Not what you think... Senora Music Man and I hit shows on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I need to take today off to rest.
Friday night at Tony Starlight's was big band night; music by the Bureau of Standards Big Band. We have been wanting to catch this monthly show every since Kat Cogswell (Signatures) joined the band as vocalist. She shares vocal duties with Matthew Gailey, a very capable and engaging young singer (we heard him before at Ivories). The first hour of the show was an enjoyable throwback to the nightclubs of the 50's; I looked around and expected to see Bogie and Bacall make an entrance.
The Band was sharp and the vocals did not disappoint (Kat never disappoints - always brings the "A" game). One message to Mr. Gregg, "Hey, you have two fine vocalists, keep 'em on stage." The last 30 minutes of birthday/anniversary/etcetera announcements and comedic banter really took away from an otherwise enjoyable evening of music.
Saturday was a last minute decision to catch the Bobby Torres band at Jimmy Maks. Another of our favorites, Karla Harris, was back in town for the weekend and singing with this excellent Latin band.
We had never heard them before but will do so again; high energy, excellent musicianship, and an interesting playbook. Basically, Bobby takes familiar tunes of all genres and presents them with a Latin flavor - fun! And Miss Karla got it done (like she always does!) - she may be the most versatile singer I have ever heard.
Sunday was an event we had looked forward to for months - Esperanza Spalding, Geri Allen, Terri Lyne Carrington ("ACS") at the Newmark. Esperanza had just won her 2nd and 3rd Grammys and came home with her latest musical project. Loved the show! When Esperanza gives a concert you can count on at least 2 things: first, she gives an honest, energetic, and thorough effort (a fast 2 hour set), and second, the show will be totally unlike her previous offering. She seems to have attended the Miles Davis school of abandoning past successes in favor of a perpetual pursuit of new sounds and formats. I have seen her 4 times, all thoroughly enjoyable and each completely different. I was not familiar with Geri Allen (piano) or Terry Line Carrington (drums) but both were excellent musicians. The sound reminded me of a concert Patti and I heard in SF from the the Stanley Clarke trio (Hiromi, Lenny White).
Whew! Tired and broke. Later!
Monday, February 25, 2013
Sunday, February 17, 2013
The return of Senor Music Man.
Senor Music Man was abducted by a group of evil garage band junkies and held hostage in the basement of Dante's; strapped to a chair, fed a steady diet of Chicken McNuggets and forced to listen to the entire Journey catalog over and over again. It was painful.
Back in the "swing of things", we caught a show at the Scottish Rite Center last night; one of the first shows of the current Portland Jazz Festival . You need to look at the schedule; there are great shows and events happening all week.
Some personal recommendations:
PSU Student Stage - noon to 6pm today - youth bands from all around the area including the 2012 and 2013 winners of the Jazz Society of Oregon's Jeff Cumpston Trophy (Battleground and Lincoln). Make sure you at least check out the band from Lincoln High; they include a superb vocalist in their septet.
Matt Wilson's Arts and Crafts at Jimmy Maks on Wednesday.
The Kenny Garrett Quartet at the Winningstad on Thursday.
Jack DeJohnette with Ravi Coltrane, Matthew Garrison, and George Culligan at the Newmark on Saturday.
I would put Esperanza Spaulding's Sunday show at the top of the list but that show sold out (probably the day after she won her 2nd and 3rd Grammys).
Back to last night's show: Art Abrams Swing Machine featuring Rebecca Kilgore. This was a Stan Kenton tribute session. Frankly, I don't care who Art and the boys are covering (he described Rebecca as one of the boys, OK?), if I am in town and not in ICU, I am there. I love this band and what this man means to our local music scene. The Swing Machine is 18 top local musicians led by our local legend, Art Abrams. And Rebecca, looking lovely in her gold sequins, was a perfect fit for the June Christie interpretations of the Stan Kenton playbook. We hadn't seen Rebecca in a couple of years and were reminded of how well she sings; no tricks, just beautifully singing the songs the way they were written.
The show was opened by The Shanghai Woolies, a great opening act for this show (and a fine headliner on their own). They presented a mix of original tunes and covers of traditional jazz (gypsy jazz flavored).
OK; I'm back and Journey sucks!
Next up; PSU Sound Stage today and Bureau of Standards Big Band (with Kat Cogswell at Tony Starlights on Friday
Senor Music Man was abducted by a group of evil garage band junkies and held hostage in the basement of Dante's; strapped to a chair, fed a steady diet of Chicken McNuggets and forced to listen to the entire Journey catalog over and over again. It was painful.
Back in the "swing of things", we caught a show at the Scottish Rite Center last night; one of the first shows of the current Portland Jazz Festival . You need to look at the schedule; there are great shows and events happening all week.
Some personal recommendations:
PSU Student Stage - noon to 6pm today - youth bands from all around the area including the 2012 and 2013 winners of the Jazz Society of Oregon's Jeff Cumpston Trophy (Battleground and Lincoln). Make sure you at least check out the band from Lincoln High; they include a superb vocalist in their septet.
Matt Wilson's Arts and Crafts at Jimmy Maks on Wednesday.
The Kenny Garrett Quartet at the Winningstad on Thursday.
Jack DeJohnette with Ravi Coltrane, Matthew Garrison, and George Culligan at the Newmark on Saturday.
I would put Esperanza Spaulding's Sunday show at the top of the list but that show sold out (probably the day after she won her 2nd and 3rd Grammys).
Back to last night's show: Art Abrams Swing Machine featuring Rebecca Kilgore. This was a Stan Kenton tribute session. Frankly, I don't care who Art and the boys are covering (he described Rebecca as one of the boys, OK?), if I am in town and not in ICU, I am there. I love this band and what this man means to our local music scene. The Swing Machine is 18 top local musicians led by our local legend, Art Abrams. And Rebecca, looking lovely in her gold sequins, was a perfect fit for the June Christie interpretations of the Stan Kenton playbook. We hadn't seen Rebecca in a couple of years and were reminded of how well she sings; no tricks, just beautifully singing the songs the way they were written.
The show was opened by The Shanghai Woolies, a great opening act for this show (and a fine headliner on their own). They presented a mix of original tunes and covers of traditional jazz (gypsy jazz flavored).
OK; I'm back and Journey sucks!
Next up; PSU Sound Stage today and Bureau of Standards Big Band (with Kat Cogswell at Tony Starlights on Friday
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