special guest, pianist Geri Allen.
    Saturday night, the quartet opened their second set with Oliver Lake's original, "Valley Sketches." Lake commanded the full range of his alto saxophone - from growling exhortations to charismatic high register shouts. Other highlights included Allen's "Thank You, Ma'am," and Reggie Workman's "November 1."

    As much I as concentrate on the music, I am equally fascinated with the audience that attends music shows. While there were definitely some fans of the cerebral architecture onstage, this music was an initiation ritual for others. After all, Saturday night is a date night. I watched a youngish couple before the set, eating and drinking, smiling and enjoying each other's company. The blissful oblivion ended minutes after the music began. The further the music went, the farther the couple's intimacy seemed to migrate.

    Don't get me wrong. I never blame the musicians. They do what they do. Trio 3 and Geri Allen may not be music to snuggle to, but it definitely feeds the brain. Music for a date night? Not really, unless your companion is an adventurous listener. Finding that special someone is never easy, but always worth the search. Same with the music.
    -Josh

    © 2008 WBGO