I finally got to see Scott Amendola Band. There was only 1 set, at 7:30 and I knew I had to be there. It was awesome. Very grooving, made me sorry they won't let you dance there. I was pretty tired, but the music definitely woke me up.
Jenny Scheinman and Nels Cline were both amazing and the stars of the show. The special guest was Charlie Hunter. I should have known when it said guitar, bass. I was glad to see him because I prefer seeing him in different guises. I'm just a little sick of his trio. Even though he changes up the people, it seems like the same thing. I am impressed with Amandola and his music and will definitely keep an eye out for him in the future.
FRI APRIL 25
Scott Amendola Band [7:30 pm]
Nels Cline guitar - electronics
Jenny Scheinman - violin
Scott Amendola - drums, electronics
Very Special Guest - electric guitar, bass
Then I went on to something even more amazing. It was one of those very special avant-garde treats, for only $10 at the Brecht Forum. I got to sit up front, right in front of Bill Cole and Billy Bang, which was awesome.
This was an allstar lineup. I had only seen William Parker and Billy Bang before. They are both stellar and amazing, so I knew it would be good. Good is quite the understatement. That show is still lingering today.
It was a Neues Kabarett production. They said they are going on hiatus for a few months. They somehow get grants and then commission great artists to do whatever they want. Actually, it looks like most of the grants come from NY state. Awesome! Tax dollars going somewhere worthwhile!
I really hope I can see this again. I'm hoping they will do it at Vision Fest, it seems like a great forum for it.
Here's something about this ensemble, although the people were a little different. No Cooper-Moore, for one thing.
http://www.shadrack.org/untempered.htm
It started with Bill Cole playing the Didjeridu, which sounded amazing. In addition to William Parker, there was another great bassist, Shayna Dulberger. She was equally amazing. It was also fun to watch her. She's not as tall as many upright players, and she's able to groove and move around to the music than most.
2 bassists and 2 drummers. That always gets my attention! Warren Smith was also fun to watch and was really happy to be there. He played vibes and xylaphone at times as well. He was awesome. Atticus Cole added a lot with his 3 congas, djembe, cymbal, and windchime looking things.
The tuba was beautiful. Actually, he had a tuba and smaller looking tuba, which I think is called a euphonium.
Billy Bang was my 2nd amazing violinist of the evening. He's right up there with all the greats, possibly surpassing all of them. I only saw him once before. It was when Tonic was still opened, but it was presented by Tonic somewhere else. I always thought it was the Abrons Art Center, but now that I've been there more recently, I don't think so. It was a great venue in the East Village or Lower East Side. You went into the building, up the stairs, and paid. Then you walked through a crowded large room with art and out the back door. Then down the staircase into a beautiful amphiteatre with lots of chairs and plants. His ensemble played out side and I was able to dance in the back and it was amazing. I always wanted to see him again, but it hadn't worked out until the other night. He blew me away again.
They did 3 long pieces, which were all stellar. The last one, was a Persian song that was proposed by Warren Smith. Parker played that reed instrument he sometimes does and Shayna held down the bassline. It was wonderful and that's what is still lingering in my head. It had a very interesting drum beat, kind of like a military cadence. Then the melody was repetitive, but awesome. They played that melody over and over in different ways. Sometimes the reeds, violin, and euphonium all played together, sometimes duets or trios, sometimes solos. There was also an awesome bass solo, an awesome drum solo, and an awesome violin solo.
Just amazing and I will definitely keep a lookout for that again.
Friday, April 25
9:00 pm
Bill Cole's Untempered Ensemble
World Premiere Brecht Forum Commission
Featuring Bill Cole with Billy Bang, Atticus Cole, Joe Daley, Shayna Dulberger, William Parker & Warren Smith
Some more intersting info and old reviews:
http://www.dustedmagazine.com/reviews/551
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=684
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment