We are lucky people living in Middletown Connecticut in that we have a vibrant arts scene, we have Wesleyan University and its concerts spaces, galleries, and theaters, we have the Russell Library, and we have Noah Baerman (pictured left). Mr. Baerman is a composer, educator, pianist, author, and the creator of Resonant Motion. Resonant Motion is a record label, a place for visual artists, for writers, for performance artists, and for collaborations. Noah is artistic director and the producer of Jazz Up Close, a series of concerts presented in the Hubbard Room of the Russell Library, 123 Broad Street in Middletown. Now in its fifth season, the series has brought world-renowned artists to perform, talk about their work, and to answer questions from the audience. It's a win-win situation in that the musicians and composers can explain the impetus to create their works and the audience members get to understand what goes into the creative process. The artists usually are joined by the pianist/curator along with his longtime collaborator, bassist Henry Lugo.
This coming Thursday August 22, Jazz Up Close welcomes bass clarinetist, composer, and social activist Todd Marcus. Mr. Marcus, a native of New Jersey, has lived in Baltimore, MD, for over two decades and works tirelessly in the Sandtown-Winchester/Upton section of the city to bring about positive change. You may recognize that area because it's where Freddie Gray died in police custody in 2015 and where massive riots followed in the wake of the event. Mr. Marcus, who is half-Egyptian, had moved to Baltimore to go to college but left after two years, settled down in the community and went to work with the non-profit organization Intersection of Change – click on the name to see all that the organization does to help its community.
In early 2018, Todd Marcus released "On These Streets (a Baltimore Story)", an instrumental recording interspersed with audio clips from those very streets. While the clips present a neighborhood in the midst of exploding and trying to deal with the eruptions of emotions, you also hear how community members turn to prayer and also remember what the area was like in its heyday. At one time, the community's main thoroughfare, Pennsylvania Avenue, was alive with nightclubs, concert halls, theaters, and businesses, a hub of and for the African American families and working people. Many Black artists played there, influencing generations of musicians and artists. Mr. Marcus takes his compositional cues from the socially conscious music of Max Roach, Charles Mingus, Sonny Rollins, and Duke Ellington. On previous recordings, he has explored Middle Eastern music , especially on his 2014 Jazz Orchestra recording "Blues For Tahrir", and he will several of those compositions to the Hubbard Room.
The program starts at 7 p.m. and is free and open to the public. Bring open ears and a curious mind; Jazz Up Close will do the rest.
Here's one of the audio clips and the musical story that follows:
While you're at it, check out the bass clarinetist's website @ toddmarcusjazz.com.
Check out his nine-piece Jazz Orchestra (this video is from 2013):
Guitarist, composer and educator Amanda Monaco is the featured artist in the latest installment of Noah Baerman's "Jazz Up Close." Baerman, a pianist, composer, and educator, brings artists to the Hubbard Room of The Russell Library, 123 Broad Street in Middletown where they perform original material and answer questions from the audience. Ms. Monaco, who has been a friend of Mr. Baerman since high school, is the first performer for the "Sound Belief" series music inspired by the artist's religious beliefs and faith. I had the honor of presenting Ms. Monaco's "Pirkei Avot" at Congregation Adath Israel several years ago. The name of the project translates to "Ethics (or Chapters) of the Fathers": the writings, which come from the Mishnah (which can be found in the Talmud), deal with interpersonal relationships and how one is expected to conduct his/her life.
On Thursday May 31, the guitarist and Baerman will be playing newer songs based on the "Pirkei Avot" alongside vocalist Tammy Sheffer, recorder master Daphna Mor, bassist Henry Lugo, and percussionist Rogerio Boccato. The program, free and open to the public, starts at 7 p.m. For more information, go to bit.ly/2IO0hFz.
Here's a piece from Volume 1 of "The Pirkei Avot Project" featuring Ms. Monaco and Ms. Mor plus bassist Sean Conly, percussionist Satoshi Takeishi, and vocalist Ayelet Rose Gottlieb:
Another busy three-day weekend at The Side Door Jazz Club in Old Lyme kicks off on Friday June with drummer Willie Jones III and his Quintet. Jones III is a native of Los Angeles: he first came to critical attention in Black Note, a group he co-founded in the early 1990s with bassist Marcus Shelby. He went on to work with trumpeters Roy Hargrove and Arturo Sandoval, vibraphonist Milt Jackson, vocalist Kurt Elling, and saxophonist Sonny Rollins (among many others). In 2000, he released his debut album as a leader. Titled "Volume 1...Straight Swingin'", the album came on the drummer's WJ3 label. In 2017, Jones III released "My Point Is..." his seventh album as a leader.
