JFJO @ Jazz Standard 10/18/11

It was even better than I expected.  I mean, I knew I would love the special guest horn section: Steven Bernstein on trumpet and slide trumpet, Mark Southerland on tenor sax and 2 interesting horns of his own invention, and Peter Apfelbaum on bass sax, alto sax, and some interesting little horns.  What I didn't expect was that I would enjoy the whole thing.  Brian Haas played piano instead of organ and that made a huge difference for me.  I really loved the bass player.  I loved his solos and he had me really grooving at times.  The guitar played on the lap, which always adds a soulful element was pretty good.  I can't remember much about the drums, which means he didn't take away from my experience.

The music was awesome and the horns were magnificent.  I can't believe I forgot to pick up the CD.  I don't see how it could possibly hold a candle to that live performance, but I suspect it's pretty good and worth having.

ACOB FRED JAZZ ODYSSEY PLAYS "THE RACE RIOT SUITE" With Special Guests PETER APFELBAUM, STEVEN BERNSTEIN, MARK SOUTHERLAND

• Brian Haas – piano
  Josh Raymer – drums
  Chris Combs – lap steel guitar
  Jeff Harshbarger – bass
  Peter Apfelbaum – tenor & baritone saxophone
  Mark Southerland – tenor saxophone
  Steven Bernstein – trumpet
  

In 1921, Tulsa, Oklahoma was home to Greenwood – perhaps the most powerful and affluent African–American community in the country before the rise of Harlem. (Greenwood’s commercial center was known as “The Black Wall Street.”) On May 31, in one of the most destructive racial conflicts in the nation’s history, white mobs invaded the district. 35 city blocks were destroyed by fire, and there were at least 40 fatalities. Some 6,000 Greenwood residents were arrested; over 800 were admitted to local hospitals, and an estimated 10,000 were left homeless. Composed by Chris Combs and recorded in Tulsa, The Race Riot Suite – the new album by the Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey for Kinnara Records/Royal Potato Family – is a boldly expressive long–form musical work that tells the story of the evolution and destruction of an American cultural epicenter in one of the least understood atrocities of the Jim Crow era. Joining the JFJO for this special two-night run is the horn section of Peter Apfelbaum, Mark Southerland and Steven Bernstein.