Among the more attractive performances scheduled in the near future in the Boston
area are the ones listed below.
With the exception of some gigs that feature Magazine Cover (MC) groups (which can range
in quality from very good to terrible), the gigs listed below are ones that I
wish I could attend.
And—if time and
circumstances permit—I will be there.
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For now some locations indoors are open for music performances. Distancing and mask restrictions apply. If people exhibit safe behaviors, such gigs may not be shut down. Let's hope things improve soon.
A variety of media around the country--and particularly in New England--are offering significant coverage of the
April 19 celebration of the “shot heard ‘round the world.” This year
perhaps ironically the party at the bridge marks the 250th
anniversary of our first major action toward a true democracy. The irony
is that the way things are going it is quite possible that we will prove we
were not able to keep it; having replaced our democracy with an autocratic
theocracy, Trump and his cronies/puppets are using the Project 2025 document as
a guide book to this new autocracy for the rich at the expense of the rest of
us. To push that agenda forward on the ground, they are using the
Hitler-Goebbels playbook to ensure that opposition is silenced and democracies
elsewhere are bullied. Trump’s $25-40
million (best estimate because the administration refused to offer the true
amount) monarchy parade on his birthday is just business as usual.
Fortunately the “No Kings” rallies around the country overwhelmed the Trump
DC party. In other words, there is
hope. Of course, as long as the
autocratic psychopath in the White House continues his unhinged behavior--such
as committing an act of war against Iran without Congressional approval,
abducting innocent U.S. residents using masked vigilantes and caging those
resident here and abroad (without significant dissent among Congressional
Republicans), and appropriates allocated Congressional funds and applies them
to his personal financial advantage--it seems that there is little citizens and
Congressional Democrats can do until the next elections in 2026. But the huge “No Kings” and Juneteenth
rallies are inspiring. We need more of
those.
But the trouble continues, and more and more observers are
concerned about the obsequious Supreme Court (which does not seem to worry
about its impending demise), the gutless GOP lackeys, and the mostly ineffectual
Democrats (thank goodness for Clark, Warren, and Markey). Editor William Falk made as clear an assessment
of the current political situation in the U.S. with his editorial page comments
in the July 4 issue of The Week:
8/9 – The Third Annual David Chesnut Jazz Festival at 3 to 7 p.m. (MP) – Featured
musicians are Taylor Ho Bynum's Nextette, the Ana Petrova Organ Trio, Caio e
Jess, and the Gregory Groover Quartet. Historic
New England and Mandorla Music present the festival at the Eustis Estate, 1424
Canton Ave, Milton, MA. For more
information: https://my.historicnewengland.org/23850/david-chesnut ($30, $20, $10)...
8/12 - Point01Percent keeps bringing top talent
to Cambridge;
it starts at 7:30 p.m.
(PA) – First up a trio without bass of drums: Andrew Neumann (buchala), Chi-Wei
Lo (piano), and Forbes Graham (trumpet).
Then at about 8:30
the quartet lineup includes Pandelis Karayorgis (piano), Eric Hofbauer (guitar),
Bruno Råberg (bass), and Eric Rosenthal (drums). That’s one heck of an evening at the Lily Pad
where pandemic regulations apply ($15)...
Every Monday – Monday night at the Lily Pad returns with Jerry Bergonzi, Phil Grenadier, guest bassist, and Luther Gray. Then The Fringe Duo, John Lockwood and George continuing the fire no doubt inspired by the memory of Bob Gullotti. It begins around 8:30 pm and continues forever ($15 per group; $10 students)…
Ongoing – Non-Event online Music – Performances at various times plus an archive of music (PA) – Non-Event is offering music via online audio files and video files plus real-time performances. The emphasis is on new music, some of which is improvised music. For example, Matt Samolis (who unfortunately for us moved from Boston to central Massachusetts) is presenting his bowed cymbal meditation recorded on May 1, 2020. Keep in mind, money helps support these events. The URL is: http://www.nonevent.org/
If you would like to read Science News’ fine coverage of the pandemic and its implications (including dozens of articles so far), go to the site’s page of coronavirus feature articles. On that page also is information about how to receive that publication's coronavirus update newsletter twice each week. Science News will try to answer your questions at feedback@sciencenews.org. …
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Key codes: The abbreviation in parentheses following the name of the event or
band/musician performing indicates roughly the type of music that you can
expect if you go to the gig.
MC=
Magazine Covers. These musicians/bands
are popular with jazz fans and therefore often find their photos on the covers
of jazz magazines. This type of band may
or may not be any good qualitatively.
However, many fans like to know “what’s hot.”
MP=Mainstream/Post-Bop. This is the music that most people think of
today when they think of jazz. It runs
the gamut from Parkeresque bebop and Websterish ballads to the post-bop work of
people such as Bergonzi and Lovano.
PA=Post-Ayler. This is Anthony Braxton’s term for all the
adventure that came out of Ayler, Ornette, Cecil and others (including Mr. Braxton,
of course). In some ways it is the most
diverse jazz and jazz-rooted music being performed today, including everything
from near zero dB whispers (e.g., undr, John Tilbury) to eardrum demolishing
walls of sound (Keith Rowe, a ton of stuff from Japan) to performances built on
combinations of composed and improvised material (Liberation Orchestra, Charlie
Kohlhase’s ensembles) to completely improvised offerings
(Evan Parker, Laurence Cook).
S=Swing. It don’t mean a thing… Maybe “nothing” means “anything” if you are a
fan of swing. Sadly, fine swing music
seems to be approaching extinction, at least in the Boston area clubs. The reasons are obvious and elusive. The great names of Swing (such as Lunceford
and Barnet) have passed on and taken almost all of their band mates with
them. In addition, in spite of the fact
that some of the finest music of the swing era was produced by the combos
of Goodman and Basie (among others), people continue to think of swing in terms
of large (and therefore economically untenable) ensembles. You can find it happening in some dance
halls, but mostly at weddings and Bar Mitzvahs.
For years such names as Whitney, Winniker, and Hershman have held the
fort in the Boston
area. But you’ve got to keep your eyes
peeled.
T=Two-beat/Trad. Some of the finest contemporary two-beat jazz
anywhere has been nurtured and grown in Eastern
Massachusetts since the 1970s.
Everyone knows about the New Black Eagles, and a host of other musicians
are held in equally high esteem around here.
Some of the better-known are Jimmy Mazzy, Stan McDonald, Jeff Hughes,
and Guy Van Duser. Unfortunately for
city dwellers, two-beat jazz (and, to a lesser extent, the blues) has moved to
the suburbs. But the best of it is worth
the drive.