Bill Evans ft. John Medeski, Eric Krasno & More
Famed saxophonist Bill Evans is indisputably one of the greats. Next month he will be bringing his Soulgrass project to the Blue Note for a week-long run featuring John Medeski, Eric Kranso, John Popper, and Jake Cinninger. They will be performing 2/26 through 3/3 with sets at 8pm and 10:30pm.
John Medeski & The B3: Heavier Than You Thought
There are incredible things that can be done with digital technology, but the innovation of something else seems like a waste of time to me. What’s fascinating is how we can use all of this stuff as instruments to create something we hear in our heads that we can’t get any other way. Or something we feel, something coming from us. Why not, you know?
Feature Media: Medeski, Martin, & Wood “Doppler”
Famed trio Medeski, Martin, and Wood have announced the release of a new album entitled “Free Magic” due out September 25, 2012 on the band’s label Indirecto Records. The recordings document their first-ever acoustic tour which took place in 2007.
Spectrum Road featuring Cindy Blackman-Santana, Jack Bruce, John Medeski & Vernon Reid
As part of the Blue Note Jazz Festival, Spectrum Road will be performing at BB King’s Blues Club on June 29th at 8pm. Part tribute to Tony Allen, part all-star collaboration, the group is named for the 1969 Lifetime album Emergency! The band released their debut album earlier this month.
Winter JazzFest Recap
This weekend saw jazz fans converge on downtown Manhattan for what could be the most unpretentious, unassuming, realistic glimpse at some of the pioneers of the modern jazz scene. Forget the sit-down venues with unrealistic cover charges and the maître d’s who demand an unrealistic ambiance of clap-clap silence. The Winter JazzFest, presented by Boom Collective and Search & Restore, allowed for an array of artists, both well-known and up-and-coming, to be featured in a setting more conducive to spreading the life and energy of modern jazz.
Either/Orchestra Celebrates 25 Years
Either/Orchestra is a peculiar name for a big band, but so are the players. Comprised of 10 musicians led by Rus Gershon (leader/saxophonist/composer), the quirky, sometimes otherworldly, sometimes very earthly, yet otherwise psychedelic group that meanders through the cultures of the African Diaspora to acid rock, will be celebrating 25 years on February 11th at Le Poisson Rouge. With John Medeski, and Teshome Mitiku, amongst others, this is sure to be an explosive show.
Stephanie Rooker and the Search Engine Release Party
“It’s all soul music, because it comes from the soul” was one of Stephanie Rooker’s departing messages on the night of her release party. From the politically determinant beat boxer Chesney Snow, who was backed by a viola/violin/cello string trio, to Kalae All Day’s hip-hop/rock/soul outfit, and the Housing is A Human Right folks who gave a presentation about their collection of stories, Stephanie Rooker and the Search Engine’s album release was a damn-well dazzling celebration of human expression.
