The Boston Phoenix
January 1 - 8, 1998

[1998 Preview]

| clubs by night | bands in town | club directory | pop concerts | classical concerts | reviews | hot links |

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.
[Music Footer]