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Mike Boone Friends and Family: Confirmation
by Richard J Salvucci
Sometimes, a random listener intervenes to comment on music a reviewer is working on. “Who are those guys?" with a tone that means, “I should know this right?" Well, if you happen to be from Philadelphia, shame on you. This was some kind of party, maybe a party in a church, or as bassist Mike Boone comments, “a church in a party." Especially if you walk in on “Hymn," the idea that someone happened on a hip Sunday service is ...
Continue ReadingJoe Block Christmas Extravaganza at Chris’ Jazz Café
by Victor L. Schermer
Joe Block Christmas Extravaganza Chris' Jazz Café Philadelphia, PA December 17, 2023 Pianist Joe Block is a remarkable pianist and band leader born and bred in Philadelphia and its suburbs. He is a graduate of both Juilliard and Columbia, was mentored by legendary pianists like Tom Lawton and Frank Kimbrough, is in demand for gigs everywhere, and is a frequent performer at Chris' Jazz Cafe. He also happens to do superb ...
Continue ReadingJoe Block Quartet Featuring Vocalist Jamile At Chris’ Jazz Cafe
by Victor L. Schermer
Joe Block Quartet featuring vocalist Jamile Chris' Jazz Café Philadelphia, PA June 17, 2022 Although this reviewer recently interviewed pianist Joe Block for All About Jazz, he never heard Block leading his own group live. So he seized this opportunity to get an up close hearing at Chris' Jazz Café, where Block and many other Philly musicians came up and return periodically over the years for the good vibes.
Continue ReadingPianist Joe Block: At the Start of His Big Bang
by Victor L. Schermer
According to cosmologists, our universe started as a tiny speck and within a fraction of a second exploded into a huge ever-expanding space with all the galaxies, stars, and planets condensing out of the dispersed matter within it. This picture of the origins of the cosmos provides an apt metaphor for the way in which some young jazz musicians experience an expanding “big bang" of creativity. Such is the impression of this interviewer when he listens to pianist Joe Block. ...
Continue ReadingOrrin Evans and the Captain Black Big Band: The Intangible Between
by Paul Rauch
Pianist Orrin Evans has a deep understanding of the unshakeable bond between fellowship, humanity and the creative process. That knowledge has guided him through creating a remarkable catalog of music as both a leader and sideman, along the way, experiencing the fellowship of a collective of musicians he often refers to as “The Village." The Village is indeed real, and most aptly expressed musically through the The Captain Black Big Band, Evans' ensemble of anywhere between nine and ...
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