Recently in Concert Reviews Category

My annual pilgrimage to the Monterey Jazz Festival started off a little different. I had stopped at a friend's house to pickup my digital recorder. I got back in my car and it would not start...dead! I called AAA and they came out and pronounced my battery dead. Average car battery life is 3-5 years and my battery was almost 5 years old. David from the AAA dispatch service sold me a brand new battery right on the spot and I was back on the road again. Thank you David and AAA!

I arrived safely in Monterey just before 6pm, checked into my hotel and went to the festival. I initially went without my cameras so I could get my press credentials, festival gear, and some dinner. Typically, Friday evening starts off really mellow and picks up as people arrive throughout the evening.

My first show for Friday evening was singer Lizz Wright in Dizzy's Den, She looked radiant and sounded phenomenal. This was her first visit to Monterey since her debut performance here in 2002 which was also my first visit to Monterey. It is always amazing to watch an artist grow and develop over the years. It's a joy to see Lizz as she brings something new to every performance. Whether it is a nuance, a turn of phrase or just bringing her life experience, her rich vocals captivates her audience. Her set included a smoldering rendition of "I Idolize You," "Hey Mann" a gospel/bluesy "Walk With Me," "Blue Rose," "Another Angel," and "Coming Home." She melted us with "Dreaming Wide Awake" and closed out the evening with "Thank You." We showed our gratitude with standing ovations. Her wonderful band included David Cook on keys, Robin Mactangay on guitars, Nicholas D'Amato on bass, and Brannen Temple on drums.

I stopped in the Night Club, where the John Patitucci Trio was on a serious groove with John on bass, Joe Lovano on tenor sax and Brian Blade on drums. I went back to Dizzy's Den to witness the incredible singer/bassist Esperanza Spalding and her band. This was a hot show as there were lines waiting outside to get in. I closed out the evening in the Coffee House Gallery with 23 year old New Orleans pianist Jonathan Batiste and his quintet. I came in on a composition that included a nod to "Surrey With The Fringe On Top" and Jonathan on vocals. Next, he played a composition that alternated seamlessly between a ragtime/stride piano rhythm and a straight ahead rhythm. He was truly spellbinding and just incredible to watch.

There is more great music ahead for the weekend. There are still tickets available. For more information, www.montereyjazzfestival.org.

07/06/2009

Prasant Radhakrishnan - tenor saxophone
David Ewell - upright acoustic bass
Sameer Gupta - drums

I had the pleasure of recently hearing the band, VidyA, at Yoshi's Oakland. VidyA, which means knowledge in Sanskrit, intertwines South Indian classical music (Carnatic music) and jazz. The result of this pairing of genres was intoxicating. They played original compositions from their recently released self-titled album, Vidya.

Bandleader/saxophonist Prasant Radhakrishnan told a melodious story with each note. It was beautiful, lush, warm and romantic. His band which includes David Ewell (Marc Cary, Howard Wiley) and Sameer Gupta (Marc Cary) were very succinct. There were great moments of call and response between Prasant and Sameer as well great solos from each player throughout the evening.

"At age 13, bandleader/saxophonist, Prasant Radhakrishnan - now 26 - began rigorous studies with Carnatic saxophone pioneer and maestro Kadri Gopalnath and has earned acclaim among the elite musical circles of Chennai, the mecca of Carnatic music. He has performed hundreds of concerts across India, North America and Japan, both on his own and with Gopalnath. While Radhakrishnan has immersed himself deeply in his Indian cultural roots, as a first-generation American, jazz is also a native art form for him. He became intrigued with jazz in high school; later, as a student in the Jazz Studies program at the University of Southern California, Radhakrishnan began creating compositions integrating the two musical worlds, ultimately leading to the Carnatic/jazz tapestry of VidyA. So for Radhakrishnan, jazz and Carnatic music are an entirely holistic pairing. The sound of VidyA is one he hears in his mind's ear and seeks a way to re-create, as he continues to delve into these disparate, yet complementary elements of his Indo-American identity."

For more information on VidyA:

www.prasantmusic.com
www.vidyamusic.com

Photo Credit: James Knox

I closed out 2008 by seeing the Roy Hargrove Big Band at Yoshi's Oakland. Roy put on a good show and played to a packed house for the late show on Tuesday night. His sound was solid and his band was incredible. Their set consisted of original compositions and some jazz standards including a fantastic arrangement of "Every Time We Say Goodbye." Singer Roberta Gambarini joined the band for a couple of tunes. She and Roy even traded licks on one tune. Roy also sang a couple of verses on "September in the Rain" before he did a call and response scat with the band. I think the folks who went to see the Roy Hargrove Big Band on New Year's Eve for $100 definitely got their monies worth.

Photo of Roy Hargrove & RH Factor at the 2006 Monterey Jazz Festival by James Knox.

