WBGO Blog

  • Live Blog - Village Vanguard 6.11.08

    June 11, 2008. Posted by Joshua Jackson.

    Add new comment | Filed under: concerts, Jazz Alive, Jazz Community, Live Chat, Live Music Blogging, photos, welcome to the show

    Vanguard Sign Illuminated

    Join the live chat.
    Check out some photos from today and tonight.

    Welcome to the show. Thanks for joining us tonight.
    The first song is "Venga." It's from the last Guillermo Klein recording.
    Called Una Nave.

    Second song is "Juana." From LOS GUACHOS II.

    This band has been rehearsing nonstop. That, combined with being together on and off for 13 years, makes a HUGE difference for the music.

    9:19 Singer Carmen Canela has joined the band onstage. She is featured on the new recording, FILTROS. She flew in from Barcelona to be at the Village Vanguard this week. Singing "Amor Profundo."

    9:23 Carmen singing "Textura de Sueno." This is based on a poem by Nicaraguan writer, Gioconda Belli. Loosely tranlated as "Haunted Night."

    9:29 George Gershwin's "Fascinating Rhythm," with "Moliendo Cafe."
    Carmen's last tune with Los Guachos tonight. Also from UNA NAVE.

    9:32 Very powerful solo from Miguel Zenon.

    9:41 "Vaca." This is an Argentine children's song with a beat from Ghana and a composition from the modernist Gyorgi Ligeti called "Hungarian Rock." Cool. Hear a story about it here.

    9:47 "Yeso," from the new record, FILTROS. Everyone singing. A very beautiful song.

    10:00 Evertime I hear this song, "Miula," I feel like I'm in a time warp. Guillermo told me he thinks about the movie, MATRIX. Funny.

    10:13 Sorry, folks. I got so wrapped up in the last tune that I was neglecting the blog. Music does this to me.

    Hope you enjoyed the show. Come back next week for Brian Blade and the Fellowship Band.
    -Josh

    © 2008 WBGO

  • Tuesday Night - Sweet Rhythm

    June 4, 2008. Posted by Becca Pulliam.

    Add new comment | Filed under: becca, drummer, etta james, evenings, greg lewis, james browne, jazz gallery, jazz party, Live Music, long time, musicians, night man, Notes, photos, santaniello, seventh avenue, sweet rhythm, tozzi, wbgo

    Map to Sweet Rhythm

    On the way home from the Jazz Gallery, walking up Seventh Avenue,
    used-to-be WBGO night man James Browne pulled me into his club Sweet
    Rhythm to see Lezlie Harrison sing. A long time ago, Lezlie hosted the
    jazz party on Saturday evenings on WBGO. She's never stopped using that
    fine voice, and moved me with her singing and the solos by Luca Tozzi on
    guitar and Greg Lewis on organ on "A Lover is Forever," once recorded by
    Etta James. I'm going to download Etta right now. Lezlie's drummer is
    Luca Santaniello. As I was leaving, Greg was rolling his Hammond out the
    door. Musicians work hard and give much! Wish I had photos.
    -Becca

    © 2008 WBGO

  • Mohonk Redux

    January 28, 2008. Posted by Joshua Jackson.

    Add new comment | Filed under: academy of music, art series, berstein, brooklyn, brooklyn academy of music, da fonseca, dena derose, element, helio alves, images, Jazz Alive, Jazz Community, jazz photography, joe locke, kaufman, maucha adnet, michael bourne, millennial territory orchestra, mohonk mountain house, new paltz, photos

    Here are a few images from Jazz on the Mountain, Michael Bourne's yearly January retreat at the Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz. Fran Kaufman took these photos. Fran is always on the scene, taking shots of music in the making. Now thru February 24th, you can see more of Fran Kaufman's jazz photography at Brooklyn Academy of Music's Brooklyn Next Art series.

    Here's Steven Bernstein and the Millennial Territory Orchestra:
    Steve Bernstein and MTO by Fran Kaufman

    Vibraphonist Joe Locke:
    Joe Locke by Fran Kaufman

    Brasileiros - Maucha Adnet, Duduka da Fonseca, and Helio Alves:
    Maucha Adnet Duduka da Fonseca Helio Alves by Fran Kaufman

    And Michael Bourne very much in his element with Maucha Adnet and Dena DeRose:
    Maucha Adnet Michael Bourne Dena DeRose by Fran Kaufman

    Finally, a note from Michael Bourne:
    "Jazz on the Mountain" was the best it's been in the 9 years I've been working the jazzfest at Mohonk Mountain House. All three nights the enormous hotel was sold-out, first time ever for the whole Martin Luther King weekend. Every concert was a hit, which was especially heartening since I book artists that I personally like. Joe Locke was especially a hit, playing opening night with The Brazilian Trio (Helio Alves, Nilson Matta, Duduka da Fonseca) and Maucha Adnet, playing an electrifying show Saturday afternoon and getting a standing O with his own new Force of Four group, joining Dena DeRose on Sunday afternoon, and highlighting the free-form "Parlor Games" on Monday morning. When I asked folks which were favorite shows, every artist was enthusiastically named, including singer Kendra Shank, Steven Bernstein and the Millenial Territory Orchestra, Hipmotism with saxophonist Erik Lawrence and singer Marya Lawrence. Marya Lawrence was the surprise of the weekend, twice playing seriously bopping solos on a slide-kazoo. The Frank Vignola Quintet blew the roof off Sunday evening with the swinging vitality of Django's Hot Club Quintet but without trying to imitate Django. I "performed" "As Time Goes By" during the Monday morning musical mixing and matching of players from the weekend. We've already pretty much programmed next year's jazzfest, which will be my 10th at Mohonk." -- MBourne

    © 2008 WBGO