Velvet Lounge
The Velvet Lounge is hosting a 5 day long celebration in honor of Fred Anderson's 80th birthday. Lots of great music and all the proceeds will help keep the Velvet's doors open to see another day.
Wednesday, March 18, 8:30pm ($20 in advance)
SET I — Richard Davis & Willie Pickens
SET II (10pm) — Edwin Daugherty/Ari Brown/Dawi Williams/Dushun Mosley with special guests Douglas R. Ewart & Henry Grimes
Thursday, March 19, 8:30pm
SET I — Justin Dillard & the D-O-3-O Organ Trio (Dave Miller & Cliff Wallace) with special guest
Mike Moynihan
SET II (10pm) — Kahil El’ Zabar Trio (Justin Dillard & Junius Paul) with special guest
Ernest Dawkins
Friday, March 20, 9:00pm
SET I — Chicago Clarinet Quartet featuring Jeff Chan, Mwata Bowden, Ed Wilkerson and special guest Jimmy Ellis
SET II (10:30pm) — Tatsu Aoki & Miyumi Project “Big Band Edition” with special guests
Jeff Chan, Ed Wilkerson, Jimmy Ellis, Jeff Parker & Avreeayl Ra
SET III (12am) — Fred Anderson, Jeff Parker, Tatsu Aoki & Chad Taylor
*Record release for the limited edition “official bootleg” cd of the Fred Anderson Trio featuring Tatsu Aoki and Chad Taylor recorded Live at the Velvet Lounge, March 22, 2000, Fred’s 72nd birthday, on Asian Improv Records
Saturday, March 21, 8:00pm
SET I — Ernest Dawkins & the New Horizons Ensemble (Steve Berry, Darius Savage, Isaiah Spencer) with special guest Corey Wilkes
SET II (9:30pm) — Dee Alexander Quartet (Miguel de la Cerna, Harrison Bankhead, Ernie Adams) with special guest Nicole Mitchell
SET III (11pm) — Ari Brown Quartet (Kirk Brown, Yosef ben Israel, Avreeayl Ra) with special guest Pharez Whitted
SET IV (12:30am) — “Jam for Fred” with special guests Hamiet Bluiett, Henry Grimes, Kidd Jordan, Avreeayl Ra & more
*Presenting the First Annual Chicago Creative Excellence in Music Awards. Nominations @ http://chi-creates.tv
Sunday, March 22, 7:00pm Fred Anderson’s 80th Birthday!
SET I — Fred Anderson, Jeff Parker, Harrison Bankhead & Hamid Drake with special guest Kidd Jordan
SET II (8:30pm) — same as above w/ special guests Billy Brimfield, Henry Grimes & Chad Taylor
SET III (10pm) — “Free Jazz Jam” with all above plus surprise special guests
SET IV (11:30pm….) — Isaiah Spencer & the Velvet Jam All-Stars featuring Kevin Nabors, Chris McBride & Junius Paul followed by the Velvet Lounge Jazz Jam….
---Advance Tickets Available at the Velvet Lounge---
Encore Bonus Gig
Wednesday, March 25, 9:30pm:
Immediate Sound Series Tribute @ the Hideout
TWO SETS — Fred Anderson, Harrison Bankhead & Tim Daisy
It was hailed as the return of the prairie prophet.
Fred Anderson made his return to the concert stage on Sunday, choosing to make his comeback with the Great Black Music Ensemble, the AACM big band that has been doing a residency under the direction of Mwata Bowden the first two Sundays of each month at the Velvet Lounge.
That Fred chose to play his first show back with the GBME was emblematic of his dedication to the AACM and the music community at large, a commitment that has manifested itself in myriad ways in Fred's life. He made the decision to stay in Chicago rather than head to NYC as many of his peers did. He's mentored many musicians, nurturing their growth. Most of all perhaps, he's run the Velvet Lounge, a venue that has never made Fred rich but has provided a breeding ground for creative music. His return show with the Great Black Music Ensemble helped to shine a light not only on his return, but also on the band and the organization. Fred Anderson, selfless as always.
The Great Black Music Ensemble swelled to 16 pieces on Sunday (18 if you include conductor Mwata Bowden and special guest soloist Fred Anderson). They try and get as many AACM members as possible involved, but the lineup fluctuates from as few as 7 or 8 to as many as 30 for any given concert. Apart from well known names like Nicole Mitchell and Ed Wilkerson, there are a lot of younger and older musicians who come out to play who don't gig out as much otherwise, so it provides a nice showcase for their playing.