The 32nd Annual Russian River Jazz Festival/Jazz on the River was a blast last Sunday! The weather was perfect and the music was great. On the Main Stage, extraordinary guitarist Earl Klugh and his band jammed. I was there for his last few songs which included the classic "Dr. Macumba" and tunes from his current release Spice of Life. Dynamic guitarist Terrence Brewer grooved for two sets on the Garden Stage with everything from Wes Montgomery and Frank Foster to his own orginal compositions, "Blues for Katie" and "A.D.D" from his current releases, The Calling: Volume 1, The Calling: Volume 2 and QuintEssential. Back on the Main Stage, keyboard virtuoso George Duke was putting a hurtin' on the keys. His set included classics "Sweet Baby", "Thank You For Letting Me Be Myself", and "No Rhyme or Reason." He also treated us to four songs from his new release, Dukey Treats including "Sudan" which talked about the crisis in Sudan and Darfur. He closed out his set with the title track "Dukey Treats" which was a fresh take on his straight up classic funk sound. It was shonuff funky! Our afternoon of great music closed with Guitar and Saxes which featured the incredible talents of Peter White and Jeff Golub on guitars, Gerald Albright and Jessy J on saxes, and Jeff Lorber on keyboards. Jessy J also played the flute and percussion. Rounding out their band were Dwayne "Smitty" Smith on bass guitar and Rayford Griffin on drums. Albright, White, Jessy J, Lorber, and Golub played gems from their own recordings then they all came together at the end on AWB's "Cute The Cake."

Photo of guitarists Terrence Brewer and Earl Klugh by James Knox. All rights reserved.

Howard Wiley - saxophones
Geechi Taylor trumpet
Danny Armstrong - trombone
Jemal Ramirez - drums
Devin Hoff & David Ewell - bass
Yeruda Caesar & Dina Maccabbee - violin
Lorin Benedict & Jeannine Anderson - vocals

Howard Wiley & The Angola Project features Wiley investigating the roots and legacies of African American prison spirituals, encompassing folk, blues, and gospel, with a focus on the songs and stories from the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, Louisiana, from the 1950s onward.

Before the performance, Daniel Atkinson and Howard Wiley came out and explained the program for the evening. Atkinson is currently studying at the University of Washington, completing his Master's degree in Ethnomusicology (the study of people making music.) He has traveled down to the Lousiana Penitentiary several time for his Master's thesis research which has greatly influenced his work with Wiley.

It was an amazing performance and an incredible interpretation of the music from this period. The set included the amazing original compositions "Angola" and "Second Line" and a spectacular rendition of the classic hymn "12 Gates to the City." Wiley and his band were vibrant and energetic. The music created a variety of moods from the playful to the thought provoking. There was moment in "Angola" when vocalist Jeannine Anderson matched Geechi Taylor's trumpet note for note like we were being taken up into the heavens. It was a riveting experience.

This performance was part of the jazz series at Intersection for the Arts in San Francisco where Wiley serves as the Artist-in-Residence. It is a great space for art and music.

Howard Wiley & The Angola Project will be performing at Jazz at Pearl's on February 23 and 24. Howard will be celebrating his birthday and the release of the Angola Project CD.

Photo Credit: James Knox

Clairdee, originally uploaded by in2jazz.

Clairdee - vocals
Ken French - piano
Ron Belcher - bass
Deszon Claiborne - drums

A Friday evening on a holiday weekend, a ferry boat on the bay, couples cozy, and the melodious sounds of Clairdee made for a perfect evening. Clairdee recently performed the inaugural jazz concert for FerryMusic on the Santa Rosa Ferry Boat at Pier 3 on Embarcadero in San Francisco. FerryMusic is brand new venue in San Francisco for jazz, classical, and chamber music on a beautifully renovated ferry boat.

Clairdee looked and sounded magnificent. She has a way of taking any song, whether new or old, and making it all her own. From Gershwin to Aretha Franklin to Sinatra, she does it all with such style and grace. She sizzled on "Summertime", "Blue Moon", "All The Way", "Do What You Did Before", and "This Is Love." She even included four gems from the Shirley Horn songbook - "New York on Sunday", "Get Rid of Monday", "Don't Be on the Outside", and "The Great City." She sang a soulful rendition of "Gonna Wait 'Til the Midnight Hour" in tribute to Wilson Pickett and soulfully signified on "Someone Else is Steppin' In." Clairdee closed this magical evening with a rousing version of "Dr. Feelgood" that took us up high, down low, and all the way to church. She was accompanied by Ken French, Ron Belcher, and Deszon Claiborne. They kept the groove jumping all evening long.

Please be sure to checkout future concerts at FerryMusic.

For more photos from Clairdee concert at FerryMusic, click here.