For the Old Lyme gig, he's bringing an impressive group including Stacy Dillard (saxophones), Hartford-native Josh Evans (trumpet), Julius Rodriguez (piano), and Alex Claffy (bass). They'll hit the stage at 8:30 p.m.
On Saturday, CT native Noah Preminger returns to The Side Door with his Quartet. The ensemble - Preminger (tenor saxophone), Jason Palmer (trumpet), Kim Cass (bass), and Dan Weiss (drums) - is celebrating the release of the saxophonist's first release on the Criss Cross label. "Genuinity" is also the first album that contains all originals composed for a band that has only been together for four years and already has four albums (this is Weiss's first time with the group, replacing drummer Ian Froman).
This has been a busy year on the album release side for Preminger. Besides the Criss Cross date, he's also released a duo album with pianist Frank Carlberg on the pianist's Red Piano label and teamed up with bassist Cass, drummer Rob Garcia, and guitarist Nate Radley for an album of music composed by Frederik Chopin (Dead Composers Club is the name of the group he co-leads with Garcia). I reviewed all three albums (read here).
The music on "Genuinity" is among the finest that Noah Preminger has produced since he first came onto the contemporary music scene in 2008. What's amazing about the album is that the band had not played the music together before the recording. That says a lot about the intelligence and creativity of the musicians involved. The Quartet has played a number of gigs since the album was issued so the music should be even stronger.
Sunday night at The Side Door should be fascinating as trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis (brother of Wynton, Branford, and Jason) brings his Uptown Jazz Orchestra to the small stage at the venue. Mr. Marsalis created the ensemble in 2008 and recruited baritone saxophonist Roger Lewis (Dirty Dozen Brass Band) to help with the recruitment and material. In that time, the UJO has issued three albums, the latest being 2016's "Make America Great Again" (which was issued two months before Election Day).
Not sure how big a band will perform but you should expect to hear a large amount of New Orleans music (the Marsalis's birthplace) as well a good portion of swing. Crescent City musicians understand how to move an audience so I would not be surprised if Side Door owner Ken Kitchings leads the Second Line through the performance space and into the Old Lyme Inn on the other side of the building. No matter what, this should be quite a Sunday treat.
For more information about Mr. Marsalis & The Uptown Jazz Orchestra, go to www.dmarsalis.com.
As for The Side Door, that door opens at 7:30 p.m. and the music commences at 8:30. For tickets and more information, go to thesidedoorjazz.com or call 860-434-2600.
Pianist, composer, educator, and author Noah Baerman hosts the Jazz Up Close series at the Russell Library in Middletown approximately four times a year. This Thursday (June 16) as part of the "Spanning Generations Up Close", Noah and bassist Henry Lugo will perform with guest artist guitarist Monnette Sudler, the Philadelphia, PA native and still a resident.
Here's how the pianist described his guest in his promotional material. "Forty years after recording "Time for a Change", her debut as a bandleader for SteepleChase Records, Monnette Sudler is still a potent force in music. Adept at straight-ahead jazz, avant-garde music and R&B, she has collaborated with a comparably diverse cast of musicians, including Grover Washington, Jr., Hugh Masekela, Sam Rivers, 'Philly” Joe Jones, Kenny Barron, Khan Jamal, Cedar Walton, Shirley Scott, Byard Lancaster, Steve Turre, Sunny Murray, and rapper Erik Honesty (Ms. Sudler’s son). Her current projects include Sisters in Poetry (in collaboration with poet Trapeta B. Mason), the Ladies Night Out quartet, and the Monnette Sudler World Music Ensemble featuring Liberian vocalist Fatu Gayflor, as well as serving as the organizer of the annual Philadelphia Guitar Summit. Ms. Sudler is a graduate of Temple University and is active as an educator, having recently authored the instructional book "Motif Mojo Jazz Guitar."
Ms. Sudler has issued six CDs since her debut, the latest being 2012's collaboration with Ladies Night Out titled "First Born." The album is a delightful blend of vocals and instrumentals, with a clean sound all around and several gospel-flavored tracks.
If you are a regular attendee of these concerts, you know that the artists take time to answer questions from the audience. It's .amazing what one can learn and how the artists give a glimpse into the creative process.
The concert begins at 7 p.m. and takes place in the Hubbard Room. As always at the Library, the show is free and open to the public. For more information, go to resonantmotion.org/jazz-up-close/.
This Thursday (1/14), the Russell Library, 123 Broad Street in Middletown welcomes the fine vocalist Indra Rios-Moore and her band for a 7 p.m. concert in the Hubbard Room. Indra, a long-time friend of Middletown resident Rani Arbo, issued her 3rd CD in 2015, the lovely "Homeland" - produced by Larry Klein (Joni Mitchell), the CD came out in August and is filled with fascinating tunes, including 2 by Doc Watson as well as great covers of songs by David Ruffin ("What Becomes of the Broken-hearted"), Pink
Floyd ("Money") and David Bowie ("Heroes"). The album includes stunning versions of Duke Ellington's "Azure" (lyrics by Irving Mills and "Solitude" (the words were composed by Eddie De Lange).
The concert will feature her "working band" (all of whom appear on the CD) - they include Benjamin Traerup (saxophones), Uffe Steen (guitars) and Indra's husbandThomas Sejthen (bass). Anyone who attended her previous shows know just how powerful a singer/interpreter Indra is and how well the band's sounds complements her vocals. The concert is free and open to the public. For more information about the concert, call 860-347-2528. To learn more about the singer, go to www.indrariosmoore.com.
Here's a cut to whet your appetite:
Bassist-composer Ben Williams has been one of the busiest musicians of the last 6 years, working with the likes of Wynton Marsalis, Dee Dee Bridgewater, and as a member of guitarist Pat Metheny's Unity Band. He's also had a busy solo career leading his band known as Sound Effect. He's playing this Friday night (1/15) at 8:30 p.m. in the comfortable environs of The Side Door Jazz Club in Old Lyme. The club is listing the group as the Ben Williams Quartet and not including who's in the group. No matter who Williams plays with, the music and musicians will shine on the fine original compositions and smart covers.
Call 860-434-0886 for more information. To learn more about the bassist, go to benwilliamsmusic.net.
Here's a 2011 NPR "Tiny Desk Concert" that offers a lively short set of music:
On Saturday night, Ken & Jan welcome trombonist, composer, arranger, and educator Nick Finzer to their venue in Old Lyme. The Rochester, NY, native studied at the Eastman School and did his graduate work at the Juilliard School in New York City. He has studied with 2 of the finest trombonists on the past 40 years, Wycliffe Gordon and Steve Turre. School was a great experience but Finzer has also gotten invaluable on the bandstand, working with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, tuba master Bob Stewart's Double Quartet, and saxophonist Lucas Pino's No Net Nonet. In 2013, the trombonist self-released his debut CD, "Exposition", which featured, among others, Pino, bassist Dave Baron, and Hartford-area native & drummer Jimmy Macbride.
Pino and Baron will be the bandstand Saturday night along with pianist Glenn Zaleski, guitarist Andrew Renfroe and drummer Allan Medford. The bulk of the material this band, known as the Hear and Now Sextet, will come from Finzer's delightful new recording, "The Chase" (Origin Records). That CD, issued in July of 2015, features Pino, Baron, Macbride, Zaleski, and guitarist Alex Wintz. What stands out after a couple of close listens is how melodic this music is, the intelligence of the arrangements, and what a dynamic rhythm section the leader has in Macbride and Baron. The title track is just that, a red-hot chase through the hard-bop streets. One can hear the blues a la Art Blakey on "All Hype" and the more New Orleans style blues ballad on "While You're Gone" - that latter track is features Finzer on muted 'bone with the rhythm section. His vocal-like lines shine as does the fine accompaniment of Zaleski. Elsewhere, the music shows the influence of Wayne Shorter on the airy, medium tempo, grooves of "Why Aren't You Excited" (fine tenor solo from Pino who is also a member of pianist/composer Jeremy Siskind's Housewarming trio). That "open" feel permeates the high-energy "Spheres of Influence" with Macbride really propelling the music forward and the soloists responding in kind.
Nick Finzer's music is so attractive because, while it does not "scream" into your ears, it insinuates itself into your mind with its melodic content and fine grooves. Plus, the leader is a fine soloist, his fluid lines rising effortlessly over the rhythm section. In person, this music should be even better as the Sextet knows each other well and have played this music a lot. For more information about the Saturday night gig, go to thesidedoorjazz.com. To learn more about Mr. Finzer, go to www.nickfinzermusic.com.
