Philly
A tragedy
Philly drummer G. Calvin Weston has lost his 19-year-old son in a hit-and-run. Words fail. Calvin is one of the city’s great characters and musicians, the guy who can fill in at the absolute last minute for Kenny Wollesen in Sex Mob and bring the house down. Ornette Coleman alum, trio mate of Vernon Reid and Jamaaladeen Tacuma, leader of
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.]
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 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
On Reptet/Kevin Valentine
In the current Philadelphia Weekly: ReptetMon., May 4, 8pm. $10. Chris’s Jazz Café, 1421 Sansom St. 215.568.3131 www.chrisjazzcafe.com The six-piece troupe from Seattle posts plenty of video at reptet.com — a good move for a band this much into masks, funny hats and so on. It’s a jokey, visual experience but the music has a core seriousness. Drummer John Ewing,
On Chris Potter/The Thing
In the current Philadelphia Weekly: Chris Potter UndergroundThu., Apr. 23, 8 & 10pm. $25. Chris’s Jazz Café, 1421 Sansom St. 215.568.3131 www.chrisjazzcafe.com With Underground (2006) and Follow the Red Line (2007), saxophonist Chris Potter took an unusual step, leading a quartet with solidbody guitar, Fender Rhodes piano and no bass — a Doors-ish instrumentation that accommodated new turns in advanced
On Jeremy Pelt/Curtis Hasselbring
My previews of Jeremy Pelt (Philadelphia Museum of Art, Apr. 17) and Curtis Hasselbring’s The New Mellow Edwards (The Rotunda, Apr. 16), in the current Philadelphia Weekly.
On Big Monday
My preview of Big Monday (Tritone, April 13), in the current Philadelphia Weekly.