There is also an excellent article on Clairdee and FerryMusic in the SF Chronicle. I got photo credit for the concert photo of Clairdee....YAY!!!!

Jeremy Pelt @ Jazz at Pearl's, originally uploaded by in2jazz.

This photo mosaic is very exciting because I was finally create a mosaic using the flickr toy..YAY!!! A concert review will follow.

Roberta Flack - vocals/piano
Tony Terry - vocals
Shelton Becton - keyboards/vocals
Nicholas Brancker - keyboards/vocals
Arturo Tappin - sax/flute
Jerry Barnes - bass/vocals
Sherrod Barnes - guitar/vocals
Ricardo Jordan - drums/vocals

Above photo: I love this shot because it captured just her alone at the piano in the dark.

I have wanted to see Roberta Flack in concert since the 70's when I used to play my brother's Killing Me Softly album on a regular basis as a kid. When I learned she was doing a benefit concert for the Lyon-Martin Women's Health Services at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, I knew I had to be there. The evening began with a pre-concert reception which I had to miss because I was trapped in traffic. I finally got there at 8pm. My seat was in the second row and I got settled in. Roberta's opening act was a band from Seattle named LeRoy Bell and His Only Friends. It featured LeRoy Bell on lead vocals and guitar, Rick Novito on guitar, Terry Morgan on bass, and Stan White on percussion. The band's blending of guitars, bass and percussion was wonderful. I would describe their style as folk with a slight edge. LeRoy's vocals were pleasing without being overly raspy. I would like to hear more of their music. Their latest release is titled Spending Time.

There was a short break then my dream came true and Roberta came onstage. The concert was more wonderful than words can convey. She looked radiant, regal and wise as you would expect from a woman who has touched us with her music for so many years. She sounded and played heavenly. She opened with "Oasis" and toward the end she shifted to the rhythms of South Africa and punctuated them with melodic chants. On "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow", she playfully paused and encouraged us to sing the hook along with her. She and Tony Terry sang sweetly on "Tonight, I Celebrated My Love." Roberta gave "Sweet Georgia Brown" a whole new look and feel and her men provided some tight harmonies on the backing vocals. On "Feel Like Making Love", she sang an extra "feel like" or two as the men sang the hook. The song even shifted into a Marvin Gaye groove as she sang "You Sure Love to Ball" followed by "Mercy, Mercy Me." The classic "Killing Me Softly With His Song" unfolded into a bossa nova jam at the end.

Roberta announced that she will have a new album, R.A.S. - Real Artists Symposium, before the end of the year. She will have 14 songs and it will also showcase the talents of her wonderful band. She is gifted and innovative. You could hear how she inspires her band to greatness throughout the evening. Her first single will be "Say No." It has a calypso feel as it tells the listener "don't rush your life" and do not be afraid to say no. Tony Terry sailed into a falsetto stratosphere on his hit "When I'm With You" which will also be included on the album. Jerry Barnes soulfully sang "I'm So High" while Roberta swayed at the piano.

Roberta put on her glasses and sorted through the many song requests she had received. She told how used to perform at Henry's on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. and that her album "First Take" consisted of many of the songs she sang there. She then sang "Ballad of the Sad Young Men", a very poignant tune. She dedicated "I Think It's Going To Rain Today" to New Orleans. She suprised me when she sang Michael McDonald's "I Can Let Go Now" as it is favorite of mine. I quietly melted as she sang "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face." She followed with "You Will Be Inside My Heart Eternally" and closed with DeBarge's "Love Me In A Special Way."

Thank you Roberta for killing us softly with your song.

Berkeley Jazz Festival, originally uploaded by in2jazz.

Last month, I attended the Berkeley Jazz Festival sponsored by KBLX and Cadillac at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley. It was a day of great music featuring the Unwrapped All-Stars, Lalah Hathaway, Ray Obiedo, Rachelle Ferrell, Bobby Caldwell, Boney James, and Kem. Just as exciting was the DJ Russell Gatewood, who played old school jazz and R&B grooves between the acts. He even gave away a couple copies of Coltrane's Love Supreme on vinyl. People danced in their seats and there was even a group of folks doing the electric slide. I even learned that Stevie Wonder recorded a jazz album called Eivets Rednow (Stevie Wonder spelled backward.)

Here are some of the festival highlights.

Unwrapped All-Stars

The Unwrapped All Stars featuring Dennis Nelson turned current hip-hop tunes into soulful jazz grooves. Their set included "Candyshop" and Earth, Wind and Fire's "Fantasy." I wish I could name more of their songs but all of them were tight.

