WBGO Blog

  • Bourne in Montreal - Part Three

    June 30, 2008. Posted by Michael Bourne.

    Add new comment | Filed under: bass solo, bassist, brad mehldau, consensus group, contender, drummer, duets, electric bass player, FIJM, finale, interplay, jerrold, lyric, melodies, michele, nancy, night in tunisia, Places and Spaces, quartet, saturday june, thunderstorm, tunes

    Rainy FIJM

    Day Three Saturday June 28th

    Rainy but not raining, what Michele says folks in the Northwest call "spitting." Were it not wet I might've enjoyed the first group to be judged, a generic quartet fronted by saxist Jerrold Dubyk. All of these groups are good enough to be up for the prize, but only a few have that unique "thing" (tunes, grooves, presence, a character or sound) that elevates them into a winner. Dubyk's group was more or less the same as about half the groups in the competition -- except for the electric bass player's solo, which was only notes up and down the scale. "I don't want to be prejudicial," I said to some of the other judges, "but that was the worst bass solo I've ever heard." And they expressed consensus.

    Group #5 is a contender: WAZA, a trio with electric keys, electric bass, and an electrifying drummer. They played solid and quite compositional grooves, especially from the drummer. They were fun to listen to, as if listening to really hip toys. After a thunderstorm of funk from the bassist, Nancy, one of the judges, said "Now that was a bass solo!"
    Hank Jones was joined for duets by Brad Mehldau, and the interplay was wonderful. Hank played melodies or only changes elegantly while Brad danced around and through -- danced like Barishnykov.

    "Night in Tunisia" they played at first fragmented, but then Dizzy's tune blossomed. Hank's solo of "The Very Thought of You" was so deeply beautiful that Brad mostly listened, enraptured. Hank was again whimsically witty about which song they'd play next, or which piano they'd play. "Just One of Those Things" was a joyful finale, and I could hear the lyric: "it was great fun!"

    © 2008 WBGO

  • IAJE Evening 1 - Goldberg Variations

    January 10, 2008. Posted by Joshua Jackson.

    Add new comment | Filed under: aaron goldberg, bassist, cbc, christmas time, customs, drummer, finale, glenn gould studio, goldberg variations, harland, holiday music, holiday song, IAJE 2008, Jazz Alive, joshua, Live Music, mingus, mini clinic, newark, piano player, redman, s goldberg, taurus

    Face it. You gotta be bold when you're a piano player, your last name is Goldberg, and you're playing in Toronto. More specifically, if you're Aaron Goldberg, and you're playing across the street from the CBC's Glenn Gould Studio, named after Toronto's famous son who OWNS Bach's Goldberg Variations. But I'm getting off topic.

    The Aaron Goldberg Trio, with bassist Rueben Rogers and drummer Eric Harland, played some bold music. After opening with "Taurus" from the Sunnyside trio release, Worlds, Aaron called the quarterback option - his composition, "The Sound of Snow." It's from, of all things, the CD that accompanies the Baby Loves Jazz board book series. Specifically, from Mingus Mouse Christmas Time.

    This is my favorite kind of holiday music - the kind where you can't tell it's a holiday song. Hear what I mean:

    Aaron Goldberg Trio - The Sound of Snow

    Eric Harland left his house at 6am. His flight from New York to Toronto was cancelled. Then he went to Newark. Then his flight was delayed. And delayed. So, He didn't get to Toronto until 6:30pm. The hit was 7pm at the Bassett Theater. Glad he made it thru customs!

    Check out Eric's mini-clinic on "Shed," a song dedicated to Joshua "Shedroff" Redman.

    Aaron Goldberg Trio - Shed

    And the last one was a burner.

    Aaron Goldberg Trio - Finale

    More on the way. - Josh

    © 2008 WBGO