Music
Philadelphia haps
All in the current Philadelphia Weekly (with minor modifications): AlasNoAxis Wed., June 24, 8pm. $12. Philadelphia Art Alliance, 251 S. 18th St. 215.545.4302 www.arsnovaworkshop.com Jim Black, a pillar of New York’s avant-jazz scene for some 15 years, has developed one of the most identifiable drumset approaches in all of music, his dry thuds and thwacks stirring up a riot of
Clarinets
I’ll make a point of going to hear Israeli clarinet whiz Anat Cohen during her ambitious two-week stand at the Vanguard, June 23-28 and then June 30-July 5. The 3 Cohens band is really nice but I’ll have to prioritize and hear Anat next week with Benny Green on piano (saw him with Blakey at Sweet Basil’s in the mid-’80s),
Amir ElSaffar-Hafez Modirzadeh
With Iranian culture and diaspora much in the news, it was a good time to hear Bay Area tenor saxophonist Hafez Modirzadeh (right) in a collaboration with New York-based Iraqi-American trumpeter Amir ElSaffar (left), last Friday at Alwan for the Arts. (Note: photo is from an earlier gig, elsewhere.) The two have developed an extraordinary language that draws on Iraqi
The week on disc (45)
In case you missed the last one… Bobby Broom, Plays for Monk (Origin) Avram Fefer, Ritual (Clean Feed) Carl Maguire’s Floriculture, Sided Silver Solid (Firehouse 12) Joe Locke-David Hazeltine Quartet, Mutual Admiration Society 2 (Sharp Nine) Arthur Kell Quartet, Victoria: Live in Germany (BJURecords) Profound Sound Trio (Andrew Cyrille/Paul Dunmall/Henry Grimes), Opus De Life (Porter)
JJA Jazz Awards – special report
My JJA colleagues and I have produced a special edition of Jazz Notes, available to members and non-members, reporting on the just-concluded 2009 Jazz Awards. PDF available here.
Live music in brief
A quick word about Jason Kao Hwang‘s outstanding Spontaneous River premiere, which kicked off the final night of the Vision Festival on Monday. Over 25 string players, including a battalion of unplugged acoustic guitars and six double bassists, plus drums. Sort of a Messiaen-meets-Bitches Brew affair, with truly funky passages but lots of slow, strangely mutating and shimmering harmony, as
On Dave Douglas
My preview of Dave Douglas & Brass Ecstasy (Jazz Standard, June 18-21), in the current Time Out New York.
Jazz Awards
Reminder: The JJA Jazz Awards are tomorrow. I’m up for Blog of the Year (thank you colleagues, readers). Incidentally, the Marsalises and Michelle Obama held a big jazz summit at the White House today. My colleague John Murph was there and should have a report up soon. Thought I’d link again to my recent Z Word piece on jazz and