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"What I get curious about is when critics in the media, as well as musicians, tend to look down upon those who retain jazz's fundamentals, while they celebrate loudly those who consciously choose not to swing and not to even acknolwledge the blues." - Doug Wamble

Friday, 13 December 2013

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Pleased and flipped 8: Memories of the Artists' Quarter: Adam Meckler, John Scherrer, Jaleel Shaw

Written by Pamela Espeland
Adam Meckler©Andrea Canter Eighth in a series. See also JT Bates, Dave Kunath, Bryan Nichols; Andrea Canter, Doug Haining, Cory Wong; Brad Bellows, Don Berryman, Dave King; Chris Bates, Steve Kenny, Andrés Prado; Laura Caviani, Pat Courtemanche, Rick Germanson; Matt Peterson, Greg Skaff, Brandon Wozniak; Pat Mallinger, Nathan Norman, Jeremy Walker. After almost 20 years in St. Paul – first on Jackson Street in Lowertown, then in the Hamm Building near Rice Park – the esteemed and beloved Artists’ Quarter jazz club will close January 1. As we near the end of a jazz era, we’re asking musicians (and a few others) whose lives have been shaped by experiences at the AQ to share their three favorite memories of the place, the people, and the music.
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Tuesday Night Band Returns for One Last AQ Gig, December 14th

Written by Andrea Canter, Contributing Editor

Tuesday Night Band©Andrea Canter

It's one of the iconic stories of the Artists Quarter. The longest-running gig at St Paul club, the Tuesday Night Band was synonymous with “B-3 Organ Night” for over 15 years. And over that time, the AQ’s Tuesday nights often meant guest artist sit-ins, sometimes unexpected, including Joey DeFrancesco, Steve Miller, Jim Rotondi and members of Cirque du Soleil, as well as scheduled guests like Sue Orfield and Debbie Duncan. Ending their long weekly run in early 2012, the trio of “Downtown” Bill Brown, Billy Franze and Kenny Horst has reunited a few times, and now makes a final appearance on Saturday (December 14), part of the AQ's month-long finale before after the New Year's Eve party.

Written by Andrea Canter, Contributing Editor

Lucia Newell©Andrea Canter

Jazz at Studio Z, a monthly series curated by Zacc Harris, continues this weekend when Lucia Newell serves as the series' first vocalist. Lucia and her quintet (Phil Aaron, Zacc Harris, Jeff Bailey and Joe Pulice) perform at 7 pm on Saturday, December 14th, following a free workshop at 6 pm on "Song and Lyric Writing: Emerging, Unfolding, Transpiring." Studio Z (#200) in Lowertown St Paul is the home of the Zeitgeist music ensemble, and monthly on Saturdays, the home of JASZ.

Written by Andrea Canter, Contributing Editor

Laura Caviani©Andrea Canter

A busy performer and educator, pianist Laura Caviani is also a prolific arranger and composer who is as likely to reinvent Thelonious Monk as JS Bach. Back in 2007, she revisited favorite holiday carols from a jazz perspective for a recording played in Target Stores and Marbles: The Brain Store during the holiday seasons. Now, with Gordy Johnson and Joe Pulice, the music has been re-recorded for wider distribution, yielding Holly, Jolly and Jazzy, to be celebrated at the Artists Quarter on Friday, December 13th.

Buika at SFJazz Center December 12-15

Written by Ronaldo Oregano
Concha Buika Creating a fusion with flamenco, jazz, and soul, Buika is one of the most dynamic, individualistic vocalists on the scene today. On her latest album La Noche Más Larga, long-time collaborators like bass player Alain Pérez, Spanish guitarist Juan José Suárez “El Paquete”, trumpeter Carlos Sarduy and and percussionist Israel Suárez “El Piraña” were joined by some of New York's strongest and most progressive Latin jazz musicians like drummer Dafnis Prieto, bass player John Benítez, and percussionist Pedrito Martínez, forming a top-flight combo with the chops and imagination to match the singer's disregard for genre boundaries. Buika will appear with Ivan "Melon" Lewis on piano and Ramon Suárez Escobar on cajon at the SFJazz Center's Miner Auditorium on Thursday, December 12th through Sunday, December 15th.
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Fred Hesch at the Jazz Showcase, December 12-15

Written by Ronaldo Oregano
Fred Hersch © Andrea Canter An artist of unbounded imagination, ambition and skill, Fred Hersch is, as Downbeatmagazine aptly declared, "one of the small handful of brilliant musicians of his generation." In addition to his more than three-dozen recordings as a leader/co-leader, his numerous awards include a 2003 Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship for composition, and a Grammy® nomination for Best Instrumental Composition, as well as five Grammy® nominations for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance. 6-time Grammy nominee Hersch has featured himself as either a solo performer or at the helm of varied small ensembles, which in addition to his trio, include a quintet, as well as his "Pocket Orchestra" featuring an unconventional line-up of piano, trumpet, voice and percussion. Considered to be the most prolific and celebrated solo jazz pianist of his generation., Fred Hesch brings his trio to the Jazz Showcase in Chicago on Thursday, December 12th through Sunday, December 15th.
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Legendary drummer and NEA Jazz Master Chico Hamilton Dies at 92.

Written by Ronaldo Oregano

“I'm happy to say that I'm able to find people wherever I go that are not black, not white- they're just human beings. I don't dig staying in one groove. At this stage of my life, I've dedicated myself to playing what I want to play, how I want to play it, for the rest of my time. Regardless of whether one might like it or one might not like it. That's where I am, where I've been and where I intend to stay.” - Foreststorn ‘Chico’ Hamilton

Chico Hamilton, photo by Glen DiCrocco

Foreststorn ‘Chico’ Hamilton died on Monday, November 25, 2013, in New York City at the age of 92. Chico Hamilton is not only a subtle, creative drummer, but also a skillful bandleader who continually discovers talented newcomers. Hamilton’s ensembles were a breading ground for talent, with Paul Horn, Eric Dolphy, Ron Carter, Gabor Szabo, Charles Lloyd, Larry Coryell & Arthur Blythe and countless others having made their names with Hamilton, and a wide array of musicians credit Hamilton and his music as an influence, including Carlos Santana, Charlie Watts, Joe Claussell, Jose James, Mark de Clive-Lowe and Thievery Corporation.

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