Articles by Timothy J. O'Keefe
Newport Jazz Festival 2018: Part 2-2
by Timothy J. O'Keefe
Part 1 | Part 2 Newport Jazz Festival Fort Adams State Park Newport, RI August 5, 2018 From the first spongy thwack that bounced off the conga drum, a sticky humidity clung about Narragansett peninsula while the sounds of Herlin Riley's New York Havana Connection oozed from the stage. The set featured numerous pieces from New Directions (Mack Avenue Records, 2016), and saw varying tempo changes and multi-rhythmic cycles spark the synergy ...
read moreNewport Jazz Festival 2018: Part 1-2
by Timothy J. O'Keefe
Part 1 | Part 2 Newport Jazz Festival Fort Adams State Park Newport, RI August 4, 2018 Raw, windswept notes comprised the abstract musical sketches that played beneath a darkening sky to open the 64th edition of the Newport Jazz Festival, presented by Natixis Investment Managers. With flashing fingers, Reggie Workman raked the strings of an upright bass, strumming chords that sang with percussive aggression. Sharp and biting, single notes rang on Oliver ...
read moreJazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis at Mechanics Hall
by Timothy J. O'Keefe
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis Mechanics Hall Worcester, MA October 4, 2017 “One, two, one, two, three, and..." with the stomp of a foot, the buttery sounds of Wynton Marsalis' trumpet rolled through a 160 year old concert hall, filling the rectangular room with warm, lush tones. He thrusted the horn upward, ramming the music higher, then maneuvered the bell of his instrument toward the floor, the sounds becoming subdued and evasive. ...
read moreNewport Jazz Festival 2017
by Timothy J. O'Keefe
Newport Jazz Festival Fort Adams State Park Newport, RI August 5, 2017 The soggy, gray blanket that was the Newport sky wrung itself out on the crowd that had gathered for the 2017 Newport Jazz Festival presented by Natixis Global Asset Management, but the good news was it only rained on the audience for about an hour. Danilo Perez's piano oozed melancholic, broken chords, while Avishai Cohen's trumpet filled loose spaces in the music with ...
read moreNewport Jazz Festival 2015: Day 2
by Timothy J. O'Keefe
Newport Jazz Festival Fort Adams State Park Newport, RI Saturday, August 1, 2015 Miles Davis' earliest memory was a flickering blue flame, and a similar flame, one of passion and remembrance, was clearly evident at the 2015 installment of the Newport Jazz Festival presented by Natixis Global Asset Management. “I saw that flame and felt that hotness of it close to my face," Davis stated in the 1990 Biography Miles. As part ...
read morePat Metheny Unity Group at the Hanover Theatre
by Timothy J. O'Keefe
Pat Metheny Unity GroupHanover Theatre Worcester, MA November 16, 2014 “As far as explaining [my music] to other people, I don't really worry too much about that," Pat Metheny reflected, perhaps befittingly for an artist who constantly seems to churn out new sounds while nestling himself at the forefront of jazz's musical directions. “I somehow have always felt comfortable knowing that the music speaks for itself, and it may be that the largest part ...
read moreNewport Jazz Festival 2014, Day 3
by Timothy J. O'Keefe
Newport Jazz FestivalFort Adams State Park Newport, RI Sunday, August 3, 2014 Smack--loud and robust, the horns blasted at the audience with a sound so voluminous it seemed impossible only four horns could have created it. And yet, four horns had. “Were you here yesterday?" Boston jazz radio host Eric Jackson had asked the audience during the band introductions --no doubt an obvious reference to prior day's the ...
read moreNewport Jazz Festival 2014, Day 2
by Timothy J. O'Keefe
Newport Jazz FestivalFort Adams State Park Newport, RI Saturday, August 2, 2014 From the first crushing strike against the drums, Brian Blade's heavy hand and swirling rolls captivated the audience attending a rainy installment of the Newport Jazz Festival. Blade led his Fellowship Band through “Stoner Hill," a dour, gray opener that mirrored the ambiance at one of the soggiest days the outdoor festival is likely to have ever experienced. While the wet weather ...
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by Timothy J. O'Keefe
Newport Jazz FestivalFort Adams State Park Newport, RI Friday, August 1, 2014 The saxophone reed squealed, as David Sanchez tastefully demonstrated mastery of jazz, but with dark clouds looming on the horizon, music wasn't the only thing on the minds of the patrons at the 60th Newport Jazz Festival presented by Natixis Global Asset Management. On a sticky and hazy morning, Sanchez opened the main stage with the expressive and appropriately titled “Morning Mist." ...
read moreNewport Jazz Festival 2013
by Timothy J. O'Keefe
Newport Jazz Festival Presented by Natixis Global Asset ManagementFort Adams State Parkjny: Newport, RIAugust 4, 2013“What do you want to hear?" Roy Haynes' booming voice asked the audience. Wearing white satin pants and a tangerine shirt, he strolled across the stage and made his way toward the drum kit. Amid varied yells for song titles, he bashed a drum and the band tore into a fast- moving version of “James."“How ya'll feel out ...
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