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Live Reviews
Grand Union Orchestra at Wilton's Music Hall
Grand Union Orchestra Wilton's Music Hall London June 14, 2017 Song of Contagion, Grand Union Orchestra's latest show, would be a strange subject indeed for any other ensemble. But for leader/composer Tony Haynes and his comrades, it sits perfectly within the orchestra's progressive dialogue between the musics and diverse histories of this small planet. Emerging from a conversation between Haynes and epidemiologist Elizabeth Pisani, Song of Contagion is about disease. ...
read moreBurlington Discover Jazz Festival 2017
The Burlington Discover Jazz Festival Burlington, Vermont June 2-11, 2017 With multiple popup shows and one on the roof of a local parking garage, in addition to the usual plethora of musical offerings up down and around Church Street at the center of the city, The Burlington Discover Jazz Festival has never seemed more like a merry go round than in 2017.And that's meant as high compliment because each passing day of the ten ...
read moreJean Luc Ponty Band at the Boulder Theater
Jean Luc Ponty Band Boulder Theater Boulder, Colorado June 13, 2017 One thing we learned Tuesday night: Enigmatic Ocean (Atlantic, 1977), Jean Luc Ponty's fourth album for Atlantic Records, is his favorite. And why not? It made it to number one on the jazz charts in 1977. Plus, it's pretty good. The Jean Luc Ponty Band brought their Atlantic Years tour through Boulder last Tuesday, recreating the music from what is most likely ...
read moreELBJAZZ 2017
ELBJAZZ 2017 Blohm and Voss/various venues Hamburg, Germany June 2-3, 2017 Although Gregory Porter was the marquee name at the sixth edition of Elbjazz, with a strong supporting cast including Joshua Redman, Jan Garbarek, Hildegard Lernt Fliegen and Youn Sun Nah, the real star of the show was the spectacular festival setting. The Blohm and Voss shipyard, where most of the concerts were held in four different venues, provided a dramatic industrial backdrop to the ...
read moreSkip Norris Memorial Concert at Paul Robeson Performing Arts Theater
Skip Norris Memorial Concert Paul Robeson Performing Arts Theater Detroit, Michigan June 9, 2017 The old saying goes that we all die twice; once when we take our last breath and then a second time when our name isn't spoken anymore. It is highly unlikely that the name of Wesley “Skip" Norris will vanish from the tongues of jazz devotees anytime soon. Especially not after the memorable and extraordinary sendoff that took place last Friday ...
read moreMike Westbrook at Bury St. Edmunds Festival
Mike Westbrook and Kate Westbrook Bury St. Edmunds Festival The Church of St. John the Evangelist May 19, 2017 Of all his many achievements, Mike Westbrook's The Westbrook Blake is one of his finest. Few works in jazz have combined music and text, voices and instrumentation, to such profound effect. The settings here of William Blake's prophetic and yet earthly revelations -by Kate Westbrook and the late British poet and revolutionary Adrian Mitchell -have a ...
read moreLittle Feat at the Paramount
Little Feat The Paramount Huntington, NY May 27, 2017 Little Feat was formed in Los Angeles in 1969 by guitarist and lead vocalist Lowell George and keyboardist Bill Payne. In addition to George and Payne, the classic line-up featured drummer Richie Hayward, guitarist Paul Barrere, bassist Kenny Gradney (who replaced original bassist Roy Estrada) and percussionist Sam Clayton. The band's music crosses numerous genres: rock, blues, jazz fusion, southern rock, gospel, R&B, funk, jam-band, ...
read moreBeth Hart at the Historic Wuppertal Statehouse
Beth Hart Band Historic Statehouse Wuppertal, Germany May 24, 2017 It is interesting how sometimes, when performed properly, the most tragic, heartbroken blues can be thoroughly inspiring. Beth Hart verified the truth in that improbable contradiction many times during a superb show. Hart is known for soaring vocals and deeply personal, reflective songwriting. Each of those gifts was on display as the show began with “Close to My Fire" and Hart ...
read morePRISM Quartet with Joe Lovano at the Painted Bride
PRISM Quartet with Joe Lovano Painted Bride Art Center Heritage/Evolution Philadelphia, PA June 3, 2017 An optical prism breaks down white light into the distinct colors of the spectrum. For the PRISM Quartet, this analogy applies in two ways 1) the expression of the music in the four registers of the saxophones: soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone; and 2) the use of a classical music format for a variety of genres: classical, modern, jazz, ...
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