The Cooking Warriors.

Click on this link to aalmusic.com and read about an album you need to buy.

http://www.allmusic.com/album/warriors-r1838028/review

Monday

Happy Monday Folks!!

I thought I'd start this holiday week off with a post, hope everyone had a music filled weekend.

Last Friday, I trekked up to club Smoke with my girlfriend to catch the Jeremy Pelt Quintet. I had not seen the band since last Febuary so it was quite a treat to see one of my heroes/teachers bring down the house.

The band played new material from an upcoming January release that sounded fresh and exciting along with classics from their past 2 albums. Stacy Dillard was in the saxophone chair, subbing for JD Allen. I had seen Dillard's name aroun

d but this was the first time I actually heard him and was completely blown away by his musicianship. If I had not known any better, I would have thought he was the regular member it was so tight.

After the set, I was able to catch up with my hero and shoot the breeze. I was nervous to tell him I had recorded an album but was very surprised when he insisted I send him a copy when its out....'gulp.'

JP sounded just like Freddie Hubbard on a beautifully played rendition of Polka Dots and Moonbeams played on flugelhorn. It blew me away at the utter command he has gained on the instrument. I have to admit, I am not much of a flugelhorn player, but I spent a lot time the rest of the weekend with mine.

A surprising highlight of the evening was the man himself, George Coleman, who was sitting in the audience just eating dinner and enjoying the show. JP acknowledged the living leg

end and you can tell it really made his night, which was a lot of fun to see.

Switching gears, I will be posting my Xmas CD list within the week. Also my top picks of 2010.

I am still working on an album cover for my upcoming release "Between You & Me." I haven't yet decided on what I am using, so I decided to reach out and work with a Graphic Designer.

However I think I did decide on Zero Dollar Trio's Live release. Check it out:

arg.

Looking forward to seeing the Jeremy Pelt Quintet at Smoke on Friday. I haven't seen this band since last winter when they were randomly playing in New London at the Jazz Underground.

I would hate to use my blog as a means to vent but the last few weeks my playing has been insanely inconsistent. I trace it back to my last "good" day of playing. It was about a month ago and I had finally seemed to unlock my struggle with high range. I remember reaching for double A's by night's end. Since then, sometimes I can't even hit a high C or move through the horn.

I know that people always say bad chops means your improving, but shit... throw me a bone here.

Releases!!

I am proud to announce that I have a few releases available for purchase.

Nick Di Maria Quartet: "Live Series, Volume 1: Live at Tisane" $5

A performance recorded in 2009 at Hartford's Tisane Lounge right before the management changed and cancelled all jazz at the venue. The band plays in high gear on originals and works by Herbie Hancock, Joe Henderson and Miles Davis. My Favorite track is the opener "Toys" by Herbie that has been a NDQ staple tune. The band really stretches out as a we play in the style of Hancock's Mwandishi band from the 70s.

Nick Di Maria Quartet "Various Sounds" $5

A collection of studio and live tracks from 2008 to the present which showcase my originals and my quartet's book.

The Zero Dollar Trio "Live at the Uncertainty Music Series 10/9/2010" $10

This release I am very proud of. Its a live recording from my avant garde trio live in New Haven. It was our second gig, backed by a very enthused audience and more rehearsal time than I expected. We play everything from Albert Ayler to originals by myself to complete free improvisation. A MUST for adventurous ears!!

Alex Sipiagin

I am seriously looking forward to seeing the Alex Sipiagin Group tomorrow night at Small's in NYC. Its my first time checking out Sipiagin after listening to him for the better part of 3 years.

I first heard Alex on a Mingus Big Band album and never really thought much at first. He sounded like my hero Eddie Henderson, a section mate in the band, just without using the same amount of space in his playing. However, my curiosity was strong enough to buy one of his quintet albums on Criss Cross; Prints. Great CD and great band. Chris Potter is on sax and Dave Kikoski hangs on piano and fender rhodes. Their rendition of Monk's Epistrophy is my favorite track.

I later heard Sipiagin when he recorded on Dave Holland's sextet and then later octet albums. I recommend both to fans of all ages.

Alex's newest CD a dedication to Woody Shaw and his compositions I strongly recommend. I am throughly enjoying this record alot. Alex takes 5 Shaw compositions, reworks them to sound fresh and exciting. My favorite is his, ostinato driven version of Blues for Wood. A huge difference from the shuffle swinger from the original 70s version. Adam Rogers's playing, especially his multi-tracked guitar, sound dark and lurking.

