Gary Husband Returns with "Dirty and Beautiful Volume 2"
by E. "Doc" Smith‚
Feb. 03‚ 2012
Multi-dimensional drummer, keyboardist, composer and arranger Gary Husband hits his stride with Dirty & Beautiful Volume 2, his latest release on Abstract Logix Records. Dirty & Beautiful Volume 2 features an explosive all-star line-up of guest musicians such as John McLaughlin, Allan Holdsworth, Jan Hammer, Robin Trower, Jimmy Herring, Wayne Krantz, Mark King, Alex Machacek and Mike Stern.
Dirty & Beautiful Volume 2 does not merely pick up where 2010’s Volume 1 left off. Volume 2 expands upon Husband’s musical vision of creating music that is passionate and sophisticated, yet infused with grit and rawness. The mix of Husband originals and cover tunes are driven by the combination of the dynamic powerhouse drumming, ferocious lead lines and distinctly evocative keyboard harmony that altogether define Husband’s “multiple threat” of a musical voice.
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Paula West and the George Mesterhazy Quartet Comes to the Herbst
by E. "Doc" Smith‚
Jan. 27‚ 2012
Paula West, San Francisco’s favorite jazz singer returns to the Herbst Theatre for one performance only on Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 8:00 p.m. Performing with the noted pianist/arranger George Mesterhazy, (a familiar name to fans of the late, great Shirley Horn), she will perform songs from her new CD, “Live at the Jazz Standard.” The CD features many of West’s best loved tunes never before recorded by her.
A long time resident of San Francisco, West has been a staple of the SF Jazz scene with sold-out, long run engagements at Yoshi’s, the Plush Room, and SF Jazz Performances. She has also performed at the White House; Jazz at Lincoln Center (where she performed with Wynton Marsalis); the legendary Oak Room in Manhattan’s Algonquin Hotel; and top Manhattan jazz clubs; Birdland, the Jazz Standard and The Blue Note where she has built a loyal following. She has won the prestigious Nightlife Award for Outstanding Jazz Vocalist three times. In addition, she has enchanted critics and audiences from coast to coast – and as far away as Tokyo, Athens, Moscow, and Paris.
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Doug Lunn's "Project"
by E. "Doc" Smith‚
Jan. 20‚ 2012
Virtuoso bassist Doug Lunn is best known for his work with some of the world's best groups and musicians; the Fire Merchants, composer Mark Isham, guitarists David Torn, Andy Summers of the Police, the Out Trio, drummer Chad Wackerman plus many others. Lunn's latest release, "The Doug Lunn Project" is a collection of music composed, arranged, produced and performed by Lunn, featuring the mallet work of George Bernardo, drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, guitarists Peter Maunu, Mike Keneally and Dmitri Mahlis. The music draws on a wide range of influences including Zappa, Miles, Stravinski, Coltrane, Stockhausen, Eno, Zawinul, McLaughlin, and many more.
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Kazumi Watanabe Returns with "Tricoroll"
by E. "Doc" Smith‚
Jan. 13‚ 2012
Kazumi Watanabe lives up to his name as the Japan’s world-class, top jazz guitarist. His quick tempo weaves fascinating ad libs and affluent melodies; he has been noted for elaborately combining various performing techniques and infusing rich expressive power to each and every note to create a one-of-a-kind “Kazumi Sound”. He has made the world his stage for over 40 years, transgressing genres and borders to perform with an outstanding number of domestic and international artists. The natural-born improviser also builds a unique world of composition and arrangements, always pioneering frontier instrumental music. After the series of fantastic musical statements with the Mo Bop Trio, Kazumi returns in the same electric format with Janek Gwizdala on bass and Obed Calvaire and Horacio 'El Negro' Hernandez on drums with his latest album, "TRICOROLL".
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Saxophonist Vinny Golia and his Trio Comes to the CMC
by E. "Doc" Smith‚
Dec. 16‚ 2011
Plus Lords of the Outland
As a composer Vinny Golia fuses the rich heritage of Jazz, contemporary classical and world music into his own unique compositions. Also a bandleader, Golia has presented his music to concert audiences in Europe, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and the United States in ensembles varying dramatically in size and instrumentation. Mr. Golia has won numerous awards as a composer, including grants from The National Endowment of the Arts, The Lila Wallace Commissioning Program, The California Arts Council, Meet the Composer,Clausen Foundation of the Arts, Funds for U.S. Artists and the American Composers Forum. In 1982 he created the on-going 50 piece Vinny Golia Large Ensemble to perform his compositions for chamber orchestra and jazz ensembles. The Saturday night, Golia and his trio, featuring Garth Powell on drums/percussion and Matthew Goodheart piano perform at the CMC on Capp Street, as well as the Lords of the Outland.
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The Old Friends Festival Comes to Berkeley
by E. "Doc" Smith‚
Dec. 09‚ 2011
The Old Friends Festival (OFF) highlights the best of the 1990's Bay Area creative music scene with a power packed line-up featuring: the Rova Saxophone Quartet playing a Tribute to Bay Area tenor saxophone great Glenn Spearman, local legend Ralph Carney, Pluto, Pamela Z, Gino Robair's Improvcore Orchestra 3000, Dan Plonsey’s New Monsters, and a re-union of the avant jazz group The Manufacturing of Humidifiers, all in two action-packed nights.
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Allen Clapp and his Orchestra Comes to the Hotel Utah
by E. "Doc" Smith‚
Dec. 02‚ 2011
Plus John Moremen's "Flotation Device"
Producer, singer and songwriter Allen Clapp, the resident genius behind the pop enclave known as Mystery Lawn Records in Sunnyvale, is back, perhaps with his greatest effort to date. Clapp and his lovely partner in crime, bassist Jill Pries have culled the very best minds and musicians in the Mystery Lawn garden shed to flesh out Clapp's latest pop opus, "Mixed Greens". Armed with members of his own "Orange Peels", "The Corner Laughers", William Clere and a host of others to harvest and grow some of the best crops to ever spring from the mind of Clapp, and a very rich and verdant mind it is.
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The Mickey Hart Band Comes to Yoshi's
by E. "Doc" Smith‚
Nov. 18‚ 2011
Mickey Hart is best known for his nearly three decades as an integral part of an extraordinary expedition into the soul and spirit of music, disguised as the rock and roll band the Grateful Dead. As half of the percussion tandem known as the Rhythm Devils, Hart and Bill Kreutzmann transcended the conventions of rock drumming. Their extended polyrhythmic excursions were highlights of Grateful Dead shows, introducing the band’s audience to an ever-growing arsenal of percussion instruments from around the world. Exposure to these exotic sounds fueled Hart’s desire to learn about the various cultures that produced them.
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Jeff Coffin & the Mu'tet Live!
by E. "Doc" Smith‚
Nov. 11‚ 2011
Saxophonist Jeff Coffin and his "Mu’tet", truly defy musical categories, and obliterate musical boundaries with their take-home-with-you compositions, their mind-bending solos and their swirling, danceable odd rhythms and exotic world music influences. Their latest effort is a new "Jeff Coffin & the Mu'tet Live! ", a double CD described as "over the top funky and burning with energy and killer tunes." Coffin & the Mu'tet throw down and bring out the music lover in everyone. The album was released on the Ear Up Records label, and recorded live at SPACE (Chicago/Evanston, IL) and at MOMO'S (Austin, TX) in 2010/2011.
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Concerts at the Cadillac: Wilbur Rehmann Quartet
by Staff Writer‚
Oct. 28‚ 2011
February 6, 2012
