Eric Friedlander's new project includes Doug Wamble on slide guitar, Trevor Dunn on bass, and Michael Sarin on drums. I figured Eric and Doug were collaborating when I saw Eric at Doug's last Jazz Standard show. I was very excited when I saw that.
They gave me complete validation of that excitement. This was fabulous. Eric wanted to do something with the slide and cello. He suspects they are the 2 instruments closest to the human voice. I'm glad he chose to not have any actual human voice. Although a little Doug Wamble vocals certainly wouldn't be a bad thing.
It was soulful, stellar, and spectacular. The CD is awesome. I hope this band plays around for a while.
Oh and as an aside, Eric told us to look around because Joe's Pub is about to undergo a big renovation. I'm going to have faith it they will have a similar feel because so much of us like it that way. Who knows, though.
NY Times Review
AAJ CD Review
Friday, June 24, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Marc Ribot/Nels Cline @ LPR 6/15/11
Of course this was one of the best shows ever. These 2 were meant to play together. They were so great at sinking in and complementing each other. it was completely captivating.
My favorite was when Nels was on the lap steel. He and Ribot went a lot of different places in that portion. There was so much to it and it's already faded. You really had to be there.
Here's a review:
http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2011/06/guitar_gods_nel.html
http://www.hippiesaredead.com/2011/06/nels-cline-and-marc-ribot-played-le.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCbKmPm4-MU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2gwQO9ePWA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNrsPHHYAjw
My favorite was when Nels was on the lap steel. He and Ribot went a lot of different places in that portion. There was so much to it and it's already faded. You really had to be there.
Here's a review:
http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2011/06/guitar_gods_nel.html
http://www.hippiesaredead.com/2011/06/nels-cline-and-marc-ribot-played-le.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCbKmPm4-MU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2gwQO9ePWA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNrsPHHYAjw
Mokaad @ Drom 6/3/11
I got there during this set, but still got about 40 minutes or so. I enjoyed it. They are fun and p-funky and it was good. Here's their website.
I had planned to stay all night but the next band wasn't my thing and I made the mistake of going home to rest for a bit since I live close. I didn't make it back out, so I missed the rest. I'm sure it was awesome.
Here's the full lineup, that I mainly missed:
http://www.dromnyc.com/events/951/a-benefit-for-scotty-hard
7:30pm DJ Afro-Marc
8:00pm Mokaad
9:00pm Nyle vs. Naysayers
10:00pm Ben Perowsky's Moodswing Orch.
11:00pm MAGO (John Medeski / Billy Martin)
12:30pm EMEFE
2am DJ Afro-Marc
Note: All times subject to change
I had planned to stay all night but the next band wasn't my thing and I made the mistake of going home to rest for a bit since I live close. I didn't make it back out, so I missed the rest. I'm sure it was awesome.
Here's the full lineup, that I mainly missed:
http://www.dromnyc.com/events/951/a-benefit-for-scotty-hard
7:30pm DJ Afro-Marc
8:00pm Mokaad
9:00pm Nyle vs. Naysayers
10:00pm Ben Perowsky's Moodswing Orch.
11:00pm MAGO (John Medeski / Billy Martin)
12:30pm EMEFE
2am DJ Afro-Marc
Note: All times subject to change
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Elysian Fields @ LPR 6/14/11
I wish I could tell you who was onstage aside from the core band members, Jennifer Charles and Oren Bloedow. I just knew a couple more of the special guests.
Doug Weiselman was on-stage for some of the pieces with his sax, bass and alto clarinets. Whenever he was up there, so was a female alto clarinet.
Danny Blume was on bass sometimes. At other times, the bassist looked familiar, but I couldn't place him. He doubled as a french horn (or was it a horn or English horn?) When Danny was on bass.
A trombone came out every now and then. There were 2 strings on stage a lot - I think a violin and a viola. Piano, keyboards, laptop, another guitar sometimes, drums. Another female vocalist for one. I think that was basically it,
It was good. I have a lot going on at work so I left a few minutes early. I must say Jennifer is a great singer and very captivating. I was highly impressed.with Oren's soulful voice in the one song he did.
It's a great band, whatever they choose to do. I like the concept of playing with different people all the time. Especially when they are always great.
http://lepoissonrouge.com/events/view/2271
Doug Weiselman was on-stage for some of the pieces with his sax, bass and alto clarinets. Whenever he was up there, so was a female alto clarinet.