Bobby Caldwell

Smooth jazz/R&B crooner Bobby Caldwell performed Ruby and the Romantics' classic gem "Our Day Will Come" and the funky/soulful "Call Me Up" from his new album, Perfect Island Nights. The high point of his set was his R&B classic hit "What You Won't Do for Love." The crowd loved it and all sang along. He also included "Walk On By" and "Where is Love." He closed with another hit, "All or Nothing at All", which was also a hit song for Al Jarreau.

Lalah Hathaway

Soulful vocalist Lalah Hathaway opened with her soulful ballad "We Were Two" and just got "Better and Better" from her latest album, Outrun the Sky. She said her remake of Luther's classic "Forever, For Always, For Love" was "her first major hit in a career of over 15 years." As soon as her band played the opening notes, the audience went wild with applause. People swayed and sang along while Lalah put down a serious groove. Her set also included "How Many Times", a beautiful rendition of the classic gem "Summertime" and two Randy Crawford timeless tunes, "One Day I'll Fly Away" and "Streetlife." It was also very exciting watching Rachelle Ferrell standing on the sidelines cheering for Lalah. Nothing but love.

Lalah will be playing the SFJAZZ Festival Fall Season with Marcus Miller on October 21.

Rachelle Ferrell

Dynamic vocalist Rachelle Ferrell came onstage wearing a fringed halter and white pants that made everyone take notice. She opened with "So Satisfied." She had Lalah come out and join her on "Sistah." It was so magnificent when they harmonized together, a hush fell over the crowd. It was magical. She sat down at the piano for "I Forgive You" and "Run to Me." She puts so much energy into her music whether she is singing or playing. She performed a medley of her early hits "'Til You Come Back to Me", a chill out version of "I'm Special", "With Open Arms", "Sentimental", and "Waiting." We, the audience, were her faithful background singers. She closed with "Nothing Has Ever Felt Like This", demonstrating her multi-octave abilities as she sung the low and high parts of this duet. The time moved too swiftly as Rachelle always she leaves you wanting more.

Boney James

As the evening the began to cool smooth jazz saxman Boney James set the audience on fire with his soulful grooves. Speaking of fire, he featured a sensational male vocalist on the song "Fire." I will definitely have to check out more of Boney's music. He performed Bill Wither's classic "Ain't No Sunshine" and he came back for an encore with Chaka's "Sweet Thang." He definitely gave us some sweet sounds.

Kem

Just as the sun was setting on a hot day of music at the Greek Theatre, Kem came onstage like a cool breeze in the desert. His latest album, Kem Album II, was burning up the airwaves even before it was released. He blends his gospel roots with jazz, soul, and sensuality to deliver a sound that is very personal. His ballads minister to the soul while his mid-tempo grooves make you want to get up and dance or at least nod your head to the rhythm. His set included "Find Your Way", "I'm Into You", and "Heaven." He definitely puts on a great live performance.

Photo by j-notes.com

Cedric Brown - Vocals
Simon Butler - Guitar
Sam Bevan - Bass
George Bernard - Percussion
Glen Iwaoka - Drums

There is nothing more fascinating that watching an artist in their moment. A music teacher described that moment as being when you feel deep within that everything is just right and you are giving it your all. I stepped into Rasselas Jazz Club in San Francisco, a few week ago, where vocalist Cedric Brown was crooning his heart out as the couples cuddled a little closer.

His set included such classic gems as "Everything Happens to Me" and "Angel Eyes." He demonstrated his musical diverseness on "Between Two Worlds", a well-delivered, folksy ballad. He playfully scatted on the opening of an up-tempo rendition of "Autumn Leaves." Cedric was accompanied by solo guitar on "Like Someone in Love" which gave it a breezy Latin feel as he punctuated with his own percussive rhythms. He moved to a soulful funk groove on "Just the Two of Us" and got the audience singing a cool ad lib. He brought the groove back down to a simmer on "One Day I'll Fly Away" showcasing his incredible vocal range.

Cedric's influences include Andy Bey, Billy Strayhorn, Nancy Wilson, and Abbey Lincoln. He featured Abbey's "Should've Been." The band framed each of his notes with extra care on this tune. He sang words of encouragement on Caron Wheeler's "Don't Quit." He took us to "Higher Ground" for the close of his spectacular performance. After much applause and standing ovations, he encored with a very jazzy "Consider Me Gone" which was the perfect ending.

This was Cedric's first performance in the backroom of Rasselas' and we all are hoping this is just the beginning of many great shows to come. In previous performances, Cedric has used a trio but for this show, he had a quartet without a pianist which gave the music a different feel. Sam Bevan was excellent on the upright and elecric bass. Simon Butler on guitars had a couple of moments where I could not figure out where he was heading musically, but for the most part, he was good. George Bernard on percussion and Glen Iwaoka on drums kept the rhythms flowing all night.

So Cedric, when can we expect to hear your music on the radio? Keep walking in the light.