The group on Thursday will be:

Alex Sipiagin - Trumpet
Donny McCaslin - Tenor Sax
Adam Rogers - Guitar
Boris Kaslov - Bass
Antonio Sanchez - Drums

A review to come later on.

The Bootleg

This past weekend, my reggae band, The Dharma Bums debuted at a new club in the CT area called the Blue Moon. I have to admit when I took my first look at the audience, I was worried. It is usually a bad sign when I have more teeth in my mouth than most of the patrons put together.

We hit with Duke Ellington's classic "Black and Tan Fantasy." Conveniently these old jazz tunes always work within the reggae beat and this tune is definitely my favorite tune to play right now with the group.

I was surprised at how receptive the audience was to us. When you play one of these kinds of joints the crowd can pretty much be lost the second you pull your horn out of its case. (And especially when your tbone player is practice long tones aimed at a wall.) I have played some gigs where an audience member looks at my trumpet, the rhythm section, then asks us to play Guns n' Roses. At least this time, some asked for Tijuana Brass. That I don't mind hearing, at least that makes sense.

So anyway the gig went off without any real problems. We got plenty of applause and positive responses from the crowd but I was surprised at how mellow the whole night felt. Even our faster, more frantic tunes were dropped down signifigantly. I thought it was a lack of rehearsal which has been a Dharma Bums staple. Like I said we opened with Black and Tan instead of our usual opener which is faster and I am not thinking that, that may have led to the overall vibe of the night.

Either way, I decided to set up my portable recorder in an attempt to document the band live and maybe release CDs at shows of the band at a very low cost to us. Currently, I am listening to them now and quite taken at how the band has gelled together in the last 6 months. One thing I did not focus on when writing tunes is things for the other horns to do during solos...

Backgrounds!! I never wrote any! Give me a break! I usually play in a quartet setting!

So I have to admit when, I heard my fellow horns creating sweet backgrounds during my solo I was excited, I was down right jumping in my seat when I heard how great they sounded on the play back! Holy Shit!

The two best moments for me were the newer material that I slapped together not too long ago. I wrote haphazardly two new tunes (one doesn't even have a melody) back in July or so and they sound great. The level of musicianship is most evident during these tunes where you hear the band listening and creating. Its the jazz vibe at its best.

The Future!!

Last night I began to compose completely new compositions. I have to admit I am pretty jolly about the idea of writing new material.

After recording my first solo CD with all tunes I wrote over the last 2 years, I realized my writing style was distinctly in a personal style. How could I be happier right? Well realized that the music I wrote was primarily influenced by Mwandishi and Jeremy Pelt's album "Identity." Only one tune had a swing feel to it. Not that anything is wrong with even 8th's I just realized this time around I want to write more "jazz" oriented material and use the other musicians and compositions that have inspired me. However, I do plan on continuing to write material in that grey area between true jazz and the other thing.

Here's a list of albums that I am currently using as a basis of inspiration:

Herbie Hancock Maiden Voyage/Empyrean Isles

Miles Davis Nefertiti/ESP/Seven Steps to Heaven

Joe Henderson In n' Out

Lee Morgan Last Session

Andrew Hill Black Fire

Freddie Hubbard Hub-Tones

Jackie McLean One Step Beyond

Pretty much all Blue Note albums but how can you go wrong with that? Anyway if this all works out I hope by the spring I will have a good number of pieces written and ready and then we'll see some serious shit.

The Band Leader

Whenever I find myself in a position of leadership, it is always interesting to me what the outcome of the task I am asked to do will be. When I was in school growing up I always hated those morons I got put with who would just sit there and not do anything. Or if I went camping and some idiot who wasn't supposed to even be there tell me I don't know what I am doing, I always enjoyed observing or predicting the outcome.

I get that every gig I play. Why? Because I am the leader of the band.

Band leaders are legendary. From Art Blakey to Duke Ellington to Miles to Kevin Eubanks to well whoever, band leaders have always given musicians the knowledge they need to be good band leaders themselves. Everyone knows the stories of Blakey teaching his sideman until he thought they were ready to lead they're own bands, where he would then let them leave the nest and try it out on their own. (almost every single jazz messenger became a famous leader)

Now a days one is expected to lead a band. In the old days you can just be a sideman and play or other peoples' groups and what not. Then jazz became lame and it was expected of you to be able to lead a group yourself if you ever want to eat.

From the moment I began my professional jazz career I was a leader. Of course being a horn player I had to be. In an era where gigs are hard to come by rhythm section players would normally play with as little people as possible for maximum money. Can you blame them? (I have had my fair share of stories about gigs and maybe someday I will just start posting them as they seem to get more ridiculous as the years go on.)