Danny Blume was on bass sometimes. At other times, the bassist looked familiar, but I couldn't place him. He doubled as a french horn (or was it a horn or English horn?) When Danny was on bass.
A trombone came out every now and then. There were 2 strings on stage a lot - I think a violin and a viola. Piano, keyboards, laptop, another guitar sometimes, drums. Another female vocalist for one. I think that was basically it,
It was good. I have a lot going on at work so I left a few minutes early. I must say Jennifer is a great singer and very captivating. I was highly impressed.with Oren's soulful voice in the one song he did.
It's a great band, whatever they choose to do. I like the concept of playing with different people all the time. Especially when they are always great.
http://lepoissonrouge.com/events/view/2271
Sunday, June 19, 2011
George Porter & the Runnin Pardners @ LPR 6/2/11
I've seen many iterations of this band over the years. It's my understanding that the original Runnin Pardners were the original members of Papa Grows Funk. Then, sometime before Jazzfest 02, George fired them because he felt they were spending too much time on PGF and not enough on his band. The other guys were bummed about it at the time, although I think it's a non-issue today and probably soon after. It was fascinating to me as I was just starting to travel to NOLA and I was amazed at how close knit the community is down there. It really is a huge family.
I did see George's brand new version that year. I was thrilled to see any music in NOLA, so I was happy. It was downstairs at the Rock and Bowl and the manager was going through a seamless set transition phase. Rebirth played and when they were done they were supposed to call George up and keep playing something while George's band took the stage and started playing. The only thing was, George didn't hear the call and so Rebirth had to keep playing "She's a Bad Mamma Jamma" until they got George and had the seamless transition. It was awkward, but a lot of fun for me.
I liked the saxophone player George had, he was a little different. Still, the band was a quartet and a little disappointing. I asked someone where the guitar player was and was told "he couldn't get a guitar". Huh. That's actually happening on Treme right now - a little over a year later post Katrina and Antoine doesn't have many options for guitar players. If you think about it, it's another thing that sets NOLA apart. They have an obscene amount of horns, and an abundance of drummers and organs. They certainly have some phenomenal guitar players - Renard Poche, Jun Yamaguchi, Steve Masakowski, Anders Osborne. Then there's Twangorama. Yet, compared to the plenitude of musicians in that town, guitar isn't as prominent as in other places. Interesting.
There was definitely a weird vibe around George Porter Jr. & the Runnin Pardners that year. The next time I saw them was maybe 5 years later, the only time I went to Southport Hall. That was completely different people and a bunch of bands. It was OK. I really didn't like the venue - too big, too much light, too warehousey. There were a lot of horns in George's band then and no one I recognized.
I don't remember seeing them again until now. Given my history with them, I wasn't expecting much. It was a whole other quintet with good musicians. They started off with a drum solo, which is always a plus for me. He had me dancing right away. The guitar was good and funky. The sax was phenomenal. George said they were lucky to have him for this one time. They were indeed! The 2 keyboards were good. I remember thinking "George Matters!" a lot as they played. I also remember it kept popping up on my there "George is the funkiest one on town". I was very happy when they did "Funkify Your Life". After that, they were playing for 1/2 hour and things were feeling more Meters-ish than previously. Before, I felt that George was freshening up the Meters tunes and this wasn't another Meters cover band. I took it as an opportunity to get out of there and get some sleep.
From the listing:
Today after a great run with Porter Batiste Stoltz, Porter is back at home with a smaller Runnin’ Pardners Band five down from seven pieces, todays income wont take care of the lager band. Runnin’ Pardners today will be Brint Anderson/guitar, Michael Lemmler/ keyboards, Khristopher (Khris) Royal/sax & keys and new kid on the block Terrance Houston/Drummer. This line-up is and will keep up with what Porter has always brought too the table nothing but funk and fun.
I did see George's brand new version that year. I was thrilled to see any music in NOLA, so I was happy. It was downstairs at the Rock and Bowl and the manager was going through a seamless set transition phase. Rebirth played and when they were done they were supposed to call George up and keep playing something while George's band took the stage and started playing. The only thing was, George didn't hear the call and so Rebirth had to keep playing "She's a Bad Mamma Jamma" until they got George and had the seamless transition. It was awkward, but a lot of fun for me.
