6 posts tagged “jazz”
I went to go see my favorite local jazz band last week at Yoshis... Steve Lucky and Carmen Getit. It has been quite awhile since I had the opportunity to see them, and let me say, they didn't disappoint. They have added a few new members since the last time I saw them. Their new tenor sax man is just blazing hot. Man can that guy blow! Of course, in a band like this, every player has to be top notch... and they are. Everybody just trades off soloing throughout the night, so you really get a sense of each players style and voice.
This was a record release party for the band, and it sure was fun. Steve and I went to see them a few years ago at a very small venue and got to sit and talk with the band between sets. Way back then they were talking about an album that they were working on. So I guess this thing has been in the works for a long time. The CD has a lot of tracks on it, and it sure does seem like some have been on the shelf for awhile. Not that it is bad, but you can tell that there is different production on some of the songs. Nevertheless, the album is very good. Here are a few tracks:
Though the album is really good, like any good jazz band, they really are best live. Only on the stage, with a live audience, do you get the sort of sponenety and fun that makes this kind of jazz so great. Not to mention the nuance and power that comes from getting blasted by a pounding piano rythm or a phalanx of horns. Here are some videos I found to give you an idea of what their shows are like. You really need to hear the amazing boogie-woogie piano work by Steve Lucky in the first video, it is incredible!
Today has just been a hard bop kind of day. I've been rippin out the 60's jazz all day. Here are a few killer tracks for your enjoyment...
I love soul music. The thing is, though there are tons and tons of great vintage soul records that I have still not heard, it ain't like those bands are touring anymore. You just don't get too much great soul music in the great 60's style coming out anymore. That time has passed, unfortunately. The term "neo-soul" is just just something that holds no meaning for me. Most of the stuff that is dubbed soul nowdays is just packaged overproduced garbage.
My buddy Steve, who is for sure a much more gigantic fan of the soul told me to listen to the new album by Amy Winehouse. I gave it a half listen, but it didn't really grab me. After another prod from him, I sat down and gave the whole album a serious listen. Holy crap, that is some really good stuff. It is an excellent blend of new styles, with still being true to the old sound that made those 60's records so great. She also has a nod to some of the great jazz singers in there, and you can hear it in her vocal style. Her singing is awesome, and the lyrics are great too. Now, it seems like her song "Rehab" is getting serious play on the radio, so she might get some big time exposure. I hope that this doesn't cause her next album to be radio-friendly crap... However, this album is just great.
Now one thing I'd like to mention about her. She's from the UK. Most people in the US don't know this, but the great dance songs from the 60's soul era never really died in Britain, like it did here. That stuff is still in the record stores, and still gets played in some clubs. So given that, it is totally understandable that someone from there can come out with a new album that has this strain of music in it... in a way that is probably not likely to come out from the US.
I really love jazz. There are so many different styles of jazz out there, but honestly, my interest really focuses on a few jazz genres. My favorite of them all is the "hard bop" era, which was mainly from the late '50's to the late 60's. After that, jazz is mostly dead to me...
One of my favorite jazz albums is Kenny Burrell's "Midnight Blue". Burell is a jazz guitarist, and there really were not too many jazz guitarists at this time who were front men. Most were backup musicians, like a bass player or drummer would be. Burrell is just amazing though, I really dig his style. He has these amazing fills which just blow me away, which is the kind of thing that a backing musician would have a lot of experience with, but he also has such a light touch with the melodies. Mostly though, he really swings. You can really feel the spirit of the older jazz in this album, and Burrell just swings like crazy. My favorite track is one that I don't think was even on the original album, "K Twist".
Curses to you Bay Area, and all of your musical goodness! There are so many good shows coming up, that I don't know which to go to. Perhaps I should go to them all...
I already have tickets to:
Scissor Sisters, Warfield, Sat Sept 30
Billy Bragg, Great American, Thurs Oct 5
I would like to go to:
Deke Dickerson, Ivy Room, Saturday, Aug 30th
Hepcat, Great American, Saturday Sept 2
Feist, Fillmore, Friday Sept 8
Southern Culture on the Skids, Great American, Friday Sept 15
Starsailor, Great American, Thurs Sept 28
Kean, Greek Theater, Sun Oct 8
Wynton Marsalis, Zellerbach, Wed Oct 25
