Music
Smalls live archive
There’s a substantial live audio archive at the Smalls website. You’ll want to explore at length. Myself, I began with this bruising Seamus Blake set from February 6, featuring Lage Lund and David Kikoski.
Sun Ra redux
Here’s the pdf of my Sun Ra feature in the Inquirer. Front-page, above-the-fold spread in Tuesday Magazine section, not bad at a time when the Inquirer (and Philadelphia Daily News) are in Chapter 11. [PS — I’ve also put up pdf’s of some other Inquirer features, on Return to Forever, Sci Fi Philly, Elliott Levin, Danilo Perez and Orrin Evans.]
On Tom Harrell
This review appears in the May 2009 issue of All About Jazz-New York. — Tom HarrellPrana Dance (HighNote) David R. Adler Following up his 2007 HighNote effort Light On, trumpeter Tom Harrell continues to document his original compositional voice, and uncommonly tight working band, with Prana Dance. Again we hear the youthful, hungry lineup of tenor saxophonist Wayne Escoffery, pianist
Live music in brief
In particular, back-to-back shows at Merkin Concert Hall this week: Spectral aesthetics The term “new music,” or New Music, connotes a family of sounds, a cadre of living composers, but on Tuesday, May 5 it also simply meant new. There were three U.S. premieres on the bill and one New York premiere, focusing on figures within the so-called spectral movement.
OffOnOff
In the current Philadelphia Weekly: OffOnOffSun., May 10, 8pm. $10. With Tim Albro/Forbes Graham Duo, Gun Muffs. Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford Ave. 215.739.9684 www.johnnybrendas.com Since late 2006, OffOnOff has been summoning the sounds of hell in an inspired, interactive way. Guitarist Terrie Ex hails from the Dutch experimental rock group The Ex; electric bassist Massimo Pupillo is one-third of
On Darcy James Argue
My review of Darcy James Argue & Secret Society, Infernal Machines, in the current Time Out New York. They’re at Galapagos on May 8.
On Sun Ra
I have a feature on “Pathways to Unknown Worlds,” an exhibition of early Sun Ra art and memorabilia, in today’s Philadelphia Inquirer. I’ll scan and post the pdf shortly. My draft contains a reference to the Don Letts film Sun Ra: Brother From Another Planet. Unfortunately, the word “The” was appended during editing. So now my story points readers to John Sayles’s 1984
And the nominees…
for Blog of the Year, 2009 JJA Jazz Awards, are … Secret Society, Do the Math, Jazz Beyond Jazz, Jazz Chronicles, Jazz Lives, Jazzwax and, last but not least, Lerterland. Thank you, colleagues, for the honor, and see you at the Awards.