DC JAZZFEST / AUGUST 31
.jpeg)
Washington, D.C.-based drummer, composer, bandleader and educator Nasar Abadey has been one of the city’s most influential musicians since he arrived there in 1977. A drummer of architectural sophistication and spellbinding syncopation, Abadey’s long side person list includes: Dizzy Gillespie, Gary Bartz, Ella Fitzgerald and Sun Ra. Nasar’s Supernova Chamber Orchestra released Mirage (Amosaya) in 2000 and Diamond in the Rough (CD Baby) in 2010, with a live recording at Blues Alley scheduled for November. The drummer leads a sextet version of Supernova at the festival, featuring pianist Allyn Johnson, bassist James B. King, trumpeter Josh Evans, tenor saxophonist Justin Mendez and alto saxophonist Joe Ford, who, like Nasar, hails from Buffalo, NY. Come to Washington and hear how Nasar’s multidimensional and multidirectional music keeps the nation’s capital under a groove. -EH
Continue Reading...SUNRISE QUARTETROULETTE / SEPTEMBER 1
Adam Rudolph is one of the more celebrated acolytes of the legendary reeds and woodwinds master, Yusef Lateef, who ascended the rarefied realm to near canonization in a manner not unlike that of John Coltrane. Yusef explored the inner sanctum of spirituality, penetrating music's secrets unlike anyone - including 'Trane. Adam is drawn to the same endeavor - that is, penetrating music's secrets – no matter where the music is created, from the New York to the Amazon, from Africa to India. Along the way, he has discovered that no silence exists that is not pregnant with sound. He will present his mystical discoveries with a beckoning array of percussion instruments, together with his Sunrise Quartet, including Japanese percussionist Kaoru Watanabe, keyboardist Alexis Marcelo and cornetist Stephen Haynes. RDG
Continue Reading...SMOKE / SEPTEMBER 4-8
British-born bassist Dave Holland is a renowned composer, bandleader and NEA Jazz Master, who has been a trailblazer for his instrument since the mid-1960s. While playing with his trio at the famed London nightclub Ronnie Scotts, at the youthful age of 22, Miles Davis heard him one night, and was so blown away by his playing that Dave got an immediate job offer to pack up and join Miles’ band. In the blink of an eye, Dave had relocated to NYC, replacing Ron Carter in a supergroup that included Wayne Shorter, Chick Corea and Tony Williams. Like the implicit hierarchy of a high school cafeteria, jazz aficionados often judge a player’s pedigree by the level of musicianship of their peers and bandmates. It doesn’t hurt that Dave has played with the best of them, sharing the stage with the likes of Getz, Jarrett, Monk, and a who’s-who of other legendary musicians. But Dave’s career path has always been driven by his talent, virtuosity, and conceptual vision as a composer. His iconic album Conference of the Birds (ECM, 1972) and subsequent albums with Sam Rivers, as well as his Gateway albums, are considered classics that exerted great influence on others. Dave has worked in such a wide variety of styles, including fusion, free-form experimental and straight ahead, giving the impression of musical evolution without limits. You can hear this maker of jazz history at Smoke September 4 through 8, with Kris Davis on piano, Jaleel Shaw on alto and Nasheet Waits on drums. JZ
Continue Reading...JAZZ FORUM / SEPT 6-7
Jamaican pianist Monty Alexander has been a master of American jazz rhythms and Anglophone West Indian riddims for an astonishing six decades. He grew up idolizing jazz pianists, including Nat King Cole and Ahmad Jamal, and moved to the States in the early ’60s. Thanks to Frank Sinatra’s patronage, Alexander worked with many jazz greats, including Ray Brown, Milt Jackson and Dizzy Gillespie, and recorded over 75 recordings as a leader. In the last thirty years, Alexander incorporated reggae into his jazz repertoire. Alexander comes to the Jazz Forum with bassist Luke Sellick and drummer Jason Brown, playing selections from his latest album, D-Day (PeeWee, 2024), highlighting both the 80th anniversary of the Normandy Landings of June 6, 1944, and his birthday. Come hear the power of Jamaicanized jazz. -EH
Continue Reading...IRIDIUM / SEPTEMBER 8-9
Guitarist Stanley Jordan ranges across a panoply of styles, from straight-ahead and smooth jazz to jazz-rock and country. Stanley’s signature sound is not a style, but a technique known as touching or tapping. Instead of plucking or strumming strings with his right hand while fingering notes and chords with his left hand on the fretboard, Stanley touch-taps strings on the board with the fingers of both hands, much like a pianist plays keys. He’s mastered the touch technique to the point that he can play with surprisingly legato phrasing. At this jazz gig, he’ll be revisiting the room where he jammed with the legendary Les Paul in the 1990s. Stanley also leads bands that pay tribute to rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix and jam-rock band The Grateful Dead. The Stanley Jordan Trio plays the Homestead in Morristown, NJ, September 5, and Jimmy’s Jazz and Blues Club, Portsmouth, NJ, September 6. GK
Continue Reading...DEER HEAD INN / SEPTEMBER 8
What is so attractive about Tessa Souter is the sense of vulnerability that she brings to her interpretations of music. She approaches music with the femininity of her entire being. This is also the reason that you may want to listen deeply to Tessa sing, to drink everything she sings in, as she digs deep into her being to create a sort of eloquently sculpted vocal music from the heart. Her music is at once radiant and sensuous, sung with a smile in the tone, while the warmth of Tessa’s middle register and her strong chest notes are eloquently heard in her subtle, inward performance of every note that might take the music there. Pianist Jim Ridl, bassist Evan Gregor and drummer Billy Drummond will also adorn Tessa’s performance. RDG
Continue Reading...
Subscribe to our newsletter for daily updates.
© Copyright. Hot House Jazz 2024. All Right Reserved.