Whose the first cat they don't need? Well someone who doesn't play the entire time: a horn player.

So why would the least necessary instrument be the leader? You got me, but I have noticed over the years my sideman work has been dwarfed by my time as a leader. So who teaches me?

Well the most apparent lesson I keep learning about being a band leader is this:

Always have a back-up plan.

Famous?? Mother fucker I gig with the best.

Greetings Folks,

As the school year is wrapping up I am excited to devote more time to this blog and what I wanted to say about music and life here at Some Other Stuff.

First and fore most I would like to recognize a fellow musician who I feel is doing all the right things with maintaining a working, positive and creative career as a jazz musician. His name is Jason Parker, trumpeter, composer, educator and band leader from Seattle. He has a great sound, excellent band and full schedule. He is always blogging on his own site and I strongly recommend you go check it out: www.oneworkingmusician.com.

My quartet just had an excellent weekend this past, working at the Old School Saloon in New Haven and Park Central in Hamden. These are both my favorite places to gig. The crowd is always welcoming and even a little rowdy when we play. Park Central in particular loves those funky hits from the 60's Blue Note catalog: Watermelon Man, Red Clay, Cantaloupe Island, Mamacita, etc. If I added Song for my Father and Funji Mama to the book I will be all set. We actually get people turned in their chairs and bobbing their heads to the music. Not to forget we get applause!! Not polite applause from my mom in the audience, but the audience actually listens enough to clap after solos!! Very rare in jazz outside a NYC club.

Finding gigs is hard, any musician can tell you that and its even harder for jazz musicians. I am seriously cherishing the opportunity to play at these two venues. There are other places in CT where jazz is showcased but most places are exclusive for ridiculous reasons. One venue in particular is in Bethel and only accepts "famous artists." Famous?? Give me a break. Who does this guy think he is? Does he think Herbie Fucking Hancock is going to book a Sunday afternoon? I want to call the owner and say that I play with all the cats. "Oh yeah man, I have a regular gig jamming with Dexter Gordon every afternoon when I put A Swingin' Affair on my CD player." Or "I said hi to Roy Haynes once." "You haven't heard of me? You must not be too into the scene man, I am a cat!"

Its club owners like that who alienate a local working musician who hurt the music just as much as the club owner who advertises jazz as a rich delicate music. Wine Tasting gigs are horse shit too, no one plays those gigs other than the chance to make some bank. The point here is that there should be more showcasing local cats. There is a lot of talent here in CT and if you want to work here you should be able to.

Stay tuned.

Tuesday Album Covers: Back With A Vengence

The Art of Devotion

I've found myself lately in a musical rut. I hadn't been able to find the appropriate amount of time to practice my horn at what I consider an "efficient" level.

I hate saying that phrase "find the time to practice" because I do agree with most that, that phrase is bull shit. However, I stick the word "appropriate" in there to show that I am coming from another point of view.

What I am trying to say is that my desire to excel at my instrument is a complete obsession. There's not a moment that goes by that I don't think about playing...in fact I'm doing it right now.

About a month ago I felt like, with the help of Dr. Henderson, I was getting to a whole new level. Then soon after, felt like I was plateauing and not getting better. Then all last week and a little before I felt stagnate; the tunes I had started working on still unlearned and the concepts I wanted under my fingers not accomplished.

I decided this week to buckle down and no matter how many hours I've worked, how many distractions I have, to give my horn the "appropriate" time. I noticed that in the last two days how good playing has made me feel. Usually by Wednesday I am completely zombified. Not today, today I feel good.

My religion is to my craft. The craft of making music and finding solace in what I have devoted my life to do.

Tuesday Album Covers: Tom Harrell

You would never suspect by this photo, that there is a troubled mind behind that horn.

This is the best picture I could find, but I insist you check out his new album.

The Bare Necessities

Happy Wednesday Folks!!

I am sure if anyone actually checks this blog they must notice the influx of posts recently....Well I have been trying a little harder so there.

Last night I was the first rehearsal of a Flamenco band I was recruited for out of New Haven. Some serious cats in this band! The instrumentation is me on brass, classical guitar, cello and tablas and tunes written by the members. The group sounded great! Even with tunes fluctuating between 9/8 to 7/8 to 5/8 to 3/4 meter in one section of music, it has been nonetheless enjoyable and challenging. Stay tuned, we have a performance coming up soon!

So i have been showing the Jungle Book to my students this week because at first I was behind on my grades and such and thought I deserved, and so did the kids, a little break. Well this has become quite a hit in class. I have kids dancing and singing in class. Its funny how some things work so well with them when something very similar doesn't. For instance, I did a rhythmic lesson with them last week using the rhythms from West Side Story's tune "America" and the kids loved it. We chanted, clapped and moved to the switching rhythmic groups that make up the song. Then I showed West Side Story and the kids lashed out in complete revolt!! I put on a cartoon no matter how old and they get so into it.....

...or is it because the Jungle Book just has amazing music to it??

The Bare Necessities is by far one of the best, catchiest songs ever composed. It puts me in such a good mood every time I hear it!! The kids have been singing it in the hallways. Its like God Damn Sesame Street in the building!!

Any way, enjoy your hump day folks, go download the Bare Necessities and scratch your back, the weekend is almost here.

The effect of an album

Over the course of my CD collecting years I have obtain a fair amount of listening material. Starting with my early obsession of punk rock records including local and national acts, to my Miles Davis record grabbing in High School, to my religious allegiance to Blue Note in college, my conversion to Impulse in Grad school, and my search for new and original music in adulthood, I have been delving my ability to listen to every sound I can find.

Some albums of course I often return to with a consistent feeling of awe and amazement. One such album is Herbie Hancock's The Prisoner from 1969, featuring Johnny Coles, Joe Henderson, Garnett Brown, Buster Williams, Tootie Heath and others mixing the sounds of then Herbie's sextet which pre-dates the Mwandishi band with a nonet sound with added bass trombone, alto flute and bass clarinet.

I remember buying this album very late in my Herbie collection. I must have been 23 or so and I had been so eager to obtain all of Herbie's catalog, and two albums from the blue era were left: Speak Like a Child and The Prisoner.

A friend had burnt me a copy of Speak Like a Child and I can still feel the disappointment I had felt when I first listened to it. It is another sextet album with Thad Jones on Flugelhorn and he didn't even solo! None of the horns soloed in fact and I remember that driving me crazy. I had read how Herbie used the horns as a textural effect and during that period I was so mad. I felt like it was a tease of an album. Later as my ears matured I grew to love the album and one of its tracks, "Toys" became my favorite jazz composition to play.

I was hesitant to get the next album for fear of more disappointment, so for a year or so I put off getting it. When I finally did, and I am sure it was victim of impulse buying, I loved it. It was the first time I had heard Johnny Coles and thought his playing was so perfect for the sounds the band was making. Joe Henderson proves over and over he can play in any style or form and sound as buoyant as ever. The texture the horns make over the playing and the grooving are mesmerizing and Herbie's use of the fender rhodes is so cool you crave to hear it.

The tunes have great melodies and this brings me to my point. It seems the tunes on this album are being played more and more by modern players. Just recently on his debut release, Drummer Dana Hall plays "I Have a Dream." It is clear that the sounds of the original are so modern even all these years later that the tunes when played now, sound like they were written tomorrow.

These tunes seem to get within my soul, I feel hypnotized every time I hear them. Pretty funny for an album that I procrastinated.

Here are some recordings from recent albums that feature tracks from "The Prisoner:"

I Have a Dream; Dana Hall-Into the Light

Firewater; Jim Rotondi-New Vistas

The Prisoner; Uri Cane-Toys

from Speak Like a Child

Toys; Uri Cane-Toys

Speak Like a Child; Kendrick Scott-Reverence

Tuesday Album Covers: One Sexy Motherfucker

My hero Eddie Henderson released a series of albums in the mid to late 70's that were in the cross and blend of disco and funky jazz. Apparently these albums were a hit in the UK and still are over there.

No one seems to remember the actual covers.

Love You Doc.

This is the back cover.

Tuesday Album Cover

With the upcoming Spring Heeled Jack reunion this spring, I thought I would share one of my favorite album covers in rock.

Photos IV: Happy Birthday Bill Frisell

The nerdiest man in jazz.

Tuesday Album Cover, better late than never.

Tuesday Album Cover: Happy 80th Birthday Ornette

One of my favorite Ornette albums; cover and music.

News From The Neighborhood

So I have been noticing over the last few weeks how inconsistent my posts have been and how they seem to be a such a poor quality compared to my past posts. If you have been reading this blog, I apologize and hope that I get my shit together, sit down and write out some decent stuff.

I have been working hard to press on in a constructive way essentially the 3 bands that are taking up my life currently. I have my acoustic quartet which is made up of a very consistent and talented line up. Most of the work we play though has been restaurants and bars which I can say now is starting to get a little stale. Its the atmosphere, not the music that's stale. I would like to play more adventurous music, newer standards and of course originals but unfortunately this band is in a rut of playing the kind of jazz I call money making music. With the help of a newly hired agent, I hope that this band will start to get work where it deserves: more in a club setting than at some suburban restaurant with an audience that is barely listening to us. If you ever catch this band, see us at Park Central in Hamden, the one rowdy jazz oriented bar in CT where we really get to stretch out.

My goal for this band is to take it in a more original vibe. I want the band to play my own compositions as well as from members in the group. We all have such different approaches yet we work really well. We just need to get in some rehearsals and things would really come together i think. The pianist and myself seem to be completely on the same wave length in terms of our musical back ground and where we would like to be. Our drummer is a disciple of Philly Joe Jones and its evident in his playing which what more could you really ask for? The bassist is what I call a ponderer. A musician who is always looking for not quite the right approach, but the most artistic approach.

Another band I am trying to move along is the Dharma Bums. As posted before, I grew up in the Ska scene and I wanted to continue that style music going in my life. Unfortunately its been a slow process and juggling a 7 member band has been hard to keep track of. This group really surprised me. Within our first 3 weeks of practice and rehearsing we were ready for our first gig but due to snow, we had to cancel.

Third and lastly, is my electric project. Due to the fact I listen to almost every form of jazz I always find myself saying "Hey I want to try that!" This group is comprised again of a trumpet quartet but with electric bass and a drummer with more of a rock background. This band's goal is to play that grey area between rock and jazz. Not your typical jazz fusion band with a lot of notes and lame song structure that won't ever end; more of the Miles Bitches Brew, Herbie Mwandishi vibe. The approach I am starting with is to play a few originals and then songs by previously said musicians, open for a few jam bands to get some exposure then work our way up....kind of like in a MMW way. I hope to add effects to my horn and bass as well.

My Other Girlfriend.

Yesterday I got a call while on my way to work from the sassiest woman in jazz...Sally of Sally's Place, a record shop in Westport, CT.

She was calling to inform me that the new Jim Rotondi album I wanted was in and that she was going to put it in the mail for me (free of shipping charge of course). Upon purchase confirmation, I asked her: "Sally, do you have "Cookin' with the Miles Davis Quintet?" Now stupid me, I knew she had it but apparently thought I needed to shoot myself in the foot.

Sally quickly shot back "Do I have Cookin'? Are you asking if I have Cookin'? Of course I have Cookin' and you know that I would send it to you without shipping." Of course I knew this, this was Sally I was dealing with, not some FYE amateur. But of course I had to take my lecture from her in always a constant reminder of her supremacy in my music acquiring life.

Sally was true to her word and my CDs soon arrived. She is a doll and one of the most educated people on the jazz scene. She once lectured me about a remark I made about Sonny Rollins (it was a good remark! Apparently not good enough)

She is always quick to give you a little sass and upon my first trip to her store as a gift from my wonderful girlfriend I received my first of many moments of Sally's charm. The nice part about it was the consolation prize was a free Monk album. My girlfriend commented on the car ride home how she is my kindred spirit.

Anyway I want to promote her and her business to you all as probably the best place in CT to get any sort of jazz CDs (amongst every other genre as well).

Here's her info

Sally's Place

She doesn't have much of a Website but check this out.

http://westport.patch.com/listings/sallys-place

Photos III

Sonny Rollins.

Tuesday Album Cover

Power Hours, The Devil, and More.

So many ways to make music effective in your life, I have found power hours to be enjoyable and a great way to show off your CD collection.

Power Hours can be the ultimate mix tape. When you take time to splice together different songs at 60 second intervals you can get pretty creative. I have experienced power hours paying homage to different decades or even the original versions of songs that are sampled by rap and hip hop artists.

Either way you look at it, when you mix beer and music it is always a good time, but every once in a while you need to go above and beyond.

i salute you Power Hour.

Weekend in Review

Greetings Folks!

I am writing to you via my blackberry for my first complete mobilized edition here at Some Other Stuff. So much to tell, I hope I manage to get it all out coherently.

As I type this I am accompanied by a very cute brunette in a purple over coat, who I believe have mentioned before as proof that girlfriends can like jazz. You just have to look in the right record shop.

We are on the 11:22pm train back to New Haven after a short but amazing trip to the Jazz Standard to see the anticipated Jeremy Pelt Quintet.

With headphones on I ponder how to type what's on my mind when my mind has been completely melted by JP & Co.