Fred's presence certainly made it a special occasion. The concert began as a 360 degree musical experience, with Fred entering from the back of the room alongside the gentle accompaniment of Isaiah Spencer on drums and the pianist whose name escapes me. Fred's huge, bold sound has to be heard in person to be believed (take note New Yorkers, and don't miss him at the Vision Festival), probably the most powerful tenor sound I've ever heard. He sounded as good as ever as he spun his usual sinewy lines through the Velvet audience.
They played one long set, about an hour and a half, playing material from a Fletcher Henderson chart, to Douglas Ewart's Mars Blues. Fred was featured as a soloist throughout, and he brought the house down each time. It was nice to see Fred honored by the community: the pianist got up and said a few words about how much he meant to the musicians and people around him, and he received several standing ovations during and after the show. The band played great, and you can tell that some of the young players really get a lot from playing with their elders and getting encouragement and feedback from them. After an effusive tenor sax solo, the young Kevin Nabors got a fist-pound of encouragement from Ed Wilkerson, and trumpeter Leon Q turned the ensembles' heads when he started spinning around, playing at them as much as the audience.
I'm a little late on this one, but Tzadik has decided to leave eMusic.
Mwanji has a nice roundup of more blogs for your feed reader.
The American Composers Forum podcast has a cool interview up with Odean Pope, Phillip Schroeder, and Laurie Des Marais. The topic? I'll let them describe:
"What do a jazz sax star, a post-Minimal composer, and a Deep Listener have in common? They once all served on a panel to decide commissioning grants for the American Composers Forum. Here they talk about life on the inside and dispel those tired myths about faceless bureaucrats deciding your future."
An interesting case study of UK Jazz distribution.
The Montreal Gazette has a nice write up about the Suoni Per Il Popolo festival.
I went and saw the Rob Brown Trio with William Parker and Gerald Cleaver on Friday night at the Velvet Lounge. Sometimes I don't have the stamina to write up a full review, and this is one of those times. Briefly, the music was excellent, and they played some very interesting pieces of music written by Mr. Brown for his quartet that includes Craig Taborn, but were altered for the trio format. I had never seen Gerald Cleaver live before and he was absolutely excellent, and had an ease and economy of motion in his drumming that was particularly enjoyable. His rhythmic repoire with William Parker was excellent, and Rob Brown was on fire all night, spitting out intriguing improvisations and leading his compositions with poise.
Last night I had the pleasure of seeing the Craig Taborn Trio at the Velvet Lounge. This was the second night of a two night run at the venue, and only the third performance by this particular lineup as far as I know, the first one occurring as part of the first annual Umbrella Music festival that happened last fall.
The lineup consisted of Craig Taborn on piano (a beautiful baby grand, a rare sight at the Velvet - I'm told Mike Reed was responsible for this - nice touch, Mike), Josh Abrams on bass, Mike Reed on drums, and for the second set only last night, a special and unexpected treat of Nicole Mitchell on flute.
As far as I could tell, insofar as there was no sheet music on stage or tunes called, the music was entirely improvised. If they were playing Mr. Taborn's music, I wouldn't have known anyway since I am unfortunately unfamiliar with his own work as a leader. I only know of his playing through his work with Roscoe Mitchell. Maybe someone could help me remedy that situation by recommending a recording of his.
When three patently patient musicians such as these three convene, the music can sometimes take a while to pick up, and I would say that was the case last night. The first set came to a nice simmer about halfway through, and I was consistently impressed by the sensitive use of dynamics by the group. They had no problem improvising at the level of a whisper or a roar, and their interplay displayed an ethic of close listening. Particularly, I found it compelling the extent to which each of the individual members felt comfortable leading, following, reacting, or acting entirely individually, which led to a wide array of improvisations.
Craig Taborn is a fantastic pianist who covers a lot of ground in the course of one concert. His technique is obviously superb and he references myriad genres and stylistic flourishes with a sense of nonchalance. He found two great partners in his musical endeavor in Josh Abrams, one of my favorite, dare I say up and coming, bassists in Chicago. I don't know if he should be up and coming because in my mind he's already arrived, performing with the likes of Fred Anderson , Nicole Mitchell, Jeff Parker, and many others, in addition to his diverse musical practices with Prefuse 73 and Town & Country. Mike Reed is a member of the aforementioned Umbrella Music group, a tireless advocate and organizer in addition to his excellent drumming and musicianship.
The second set saw the band expand to a quartet with the addition of the definitely-arrived Nicole Mitchell. It was great to see Nicole thrown into the mix here. Her rapport with Craig Taborn was instant, and I would love to see them perform as a duo. Their ideas seemed to meld and compliment immediately, as they took turns leading, following, and generally participating in the music being made.
