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

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

Share |
Jason Lindner and Now Vs. Now - Hear the Studio Session

March 4, 2008. Posted by Joshua Jackson.

Add new comment | Filed under: Interviews, jason lindner, Jazz Alive, josh jackson, lagniappe, Live Music, new songs, now vs now, npr, Remix, studio session, Studio Sessions, Video, wbgo

FYI - The WBGO studio session with Jason Lindner's Now Vs. Now has been posted. Five completely new songs. And for a little lagniappe, you can download two of them, and dig the video from the session. Check it out now. Versus now...
-Josh
PS See the band live at The Jazz Gallery, Friday and Saturday, 3/14 and 3/15.

© 2008 WBGO

Share |
Digging on Dexter

February 27, 2008. Posted by Joshua Jackson.

Add new comment | Filed under: 4am, basie band, Birthdays, copenhagen, daniel humair, dexter gordon, drummer, Encounters, george gruntz, guy pederson, loose walk, Masters, montmartre, musicians, param name, piano guy, rahsaan roland kirk, Real Life Stories, saxophonist, sonny stitt, time off, tivoli gardens, wbgo, www youtube

It's the birthday of saxophonist Dexter Gordon, who holds a special place in the hearts of many people at WBGO. Perhaps no one here knew him better than our station mother, Dorthaan Kirk. Here's a story she just told me:

I met Dexter when I was touring Europe with Rahsaan Roland Kirk's band. Rahsaan loved Dexter, so I knew the name and the music before I ever met him. Anyway, we had some time off, so we went to Copenhagen. We saw an early concert at Tivoli Gardens with the Basie Band, then we joined some of Basie's guys and headed for the Club Montmartre. Copenhagen was Dexter's home, and he played that club all the time.
I remember so much about that evening. Dexter was wearing a blue jean suit. It was definitely the 70s! At the end of the night, it's 3 or 4am, and all of the musicians are at the bar. I'm keeping to myself, mostly, while all the guys are carrying on. Long, tall, and handsome as can be, Dexter walks out of the kitchen, comes right up to me, and says, "Who are you?" I was practically speechless, which you know never happens...
From that night on, Dexter always called me "Miss Rahsaan." I sure do miss him.

Here's Dexter playing Sonny Stitt's "Loose Walk" in Amsterdam, with a Swiss trio - George Gruntz piano, Guy Pederson bass and drummer Daniel Humair:

© 2008 WBGO

Share |

Bookmark & Share

RSS Feed

The easiest and most convenient way to catch up with the latest blog posts is to subscribe to WBGO's Blog RSS Feed.

Get the WBGO Blog Feed

Discover WBGO

Montreal Jazz Festival Trip

WBGO Travel invites you to a behind-the-scenes tour of the Montreal Jazz Festival, June 30 -... more
WBGO JAM Fest 2013

Hear eleven top student jazz groups perform in our annual on-air festival. more
SportsJam with Doug Doyle

Host Doug Doyle talks to World Champion Sprinter Tyson Gay. more
Allan Wolper talks with community activist Julie Menin

Julie Menin, a candidate for the Democratic nomination for Borough President of Manhattan, is... more
Volunteer for WBGO!

Volunteers are very important to WBGO's existence. We welcome you to become involved in our... more
Newark Today with guest Mayor Cory Booker

The next Newark Today is on Thursday, May 23, at 8pm. more
Two Decades of JazzSet

See and hear highlights from WBGO’s national series, JazzSet from NPR Music more
Free WBGO Mobile app

Click here to download the free WBGO app for iPhone, iPad, iTouch and Android phones. more
WBGO HD2 - the jazz bee

WBGO's new showcase for emerging jazz artists and styles. Hear it at 88.3 HD2 and online now. more
Midday Jazz with Rhonda Hamilton Weekdays 10am - 2pm

Rhonda gives you the great music you need to get through the day, and she does it in her own... more
Morning Jazz with Gary Walker Weekdays 6 - 10am

Gary Walker helps you start your day each weekday morning. Join Gary and Morning News Anchor... more
Rhythm Revue with Felix Hernandez

Classic & contemporary soul, R&B, funk, blues, salsa/bugalu, Afro-soul and rock 'n... more
Afternoon Jazz with Michael Bourne Weekdays 2 - 6:30pm

Music host Michael Bourne bops in at 2pm, then strikes a chord with the Blues Hour each day at... more
The Checkout

An hour-long music magazine hosted by Josh Jackson features what's new on the New York jazz... more
Sunday Night Music Mix with Eulis Cathey

Each Sunday from 7-11pm, tune into WBGO to hear Sunday Night Music Mix with Eulis Cathey.... more
The WBGO Blog: Dr. Lewis Porter profiles

Visit the WBGO Blog for Dr. Lewis Porter's series "You Don't Know Jazz," to learn little known... more
Page 1 of 6
Show more