The anticipation of this night has been orchestrated by the release of Pelt's newest album "Men of Honor" on Highnote Records. I haven't been able to listen to the whole CD so far but I have to say what an excellent release. This group has matured and developed so much over the last 2 years its amazing. Their 2008 release "November" was a great album. With all the tunes penned by Pelt, I loved it but was still stuck/obsessed with Pelt's 2005 release "Identity." I saw the quintet play at Smalls last winter which you can read a review on the blog in the '09 section.

This was a whole new band. A band that clearly has been working hard together. The album is a mix of originals written by all the band members. Their sound is uncanny similar to the second great quintet of Miles Davis from the 1960's. The tunes have a sense of freedom and cerebral attentiveness that some bands never reach. I myself hope to aspire to such a level.

That being said, tracks that stood out to me were Us/Them and Danny Mack. Both written by the leader that have that vibe stated before. The album opens with "Backroad" a Herbie Hancockian swinging number that reminds me of "Maiden Voyage" just sped up. We stayed for 2 sets and got to hear all 3 tunes live.

What stuck out was the bands' performance of "November's" Phoenix. With Pelt trading with tenor saxophonist J.D. Allen, the face melting began. I could hardly contain myself... I was on the brink of screaming in the middle of it, good thing my Jack Daniels mixed with Lemonade was sweet enough to cool me down.

The band sounded tight and the sheer definition of perfection, I recommend them to any fan of excellent music.


So on to other news, I am looking forward to two projects that are on the way to being full fledged gigging groups. One is the Dharma Bums, a ska-jazz ensemble.

I grew up in the ska scene. My first experiences playing with bands were ones that included your typical punk band with members of the marching band added as a perky-nerdy version of music. While in this scene I grew to love punk, hardcore and most importantly roots ska and rocksteady.

Now despite what people say ska is excellent music, and let's set the story straight: Reggae came from Ska. Not the other way around.

So then what is Ska?

Ska in its truest form is a blend of Jamaican music fused with American R&B from the 1950's and 60's.

Its an up beat form of music that can swing, groove and skank all at once. Think of it as Jamaica's version of funk.

It wasn't untill the British in the late 70's who mixed it with punk did we get the ska most people are familiar with today. That kind is called two-tone and a whole other story all together.

So in 2006 I started a band by writing tunes and briefly working with the Dave Hilyard Rocksteady 7. In that 7 I was able to learn a good deal about tune orchestration and beat production. I added these ideals to several of my own compositions but never could get the band past an ever changing line up and difficulty getting legit gigs.

So in 2010 as the new year rolled around I decided I was going to make this happen. With a whole new line up, new tunes and a better image of what this band should be, I am looking forward to our first rehearsal in Febuary.

If you are interested in listening and furthering your interests check out anything by:
The Skatalites
Tommy McCook
The Ethiopians
The Slackers
Dave Hilyard and the. Rocksteady 7

Weekend in Review

Greetings Folks!

I am writing to you via my blackberry for my first complete mobilized edition here at Some Other Stuff. So much to tell, I hope I manage to get it all out coherently.

As I type this I am accompanied by a very cute brunette in a purple over coat, who I believe have mentioned before as proof that girlfriends can like jazz. You just have to look in the right record shop.

We are on the 11:22pm train back to New Haven after a short but amazing trip to the Jazz Standard to see the anticipated Jeremy Pelt Quintet.

With headphones on I ponder how to type what's on my mind when my mind has been completely melted by JP & Co.

The anticipation of this night has been orchestrated by the release of Pelt's newest album "Men of Honor" on Highnote Records. I haven't been able to listen to the whole CD so far but I have to say what an excellent release. This group has matured and developed so much over the last 2 years its amazing. Their 2008 release "November" was a great album. With all the tunes penned by Pelt, I loved it but was still stuck/obsessed with Pelt's 2005 release "Identity." I saw the quintet play at Smalls last winter which you can read a review on the blog in the '09 section.

This was a whole new band. A band that clearly has been working hard together. The album is a mix of originals written by all the band members. Their sound is uncanny similar to the second great quintet of Miles Davis from the 1960's. The tunes have a sense of freedom and cerebral attentiveness that some bands never reach. I myself hope to aspire to such a level.

That being said, tracks that stood out to me were Us/Them and Danny Mack. Both written by the leader that have that vibe stated before. The album opens with "Backroad" a Herbie Hancockian swinging number that reminds me of "Maiden Voyage" just sped up. We stayed for 2 sets and got to hear all 3 tunes live.

