RAHMAT SHABAZZ: JAZZ NEWS and VIEWS
OCTOBER 2020
Sunday, October 25, 2020, 1PM. Adventures with Wilson presents it’s online “Pajama Brunch: Jazz and Spoken Word”. This month featuring noted poets Aquil Mizan, Colie Aziza, Serena Wills, and musicians George Kenyatta Dudley, and Charles Rahmat Woods. Event will be streamed on Facebook live via the Adventures with Wilson page. (donations accepted)
Livestreaming has taken hold throughout the Jazz world! Traditional clubs and start up venues have started to flood the networks with music content…some better than others…but all welcome, as people struggle to keep the music alive and flowing during this devastating pandemic. We have had mostly positive experiences with these online productions which are many times free or moderately priced (to receive a designated concert link).
NEWS: Blues Alley, Washington DC’s famed Jazz club has not ‘gone out of business’ but it has closed its doors and cancelled all musical performances (live and live streaming) until DC government is able to lift the indefinite moratorium caused by the current Pandemic.
NYC’s Blue Note presents Blue Note Live streaming concerts. Thursday October 15, 2020, 8pm, the great Eddie Palmieri Afro Caribbean Jazz Sextet ($15); Friday October 16, 2020, 8pm, Bassist Ben Williams featuring drummer Marcus Gilmore ($15); Friday October 30, 2020, 8pm, Trio 3 (Oliver Lake, Reggie Workman, Andrew Cyrille, and special guest Vjay Iyer) ($15) (212)-475-8592.
Friday October 23 – Sunday October 25, 2020. Keystone Korner Baltimore presents vibraphonist Roy Ayers in concert! Live show tickets have sold out, but livestream tickets are still on sale. Keystone Korner Baltimore, 1350 Lancaster St, Baltimore MD. (410) 946 6726.
SAVE THIS DATE! November 12-14, 2020. Legendary vocalist Freda Payne (“Band of Gold”) celebrates Ella Fitzgerald at Keystone Korner Baltimore. Live and livestream. Call (410) 946 6726
REVIEW (VIRTUAL): Baltimore’s award winning music venue Andie Muzik Live has presented high quality Jazz and Classical concerts online since at least May. WEAA radio personality Doc Manning mc’d Andie Muzik’s 112th streaming concert on October 7… a wonderful performance by saxophonist David Murray and his “Baltimore quartet” (Lafayette Gilchrist – piano, Herman Burney – acoustic bass, and Eric Kennedy -drums). Murray announced his upcoming new album “Nectar” (on the ‘In Tone’ label out of Austria) and the group proceeded to bless the stage with new selections including “Switching in the Kitchen”, “Adrienne”, and a Bobby Bradford tune “ Woodshed it too”
REVIEW (VIRTUAL): Michael Phillips of Takoma Park (MD) Radio has created a free Facebook livestream series called ‘Yardworks’ featuring Jazz groups performing in neighborhood lawns and backyards. We caught saxophonist Lionel Lyles Quartet performing “Night in Tunisia”, “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy” and Round Midnight”.
REVIEW (VIRTUAL): Contemporary Arts Inc teamed up with Keystone Korner Baltimore to present “Carl Grubbs and The New Generation”. The veteran saxophonist Grubbs (backed up by Justin Taylor on piano, Blake Meister on acoustic bass, and Eric Kennedy on drums) featured up and coming saxophonist/siblings 15 year old Ebban and 16 year old Ephraim Dorsey. The entertaining set included tunes by Cedar Walton, John Coltrane, and Carl Grubbs own “Neptune Suite”.
REVIEW (VIRTUAL): On September 7, New York City’s Arts for Art presented the first of a three day live festival “Artist for a Free World Protest Concerts”. It was outdoors with distance and disinfectant protocols in place. We attended via virtual broadcast on fb and aside from a brief audio hum issue, the live webcast sounded excellent. The first free flowing group was led by saxophonist James Brandon Lewis (Buffalo NY’s own!) with Michael DeBasio - acoustic bass, Kirk Knuffke – trumpet, and Patrick Holmes – clarinet. Next up was a 35 minute spoken word set by Thomas Sayer Ellis (“Delight of Stimulus”), augmented by trombonist Steve Swell and saxophonist James Brandon Lewis. Bassist William Parker and his ‘Celestial Lighthouse’ ensemble (Franciso Mela – drums/percussion, Rob Brown – sax, Darius Jones – sax, Isaiah Barr – sax, and Steve Swell – trombone) gave a nearly hour long performance that opened with intricate improvisations by Mela on drums and vocal chant and Parker on kora and muzette, leading into ensemble solos and original compositions including “By The Way” dedicated to Parker’s encounters with the great Barbara Streisland on the Grand Concourse in the Bronx many years ago.
…that’s it for now…stay safe…Peace…
Charles Rahmat Woods with master drummer Roy Haynes at the Blues Alley (DC)
