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