What stuck out was the bands' performance of "November's" Phoenix. With Pelt trading with tenor saxophonist J.D. Allen, the face melting began. I could hardly contain myself... I was on the brink of screaming in the middle of it, good thing my Jack Daniels mixed with Lemonade was sweet enough to cool me down.

The band sounded tight and the sheer definition of perfection, I recommend them to any fan of excellent music.


So on to other news, I am looking forward to two projects that are on the way to being full fledged gigging groups. One is the Dharma Bums, a ska-jazz ensemble.

I grew up in the ska scene. My first experiences playing with bands were ones that included your typical punk band with members of the marching band added as a perky-nerdy version of music. While in this scene I grew to love punk, hardcore and most importantly roots ska and rocksteady.

Now despite what people say ska is excellent music, and let's set the story straight: Reggae came from Ska. Not the other way around.

So then what is Ska?

Ska in its truest form is a blend of Jamaican music fused with American R&B from the 1950's and 60's.

Its an up beat form of music that can swing, groove and skank all at once. Think of it as Jamaica's version of funk.

It wasn't untill the British in the late 70's who mixed it with punk did we get the ska most people are familiar with today. That kind is called two-tone and a whole other story all together.

So in 2006 I started a band by writing tunes and briefly working with the Dave Hilyard Rocksteady 7. In that 7 I was able to learn a good deal about tune orchestration and beat production. I added these ideals to several of my own compositions but never could get the band past an ever changing line up and difficulty getting legit gigs.

So in 2010 as the new year rolled around I decided I was going to make this happen. With a whole new line up, new tunes and a better image of what this band should be, I am looking forward to our first rehearsal in Febuary.

If you are interested in listening and furthering your interests check out anything by:
The Skatalites
Tommy McCook
The Ethiopians
The Slackers
Dave Hilyard and the. Rocksteady 7

Right in our own back yard.

After graduating graduate school in the spring of 2008, I was looking for 2 very different things. A job and a new outlet to perform music and meet like minded musicians in the New Haven area. My search actually did not take too long when I stumbled across the New Haven Improvisors Collective.

Aside from a catchy name I was intrigued at the roster of musicians that were under the members section of their website. Every instrument ranging from drums to theramin was listed. What more could I ask for!! The site said that the collective was dedicated to playing and promoting artistic music in CT....I was sold.

I quickly emailed the head of the organization and was happy that a simple email was all it took and that I was welcomed to any meeting I choose. Meetings are the last Monday of the month at Never Ending Books on State Street in New Haven.

I showed up to my first meeting in the summer of 2009 and had no idea what to expect. I remember the first group of members I met were a few guitarists, a guy playing the boom box a la John Cage and an accordian player. The meeting was run by the collectives leader: Bob Gorry, a guitarist with a very broad and open minded interest in music. He certainly impressed me when he mentioned seeing Sex Mob back in the day when they had a regular gig at Tonic.

The way in which we jammed was even more impressive. Instead of just playing 'free,' we played using a series of patterns based on meter, role, harmony and rhythm that were set up from Bob's leadership. Alot of free music can get very terrible very fast without any sort of direction and this group was well led and the players really listened to each other.

Well the collective had its 12th edition of what it calls the Uncertainty Music Series last weekend at Never Ending Books. There were two sets made up two groups Bob randomly through together. (he used the roster of members that said they would play and broke them into two groups.) Each member had to contribute 1 tune to the performance and without rehearsing both groups played amazing sets of music. It was quite honestly one of the most creative gigs I have ever played. Both sets were mind blowing. Full of intensity and creativity. My group was made up of accordian/clarient/acoustic guitar/electric guitar/tenor sax/drums and trumpet. We opened with my original that i play with my acoustic and electric outfits, "Cylon Stare." I was blown away by the performance. I really had no idea what to expect and was met with a band of musicians who took my tune to a whole new level. (i'm hoping to get a recorded copy soon.)

The New Haven Improvisors Collective is always welcoming new members. Anyone interested should contact Bob Gorry at info@nhic-music.org.

This Past Weekend in Review 1/9/10-1/10/10

Hey Folks,

Once again another Sunday night is upon us. I'm sure everyone is spending these next few moments getting everything ready for the week ahead. If not I hope regardless you all had a very pleasant weekend, I know I did.

With the company of two fellow Jazz Enthusiasts, I went to the NYC Winter Jazz Festival. The event took place over the course of the weekend at numerous venues in the West Village around the Bleecker Street neighborhood. Such venues as Le Poussian Rouge, The Bitter End, Kenny's Castaways, Sullivan Hall and Zinc Bar were the places to be this past weekend showcasing some of the hippest acts in jazz today.