Nicole's integration of her voice into her flute playing is unparalleled in my listening experiences in this music. She will be singing at one moment and then bring her flute to her mouth and pick up right where the flute playing led off. Sometimes the singing comes almost to a yell (with an excellent sense of pitch, might I add) that brings a sense of catharsis to the proceedings. Who here hasn't wanted to scream out on occasion when listening to some stirring improvisations?
This quartet created some downright otherworldly sounds, and utilized a sense of juxtaposition and contrast throughout the set. At one point, Josh Abrams and Mike Reed held down a minimal groove while Ms. Mitchell and Mr. Taborn spiraled over the top. It was truly sublime music. If the first set simmered, the second set certainly boiled over.
The proceedings were being recorded, I assume for commercial release. I hope that does indeed happen so I can hear what else this group did the night before, and relive some of the thrilling music made last night.
I had the pleasure of seeing Douglas Ewart and Inventions last night at the Velvet Lounge here in Chicago. I've seen this band many times over the years, almost always at the Velvet, and in various configurations. Last night's band was a Septet, featuring: Douglas Ewart on clarinets, sopranino sax, didgeridoo and flute, Ed Wilkerson on tenor and didgeridoo, Mwata Bowden on baritone sax, clarinet, wood flute, and didgeridoo, Dee Alexander on vocals, Duriel Harris on vocals, Darius Savage on bass, and Dushun Mosley on drums.
I've also seen the band as a quintet, an octet, a nonet, and a tentet, with members such as Jeff Parker, Lester Lashley, Hamid Drake, Avreaayl Ra, and Wallace LaRoy McMillan.
Douglas always titles his concerts; last night and the night before were entitled "Good Friend Better Than Pocket Money." Well said Douglas.
The show started off with a quartet of Mwata Bowden, Darius Savage, Dushun Mosley and Duriel Harris taking the stage for a meditative groove that backed the poetry of the lovely Ms. Harris. Mwata played didgeridoo and also used a stick to strike the instrument for percussion, and the Savage/Mosley rhythm section put a nice steady groove behind them.
That segued into a trio of the other three musicians which ended up being a highlight of the show: Douglas Ewart on bass clarinet, Ed Wilkerson on tenor, and Dee Alexander on vocals.
In any case, back to the music: this trio played a truly sublime improvisation. Dee can do incredible things with her voice. With my eyes closed I could have sworn I heard an analog synth of some kind coming from the stage, but indeed it was Ms. Alexander's voice. Ewart and Wilkerson have a deep musical repoire they've cultivated over the years and it showed here as they wove their lines together, creating spontaneous counterpoint with incredible results.
A word about Ed Wilkerson: he's one of my favorite tenor players and hugely underrated for both his own instrumental musical abilities as well as his compositional prowess. His work with his big band, Shadow Vignettes (the subject of a recent documentary, Odd Eye O Mumbo Jumbo) as well as his innovative 8 Bold Souls. He's a fantastic player in the inside/outside tradition, and his tone makes me melt every time. There seems to be no note or phrase that escapes the wrath of his enormous sense of conviction that pervades his stage presence and music. Last night he was on as usual, and he is aging very well musically, fitting into every situation with restraint or boldness depending on the needs of the situation.
Another highlight of the evening was the opener of the second set that had Darius Savage switching to fretless electric bass and turned into a steady rocking, rollicking, marching number with an incredibly catchy melody and fantastic solos by Mwata Bowden on clarinet, Ed Wilkerson on tenor and Mr. Ewart on flute.
The didgeridoo numbers are always a treat for me. All 3 players, Bowden, Wilkerson and Ewart are excellent circular breathers so they can get into some deep trance and grooves which I always enjoy.
The only downside of the evening were the chatty folks behind me who stick out like a sore thumb at the Velvet which is well known amongst regular audience members as a sanctuary for quiet listening.
Douglas Ewart and Inventions will be back at the Velvet in June for two nights to celebrate a CD release of material culled from many appearances at the Velvet, a long overdue document of this band. I have no problem saying that every time I see Inventions I hear something magical happen.
I think I'm going to go back to the Velvet tonight to see the Great Black Music Ensemble big band. Word on the street is that Fred Anderson will make a return to performing after a lengthy hiatus by appearing with the band on June 10th. More details later.
Remainder:
Check out the republished articles from Bells, a '70s music 'zine, being reprinted by the folks at Metropolis [via AMN].
"Part One includes reviews and discussions of the work of Ornette Coleman, Albert Ayler, John Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, Cecil Taylor, Archie Shepp, Sun Ra, Marion Brown, Roscoe Mitchell, Art Ensemble of Chicago, Don Moye, Anthony Braxton, Leo Smith, Oliver Lake, Julius Hemphill, David Murray, and others."
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