Dave Holland Sextet at Yoshi’s
The Dave Holland Sextet kicked off a five-night engagement at Yoshi’s with style and power, in an exhilarating set derived largely from their new CD, Pass It On.
Archive for September, 2008
Monterey 2008: Summing Up
A few parting impressions of the 51st Monterey Jazz Festival…
Sep 21, 2008 | 2 comments | View Post
Monterey 2008: Genius
Restless, shifting, falling in and out of melody or recognizable structure, the Wayne Shorter Quartet is at once intellectually demanding and effortlessly engaging.
Sep 21, 2008 | 2 comments | View Post
Monterey 2008: BD on B3
Swinging into the Monterey Jazz Festival’s final evening, German organist Barbara Dennerlein wastes no time in digging a deep soul-jazz groove, a supercharged solo that sounds like it requires three hands.
Sep 21, 2008 | 2 comments | View Post
Monterey 2008: Universal Rhythm
As heard from the rear of a standing-room only crowd, Brian Blade’s drumming is a soft murmur, nearly inaudible save for some scattered bass hits as Blade, mallets flying, beats out a low, complex rhythm.
Sep 21, 2008 | 2 comments | View Post
Monterey 2008: Coming Attractions
The Monterey Jazz Festival is more than a three-day gathering. It is also an educational institution, and the centerpiece of this effort is the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra.
Monterey 2008: Cooling Off
At Monterey, the weather is always an open question. The only way to be safe is to dress in layers — over the course of a day, the temperature may swing as much as twenty degrees Fahrenheit, and at night the Arena has a strange knack for making 55 degrees feel like something closer to 40…
Sep 21, 2008 | 0 comments | View Post
Monterey 2008: Sweet Memory
Returning to Monterey after a 13-year absence, Maria Schneider is looking back in more ways than one. Monterey was the scene of Schneider’s first major commission, so for this late set at Dizzy’s Den, Schneider and her 18-piece band revisit that earlier work, “Scenes from Childhood.”
Sep 21, 2008 | 2 comments | View Post
Monterey 2008: Name that Band!
In a strong set at the Arena stage, Christian McBride’s sublime new acoustic quintet made a good case for a ranking among the top bop bands working today.
Sep 20, 2008 | 2 comments | View Post
Monterey 2008: Strength of Spirit
The small stage is crammed with gear — in addition to piano, bass and drums, there’s a Fender keyboard, a set of tablas, two laptop computers and an array of mixers and effects boxes strung together with yards of cable.
Sep 20, 2008 | 2 comments | View Post
Monterey 2008: 98 Percent Funky Stuff
“Aw, that’s okay, man,” says the hip-looking older gentleman to his companion, after finding the Garden Stage crowd so thick that all sightlines have been obliterated. “You don’t need to see Maceo Parker!”
Monterey 2008: Made in Japan
Out of the bright afternoon sun and seemingly a world away from the R&B being laid down elsewhere on the fairgrounds, pianist Junko Moriya’s quartet is offering up a breezy mix of modern bop and cool contemporary jazz…