I liked the saxophone player George had, he was a little different. Still, the band was a quartet and a little disappointing. I asked someone where the guitar player was and was told "he couldn't get a guitar". Huh. That's actually happening on Treme right now - a little over a year later post Katrina and Antoine doesn't have many options for guitar players. If you think about it, it's another thing that sets NOLA apart. They have an obscene amount of horns, and an abundance of drummers and organs. They certainly have some phenomenal guitar players - Renard Poche, Jun Yamaguchi, Steve Masakowski, Anders Osborne. Then there's Twangorama. Yet, compared to the plenitude of musicians in that town, guitar isn't as prominent as in other places. Interesting.
There was definitely a weird vibe around George Porter Jr. & the Runnin Pardners that year. The next time I saw them was maybe 5 years later, the only time I went to Southport Hall. That was completely different people and a bunch of bands. It was OK. I really didn't like the venue - too big, too much light, too warehousey. There were a lot of horns in George's band then and no one I recognized.
I don't remember seeing them again until now. Given my history with them, I wasn't expecting much. It was a whole other quintet with good musicians. They started off with a drum solo, which is always a plus for me. He had me dancing right away. The guitar was good and funky. The sax was phenomenal. George said they were lucky to have him for this one time. They were indeed! The 2 keyboards were good. I remember thinking "George Matters!" a lot as they played. I also remember it kept popping up on my there "George is the funkiest one on town". I was very happy when they did "Funkify Your Life". After that, they were playing for 1/2 hour and things were feeling more Meters-ish than previously. Before, I felt that George was freshening up the Meters tunes and this wasn't another Meters cover band. I took it as an opportunity to get out of there and get some sleep.
From the listing:
Today after a great run with Porter Batiste Stoltz, Porter is back at home with a smaller Runnin’ Pardners Band five down from seven pieces, todays income wont take care of the lager band. Runnin’ Pardners today will be Brint Anderson/guitar, Michael Lemmler/ keyboards, Khristopher (Khris) Royal/sax & keys and new kid on the block Terrance Houston/Drummer. This line-up is and will keep up with what Porter has always brought too the table nothing but funk and fun.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Orgone @ LPR 6/2/11
I thought I missed them, but apparently Breakdown Brass opened and Orgone came on at about 9. They were fun. The guitar is especially good. I also enjoyed the others at times. It's all grooving and tight. There was a singer for some songs but also a lot of instrumentals. The one thing that seemed lacking was there wasn't much room for improv. It felt a slight bit generic. Not as generic as New Mastersounds - the songs were longer and there was some room, just something slight was lacking. It was still an enjoyable 1.5 hour set of get-down music.
http://www.lepoissonrouge.com/events/view/2177
Nolafunk.com Summer Kick-Off Party
George Porter Jr. & Runnin' Pardners
w/ Orgone
Thu., June 02, 2011 / 6:30 PM
Minimum Age: 18+
Doors Open: 6:30 PM
Show Time: 7:00 PM
This is a general admission, standing event.
http://www.lepoissonrouge.com/events/view/2177
Nolafunk.com Summer Kick-Off Party
George Porter Jr. & Runnin' Pardners
w/ Orgone
Thu., June 02, 2011 / 6:30 PM
Minimum Age: 18+
Doors Open: 6:30 PM
Show Time: 7:00 PM
This is a general admission, standing event.
Orgone
Los Angeles based band Orgone is many souls with a cosmic connection, a natural creative force and musicians who have played together for years. They are self schooled and continue to shape their musical voice as a solid unit of guys who hang, spin records and jam out their shared inspirations. With a rooted sense of funk, soul, afrobeat, deep rhythms and an intimate understanding of dj culture as well as each others' individual talents, Orgone seamlessly slides through multiple styles and dynamic performances. The group continuously injects whatever they play with a heavy brand of raw funk power.
At the core of the band is a rhythm section comprised of close friends who have played together for more than 10 years. Having grown artistically as a unit they function as one organic and intuitive whole. The orginal 5-member band started out by putting their own gritty takes on tunes by the likes of the JBs, the Meters, Booker T. and the MGs, Grant Green and Funkadelic among many others. They quickly gained underground respect and die hard fans. With their searing live sets and original instrumentals, Orgone soon released their debut self titled CD, "Orgone," in 2002. The result was a collection of all original down home, transcendental, tough and gritty funk instrumentals.
The band fast grew to include a powerful three-piece horn section and a fiery soul singer who all shared the same spirit and deep reverence for the music that inspired them. Singer, Fanny Franklin, joined the groups’ recordings after they were floored seeing her perform with Dakah, the 30-piece hip hop orchestra, and asked her to record with them. Their first recording together, Orgone's cover of “Funky Nassau”, became a ubiquitous DJ fave worldwide- first appearing on 7"(Nuff Rope) and then getting a 12" club re-edit by renowned dj Danny Krivit (Nuff Rope). It then appeared on Ubiquity's Rewind Volume 4 comp, which began the band's relationship with the prestigious label.