Here's Hear and Now Sextet in the studio:
Israeli-born composer and pianist Alon Nechushtan comes to the Hartford Public Library this Sunday (1/17) to play in the Baby Grand Jazz series. Nechushtan, whose interests are as varied as can be in this day and age, will be playing alongside bassist Lars Ekman and the splendid drummer Colin Stranahan. The pianist has worked alongside saxophonist Donny McCaslin, drummer Bob Moses, Klezmer clarinetist Andy Statman, and bassist Ben Allison (among others) and has not only composed and performed jazz pieces but also works for larger ensembles and electronic music.
The concert, free and open to the public, takes place at 3 p.m. in the Atrium of the Library, located at 500 Main Street in the Capital City. For more information, go to www.hplct.org/classes-seminars-exhibits/baby-grand-jazz. To learn more about Mr. Nechushtan, go to musicalon.com.
Here's one of his Trio tracks from 2011:
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Pianist Jon Davis has a new CD. Titled "Changes Over Time", it's his 3rd for PosiTone and 7th overall as a leader. The program follows the pattern on his 2015 release "Moving Right Along" (my review here) with its combination of originals and smartly chosen "covers", a 12-song program that ranges from "pop" standards such as "My Cherie Amour" and "Yesterday"(the only solo performance on the disk) to jazz standards such as Mal Waldron's ever-so-funky "Soul Eyes" and Jimmy Rowles's "The Peacocks." Davis also dips into his good friend and former employer Jaco Pastorius's repertoire with a handsome reading of "Las Olas" which the late bass player composed for his Big Band as well as performed with Flora Purim and Herbie Hancock.
Joining Davis is bassist Ugonna Okegwo and drummer Jochen Rueckert, both musicians with such a subtle sense of touch and really big ears. They can deliver the funk as they do on the title track (1 of 7 composed by the pianist), negotiate hair-pin changes with aplomb (as they exhibit on the splendid "It's For Free") and play quietly but with strong musicality (shown to best example on the Rowles' piece.) The musicians play with grace and ease throughout the program; nothing feels forced or over-baked. When you have such strong "chops", it's not unheard of to just show off one's technique. But Davis and company sound like they are having a great time with this music, having fun, which translates to the joy of the listening experience.
"Changes Over Time" (which will be released on 1/29/16) is a delightful hour of music that one can sit down and fall right into from the opening note to the closing seconds of "Waltz For U." Close your eyes and you might feels as if you're in a lovely salon or intimate concert hall and Jon Davis is playing right in front of you. This CD is yet another example of how the Piano Trio category is far from played out!
The Russell Library, 123 Broad Street in Middletown, presents the second installment of "Jazz Up Close", a series cured by pianist, composer and educator Noah Baerman and supported by Resonant Motion Inc., this Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in the Hubbard Room. In case you have never attended, Mr. B brings guest artists in to not only play jazz but also to talk about what and why they do what they do. This month, drummer/composer Johnathan Blake (pictured above) will join the pianist plus bassist Henry Lugo for a program that will surprise and move you. Mr. Blake, the son of the late violinist John Blake, Jr., had worked with such fine musicians as trumpeter Tom Harrell, in the Mingus Big Band, the Kenny Barron Trio and with the 3 Cohens, is a dynamic drummer and maturing into an excellent composer.
The event is free and open to the public. For more information, go to www.russelllibrary.org. To find out Johnathan Blake, go to his website at www.johnathanblake.com. To check out Professor Baerman's Top 10 Favorite tracks by father and son Blake, go to blog.noahjazz.com.
Here's a piece from the younger Mr. Blake's 2012 Sunnyside release "The Eleventh Hour." The hard-driving piece features saxophonists Jaleel Shaw (alto) and Mark Turner (tenor) plus bassist Ben Street.
This Saturday (5/16), the Library presents the Tesla Quartet in concert at 2 p.m. in the Hubbard Room. TQ is composed of violinists Ross Snyder and Michelle Lie, violist Edwin Kaplan plus the Russian-born cellist Serafim Smigelskly and have been together (with a few personnel changes) since forming in 2008 while attending the Julliard School in New York City. The group's repertoire ranges from Haydn to Schubert to Mendelssohn to modern composers such as Matthew Browne.
The concert, free and open to the public, is co-sponsored by the Library and the Edythe & Arthur Director Family Music Fund of Congregation Adath Israel. To find out more about the Tesla Quartet, go to www.teslaquartet.com.
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