WBGO Blog

  • John Fedchock's New York Big Band at Cachaca

    June 10, 2008. Posted by Becca Pulliam.

    Add new comment | Filed under: 8th street, bgo, cachaca, eclipse, epistrophy, excitement, freddy hubbard, gridlock, Jazz Alive, john fedchock, measures, monk, phrase, roy hargrove big band, trombonist, veteran, woody herman orchestra

    Cachaca on West 8th Street is new. (Much on West 8th Street is new.) It's a deep, inviting, sound-lively room and the John Fedchock's Big Band took it over tonight. The band has been together 20 years with consistent personnel, but I understand it doesn't often play live. Having heard some tracks on BGO, I've been determined to get out and see them. Good idea! Trombonist and composer Fedchock is a veteran of the Woody Herman orchestra. Two of John's arrangements in the middle of the set -- of Eclipse by Freddy Hubbard and Epistrophy by Monk -- seemed to transcend the situation. Eclipse had a phrase that (to me) channeled the Woody Herman's orchestra, which I've never heard but I'm sure I heard it in that phrase. In Epistrophy there was a short stretch (a matter of measures) that sounded JUST LIKE New York gridlock. Stuck but with energy. I couldn't stop to ponder how they did that because I would have missed the next excitement. There was background writing for most of the solos, no one was left to fend for himself for long. Once again (as last week with the Roy Hargrove Big Band), the room moved. That's my report & I'm happy to deliver it. The most recent CD is Up and Running (Reservoir label).
    -Becca

    © 2008 WBGO

  • A few thoughts on Oscar Peterson

    December 28, 2007. Posted by Andrew Meyer.

    Add new comment | Filed under: bgo, brushes, cd collection, cole porter songbook, doug carter, exposures, jazz, Jazz Alive, Jazz Osmosis, Masters, music, off broadway, oscar peterson, osmosis, previous life, scene changes, summer stock, vermont, york stage

    Oscar Peterson's passing this week got me to thinking about one of my first exposures to jazz...

    I wasn't always a news guy.

    As some of you might know, in a previous life, I did tech work in theater, both Off-Broadway and summer stock in Vermont. One summer in the early 90's, I was involved with a production of a new Doug Carter Beene play (which eventually moved to New York) called The Country Club. I wouldn't necessarily call it the most memorable of Beene's plays (who has had great success on the New York stage), but one of the things I remember the best from that production is the music selected for scene changes: Oscar Peterson Plays The Cole Porter Songbook.

    Album Cover

    I didn't know nearly as much then about jazz as I do now (you can't work at a place like 'BGO and not at least soak it in through osmosis), but I did recognize that this was a special album and a tremendous talent. I ended picking up a copy of this for my own cd collection. It was one of my first brushes with jazz, a good place to start. Thank you, Oscar.

    © 2007 WBGO