At the core of the band is a rhythm section comprised of close friends who have played together for more than 10 years. Having grown artistically as a unit they function as one organic and intuitive whole. The orginal 5-member band started out by putting their own gritty takes on tunes by the likes of the JBs, the Meters, Booker T. and the MGs, Grant Green and Funkadelic among many others. They quickly gained underground respect and die hard fans. With their searing live sets and original instrumentals, Orgone soon released their debut self titled CD, "Orgone," in 2002. The result was a collection of all original down home, transcendental, tough and gritty funk instrumentals.
The band fast grew to include a powerful three-piece horn section and a fiery soul singer who all shared the same spirit and deep reverence for the music that inspired them. Singer, Fanny Franklin, joined the groups’ recordings after they were floored seeing her perform with Dakah, the 30-piece hip hop orchestra, and asked her to record with them. Their first recording together, Orgone's cover of “Funky Nassau”, became a ubiquitous DJ fave worldwide- first appearing on 7"(Nuff Rope) and then getting a 12" club re-edit by renowned dj Danny Krivit (Nuff Rope). It then appeared on Ubiquity's Rewind Volume 4 comp, which began the band's relationship with the prestigious label.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Upcoming: Rob Duguy @ Jazz Standard 7/26
If you've been to Jazz Standard with any type of frequency, you probably know Rob. He's the host that remembers your name, knows you are coming before you arrive and knows where you like to sit. He treats you nicely and makes sure you are welcomed back.
Did you know he is a bass player? He recently got a gig at Jazz Standard and it would be great if you can make it and show some support. I'm sure you will enjoy the music as well.
Event Information
Who?
Rob Duguay’s SONGEVITY
Noah Preminger (tenor saxophone)
Abraham Burton (tenor saxophone)
Justin Kauflin (piano)
Rob Duguay (bass & composition)
Nadav Snir-Zelniker (drums)
Yvonne Simone (Special guest vocalist)
What?
Rob Duguay is a promising young bass player well-versed in many styles of music. Duguay will be fresh from a recent run that includes concerts in Montreal, a special appearance at the Burlington, VT Discover Jazz Festival, and a sold out performance at Kitano NY. A budding musician on the New York City jazz scene, Rob has also performed in such places as Montreal, Quebec; New Orleans; Washington D.C.; Portland, Oregon; Philadelphia; Paris, France; Cape Town, South Africa; and Montreux, Switzerland and more. A concert by SONGEVITY will include original compositions by Duguay and tributes to great composers embracing many styles of music.
Where?
Jazz Standard
116 27th Street and Park Avenue
NY, NY 10016
http://www.jazzstandard.com/
When?
Tuesday, July 26th, 2011
Sets begin at 7:30 & 9:30pm (doors 6:30pm)
How?
20$ cover charge
RSVP 212 447 7733 (recommended)
Or thru http://www.jazzstandard.com/
Did you know he is a bass player? He recently got a gig at Jazz Standard and it would be great if you can make it and show some support. I'm sure you will enjoy the music as well.
Event Information
Who?
Rob Duguay’s SONGEVITY
Noah Preminger (tenor saxophone)
Abraham Burton (tenor saxophone)
Justin Kauflin (piano)
Rob Duguay (bass & composition)
Nadav Snir-Zelniker (drums)
Yvonne Simone (Special guest vocalist)
What?
Rob Duguay is a promising young bass player well-versed in many styles of music. Duguay will be fresh from a recent run that includes concerts in Montreal, a special appearance at the Burlington, VT Discover Jazz Festival, and a sold out performance at Kitano NY. A budding musician on the New York City jazz scene, Rob has also performed in such places as Montreal, Quebec; New Orleans; Washington D.C.; Portland, Oregon; Philadelphia; Paris, France; Cape Town, South Africa; and Montreux, Switzerland and more. A concert by SONGEVITY will include original compositions by Duguay and tributes to great composers embracing many styles of music.
Where?
Jazz Standard
116 27th Street and Park Avenue
NY, NY 10016
http://www.jazzstandard.com/
When?
Tuesday, July 26th, 2011
Sets begin at 7:30 & 9:30pm (doors 6:30pm)
How?
20$ cover charge
RSVP 212 447 7733 (recommended)
Or thru http://www.jazzstandard.com/
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