My favorite part: 2 days of music for $30 and essentially every act was someone on the 'working eschelon' of the current jazz scene. By that I mean, the roster was made up of some of jazz's most talent unknowns, but artists who are in the trenches everyday working hard to get their music heard.

There was music of all kinds in the jazz world available. (most i'm sure a certain Lincoln Center Director would not approve of as "jazz").

Friday night was primarily focused on more 'out' music such as Jamie Saft and Whoopie Pie. A group of Saft on organ with drums and tenor saxophone. I really enjoyed this group alot. The performance was comprised from what I could tell two tunes of droning intense group improvisation. The sax was brash and lyrical while the keys were a mix of what seemed all the jazz school put together. Bluesly triplets were matched with Herbie Hancock-ian atonality. The drums were energetic and unrelentless. I loved this group. Jamie Saft's playing is so broad its quite hard to categorize him. He can be heard on numerous recordings such as playing a jazz vibe on a Masada book of angels album, his Bob Dylan tribute or his most recent release on Tzadik label: a death metal album.

The second night was the money maker. Every 15 minutes in the neighborhood a jazz act was beginning their set and the first set at Kenny's Castaways was by far the most surprising act of the weekend. The group was Oran Etkin and his band. Etkin, a reeds player, played some of the most badass clarinet playing I've ever heard. His altissimo range was so clear and fluid Benny Goodman himself would have been in awe. His band was made up of African Percussionists ranging from djembe to a wooden (home made) marimba and some kind of 'shell-drum'. It looked like a huge salad bowl turned upside down, hit with the fist and tapped with the fingers. I have no idea what this instrument is called but it sounded amazing. What grooves!! I was all smiles and happy feet listening to this group. check out the band at joe's pub: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlpjUR0tC28 Fans of Lionel Loueke and other African music will love this group.

Vijay Iyer Trio was of course outstanding. Probably the most anticipated group, I myself bought his new album just based on the fact that it was on so many reviewers must get lists, was definitely feeling the pressure of the hype they have created for themselves. Unfortunately I had to run half way through the set so I could check the Ambrose Akinmusire Quintet. I haven't listened to too much of Ambrose but really dig his playing on Danny Grissett's new album "Form."

There were so many great acts this festival in retrospect I can't believe it. Usually the festivals I've gone to there are so many terrible acts that clog up a good weekend.

Jazz is not dead....

..it just changed the secret handshake.

Happy New Year!!!

Hey Folks!!

Welcome back to a new year in blogdom. I hope everyone had a very nice and relaxing holiday, and I hope everyone out there was able to be blessed with the insane amount of music that I myself recieved this holiday.

Now first things first: I have, like my people out there have wondered what to call this new year "twenty-ten" "two thousand ten" who knows...but I myself feel that Twenty ten sounds too futuristic, like the human race should be fighting our robot oppressors or something.....not to forget the flying cars and hover boards...laser-pulse rifles...extraterrestrial citizens, cyborgs, mutants, etc, etc, etc...I also like this think of the new year as '010...well because 01-09 made sense and I don't remember what we called "2000" (probably just "2000") so I think '010 has a good ring to it and it still works...."Oh-Ten" Try it.

With the new year, I have been thinking about special features for the blog and giving them snazzy names to make this blog more 'official' If you are a regular reader, I doubt I have any of those, please spread the word. Some of the special features will be:

A Classic Revisted- a review\debate of an album 25 years or older.

The Vinyl Bin- Vinyl and all its wonders

Guest Bloggers

so on, so forth.

Anyway, I hope that this year will be a successful one for what I do here.

Now onto current events:

I still haven't decided if I will boycott Wynton Marsalis completely or not. I know I should just accept what Mr. Marsalis did and his blatant disrespectful actions to all musicians, but his seeking out an angry spectator at a Spanish Jazz Festival still very much erks me. If you have no idea what I am talking about, google or just plan old search anything that has recently been associated with Wynton or the Jazz Police. You can see what I posted about the manner on Green Leaf Music (www.greenleafmusic.com). Wynton has always been a very conservative, biased and sometimes irrational minded musician and as much as he has the right to say and think what he says and thinks, I feel insulted as a musician and as a fan of jazz at his constant slams at what he thinks is not real or legitimate jazz.

On a lighter note, I hope everyone will have the best of times this year to come. Stay tuned for more reviews and topics to come this week and through out the year.