Now's the time
The local jazz scene is hopping
by Ed Hazell
For jazz fans in Boston, the good old days are now. Club bookings, concerts,
and university-sponsored events are plentiful this spring. But the real news is
that the local scene has never been stronger.
what's ahead in
| pop |
local music |
jazz |
classical |
| film |
theater |
art |
trends |
predictions |
Zeitgeist Gallery
With performances every Friday night this spring,
Zeitgeist is the center of new improvised music in the Boston area.
Highlights include saxophonists Charlie Kohlhase and Matt Langley (January 23);
saxophone and electronic wizard Neil Leonard and keyboardist Dave Bryant
(January 30); the Eric Zinman Trio plus trombonist Chris Allen (February 5);
trumpeter Greg Kelley duo (February 27); Kobold and Cheap Suit (March 6);
bassist Jon Voight and trombonist Bill Lowe (March 13); the Composer's Ensemble
with trumpeter Raphé Malik and Zinman (April 3); the Pandelis Karygorgis
Trio (April 10); the Hans Poppel Trio (April 17); and a weekend piano festival
(May 15 and 16). This grassroots musician-run series takes place at the
Zeitgeist Gallery, 312 Broadway in Cambridge. Call 965-6026.
Rug Music Series
The Gregorian Rug Galleries 2284 Washington Street,
Newton Lower Falls, hosts a tightly focused Friday series of area ensembles
that fuse ethnic traditions with jazz and classical musics. The line-up
includes Sabana Blanca accompanying Alexander Dovzhenka's 1930 silent film,
Earth (January 23); the Really Eclectic String Quartet (RESQ) (February
20); avant-klezmer sextet Naftule's Dream (March 14); classical-ethnic-jazz
fusion from Excelsior featuring accordionist Evan Harlan (March 20); authentic
klezmer from Shirim Klezmer Orchestra (April 18); a mix of Turkish musics from
the EuraAsia Ensemble (May 1); and Brass Planet (May 1). Call 497-6213.
Big Bands
The Either/Orchestra play every Tuesday in February at the
Lizard Lounge in Cambridge; call 547-0759. At Emmanuel Church, 15 Newbury
Street, the Jazz Composer's Alliance Orchestra present new works by members on
February 1 and compositions by special guest saxophonist Fred Ho on May 10;
call 536-3355.
Regattabar and Scullers
The area's two hotel-based clubs book
nationally-known acts and present a mix of the tried-and-true with some
intriguing debuts. At Scullers, Ray Anderson's intoxicating blues-jazz band,
Lapis Lazuli, featuring Amina Claudine Myers on Hammond B3, should be serious
fun (January 14). Other highlights include the newly reunited Heath Brothers
(January 10 and 11) neo-bop trumpeter Roy Hargrove (February 27 and 28);
cutting-edge Latin-jazz pianist Danilo Pérez (March 13 and 14); and the
Jazz Messengers, saluting their late leader/mentor Art Blakey (April 15). Call
562-4111.
At the Regattabar, returnees include singer Betty Carter (January 29 through
February 1); pianist Tommy Flanagan (February 12, 13, and 14); McCoy
Tyner-Bobby Hutcherson quartet (February 18 through 21); Elvin Jones Jazz
Machine (February 26 through March 1); Eddie Palmieri (March 6 and 7);
trumpeter Tom Harrell (March 26 and 27); and saxophone colossus Sonny Rollins
(March 13) are always good bets. Several newcomers add a dash of spice to the
usual fare, including drummer Pete (LaRoca) Sims's all-star sextet (January 14
and 15); pianist Myra Melford's Same River, Twice quintet featuring trumpeter
Dave Douglas (March 25); tenor saxophonist Odean Pope's trio (March 11); and
the Hamiet Bluiett Baritone Sax Group featuring James Carter (April 14 and 15).
Call 876-7777.
At the schools
Music schools, universities, and colleges in Boston do
an exceptional job supporting jazz. This spring, the New England Conservatory
presents a week-long festival of improvised music ranging from Baroque and
Indian musics to jazz trombonist George Lewis and his improvising computer
program Voyager (March 10); call 536-2412. The Harvard Jazz Band welcome
electric bassist Steve Swallow as their special guest at Sanders Theater on
April 25; call 495-8676. At Berklee, student Kendrick Oliver's New Life Jazz
Orchestra play with guest trumpeters Nicholas Payton and Roy Hargrove; call
266-1400, ext. 261. And at Longy, pianist Fred Hersch performs solo (March 6);
call 876-0956.
Boston Creative Music Alliance
The nonprofit new-music organization
presents bassist Mark Dresser with flautist Mathias Ziegler and a string
quartet (February 7); the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble with new member Ernest
Dawkins and a second percussionist, Aku Harold Murray, joining regulars
trombonist Joe Bowie and leader Kahil el Zabar (February 14); the Gerry
Hemingway quartet (March 27); Other Dimensions in Music featuring trumpeter Roy
Campbell and guest pianist Matthew Shipp (April 24); and Dutch musical
pranksters the Clusone Trio (May 14.) (Full disclosure: the author is a BCMA
board member). Call 868-3172.
Helldorado at the Green St. Grill
The Sunday evening avant-improv
concerts at the Central Square restaurant include a quartet with Chicago
saxophonist Ken Vandermark and Norwegian improviser Matts Gustafson (January
11); violinist Mat Maneri, bassist William Parker, and trumpeter Campbell
(February 15); and guitarist Nels Cline and percussionist Gregg Bendian
interpreting Coltrane's "Interstellar Space" (February 18). Call 497-6202.
|