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The Nu Band: In Memory of Mark Whitecage: The Nu Band Live At The Bopshop
ByRecorded at The BopShop in Rochester, NY on January 18, 2018, In Memory of Mark Whitecage is as spellbinding as only long time downtown jazz liberators can get and so often do. Spearheaded by Whitecage (who passed in March 2021) the Nu Bandirrepressible bassist Joe Fonda, Thomas Heberer-quarter tone trumpet, and drummer Lou Grassinever let a moment pass that is not the creative equivalent of the moment before it. And the one before that.
On his Navajo flute, the set starts humbly and quiet enough as Whitecage convenes the spirits (be they of ancient, native heritage or jazz honor) with "Prayer For the Water Protectors." From here on out it is anyone's guess where this quartet goes but rest assured that unknown does not stop them. No-one flinches during the barely controlled burn that envelopes "Christophe and Ornette." "Five O'clock Follies" avalanches behind Whitecap's opening herald. Fonda snaps and crackles as only he can, has, and will continue to do. The follies then get swing jumpy as Heberer and Whitecage dogfight wantonly. Speaking of spirits, "The Closer You Are, the Further It Gets," an egalitarian jam demanding each man's best, culminates with Whitecage blowing full bore latter day John Coltrane. It is sheer bliss and everyone within earshot knows it.
Track Listing
Prayer For The Water Protectors; Five O'Clock Follies; One For Roy;The Closer You Are, The Farther It Gets; Chirstophe and Ornette; Minor Madness; Dark Dawn In Aurora.
Personnel
Album information
Title: In Memory of Mark Whitecage: The Nu Band Live At The Bopshop | Year Released: 2021 | Record Label: Not Two Records
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