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4/14 - Plane Crash at 8 p.m. (PA) – Visitors with roots in California and Chicago join solid rhythm section locals for a quintet version of Plane Crash. This is a fascinating mix of musicians likely to create unexpected sound combinations. They include Henry Kaiser, Weasel Walter, Vinny Golia, Damon Smith, and Ra Kalam Bob Moses. It happens at the Lily Pad ($15)…
4/14 – The Makanda Project featuring Chico Freeman at 7 p.m. (MP/PA) – We never get enough opportunity to catch the work of Chico Freeman, and here he is. He will be supported by the terrific Makanda Project under the direction of John Kordalewski. It happens at the Bruce Bolling Building, 2300 Washington Street, Dudley Square (617-997-9884)...
4/14 – The Makanda Project featuring Chico Freeman at 7 p.m. (MP/PA) – We never get enough opportunity to catch the work of Chico Freeman, and here he is. He will be supported by the terrific Makanda Project under the direction of John Kordalewski. It happens at the Bruce Bolling Building, 2300 Washington Street, Dudley Square (617-997-9884)...
4/19 – Charlie Kohlhase's Explorers Club and Danny Kamins at 8 p.m. (PA) – Charlie brings along Jeb Bishop, Seth Meicht, Daniel Rosenthal, Josiah Reibstein, Eric Hofbauer, Aaron Darrell, and Curt Newton. As a bonus Danny Kamins from the Lone Star State will lead a trio (with Josiah Reibstein and Luther Gray). All this music happens at the Outpost…
4/24 - The Mike Turk Quartet at 7:30 p.m. (MP) – For decades Mike Turk has been the man to go to for jazz harmonica in New England. On this gig he brings with him Joe Barbato, Bruce Gertz, and Peter Moutis. It happens at the Sahara Club…
4/26-29 – The Arlington Jazz Festival (MP) – The fest presents a variety of ticketed and free events and this year features bass guitarist John Patitucci. Details are available at the festival web site…
5/3 – The Karuna Duo at 8 p.m. (PA) – These veteran percussionists from Chicago--Hamid Drake and Adam Rudolph--are well-connected musically. They do not visit here very often in recent years, so here’s your chance. It should be a fine time at Third Life Studios ($20)…
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.