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.
Trump just keeps contradicting
himself--intentionally--so he can claim that he was right no matter what
happens. Also, when it comes to important
issues, he claims that he has not made up his mind about what he will do,
thinking this keeps his opponents off balance.
He does keep some opponents off balance, but mostly he demonstrates that
(in spite of having endless information at his disposal) he is unable to make a
useful decision. For example, he claims
that he has not decided whether he should support Putin or Zelensky. Imagine that.
He has had several years observing Russia invade Ukraine and then destroy hospitals,
homes, and schools in Ukraine,
and Trump cannot decide whether or not that is a good idea. No matter what his value system is, the fact
that he claims he has not had enough time to decide suggests blatant
incompetence. Finally, Trump has proven
to be his worst enemy. He spends much of
his time silencing people who disagree with him, and not just liberals. He has surrounded himself with people kissing
his butt and telling him that he always is right. Inevitably this approach to managing the
country means he cannot help make disastrous decisions because none of the MAGA
people will dare tell him that the building is on fire. Of course, he knows too little about history
to learn that the war in Europe ended sooner
than it could have because there was no one left to tell Hitler that the
building was on fire.
10/5 - Melissa Kassel & Tom Zicarelli Group at 6:30 p.m. (MP/PA) – The group has developed a decades-long following in the Boston area, and tonight they bring in a "new" resource playing saxophone. The group consists of vocalist Melissa Kassel, Bill Jones (saxophone), Tom Zicarelli (piano), Bruce Gertz (acoustic bass), and Gary Fieldman (percussion). Pandemic regulations apply at the Lily Pad ($15)...
10/12 - Autumn Concert: Andrew Stern and John Lockwood at 5 p.m. (MP/eclectic) – Both guitarist Andrew Stern and bassist John Lockwood should be familiar to local music fans, and the interaction of the two string instruments as carried out by these guys should be quite a time. Brought to you by the Eustis Estate and Mandorla Music, the performance happens at the mansion of the Eustis Estate, 1424 Canton Avenue, Milton, MA. Call 617-994-6600 for more information (members $25; nonmember $35)…
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/
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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.