Jazz Buzz - Retrospectives On Pre-Covid-19 Live Jazz Concerts

It's rare. But it happens. You're barreling down the freeway and suddenly out of your car's sound system pours the voice of a jazz singer you have not heard before, and yet, there is a distinctively familiar quality in the voice that says; you must have. You have to solve this mystery; but the radio station likes to play the game of 'three or four songs in a row'  and then reel off a gaggle of names in the back announcement. So you sit there patiently waiting to hear who is this dynamite song stylist. Finally the DJ comes up for air, and gets around to killing the suspense. He gives you plenty rap about record labels, who's playing which instrument, recording dates and venues; he neglects to mention the name you are listening for, and deftly moves on to another music triple-shuffle: You're reduced to pounding on the car's steering wheel in vexed frustration.  There was a charm in the singer's voice that spoke of seducti...

 . Pianist Monty Alexander Photo courtesy:bosquesonoro.blogspot.com Yoshi's Jazz Night Club's artist relations/talent coordinator, and management, finally managed to align their musical stars correctly and persuaded jazz pianist, Monty Alexander and his quartet to take a detour from their busy touring schedule and make a stop at their San Francisco location for a one-night performance. These days the quartet goes by the name: The Harlem-Kingston Express . No doubt a reference to Alexander's New York-Jamaica musical roots. Anyhow, this exciting musical Express found its way to San Francisco on Wednesday, June 22, 2011 for an 8:00pm show that thrilled the large crowd of Alexander fans, literally out of their seats. I wanted to see Monty Alexander live, but could never seem to find him in my neck of the woods. I heard a lot of his music on radio and on CDs, especially the work he did with the great bassist Ray Brown and I knew that he was a tale...

Joey DeFrancesco Photo courtesy: gordoconbarba.com  Joey DeFrancesco's band was  greeted with pouring rain when it floated into Oakland to appear at  Yoshi's Jack London Square Jazz Club , June 4 - 5, 2011. The weather forecast threatened that as much as two inches of the wet stuff might be lapping at the heels before things cleared up. To make matters worse; it was windy and cold. These adverse conditions did not bother the organist in the slightest. He and his Hammond B-3 were red hot. Damn near burned the club down; the smoke was up to his ears. Along for the jaunt to this virtual four-alarmer were, guitarist Rick Zunigar and drummer Ramon Banda . A sizable crowd turned out to see the organist and his trio, but the performance was not sold out; however, there weren't too many empty seats. I considered this a good sign; since it was a Sunday night. They wasted no time on ignition; jumping right into a wicked swinger called "Blues in Thre...

The dictionary defines " Crusader" as: Any vigorous, aggressive movement for the defense  or  advancement of an idea or cause .   When I learned  The J a zz Crusaders  were set to appear at  Oakland California Jazz Club, May 5-8, 2011, I immediately made reservations to attend one of the shows. I had been a rabid fan of these 'crusaders'  going all the way back to the 1960's and 70's. Now that they had regrouped after almost 30 years of separation, I was eager to see if they were still vigorous, aggressive, and able to advance their unique blend of R&B, gospel, street-wise, funky, soul-struttin' jazz; more than anything, I wanted to find out if they still made me want to get up and 'get down.                                                          ...

Yoshi's S. F. building sign: Photo courtesy of  Cameron Jackman Alfred McCoy Tyner loves to play ballads- by his own admission- and on a splendid Thursday night on the 10th of March, 2011 he and his jazz piano came to "The City by The Bay," San Francisco no less; to do just that and more at Yoshi's fabulous Jazz Emporium located at 1330 Fillmore Street. I can think of another giant of jazz who shared this inexorable enthusiasm for the ballad: Miles Dewey Davis III : What is it they say about great minds?  McCoy Tyner was influenced by Earl "Bud" Powell and Thelonious Sphere Monk . Powell was arguably the best bebop pianist in jazz history, who was in turn tutored by the now legendary Thelonious Monk during Powell's artistic emergence. These two influences represent significant guideposts in Tyner's jazz lineage and together contribute mightily in making his artistic pedigree unquestionable. It is not sur...

THELONIOUS SPHERE MONK ... the epitome of a jazz genius. From as early as eleven years old Thelonious Monk began to show a gift for playing the piano. He learned about jazz from some of the accomplished jazz players of his day who happened to live in his neighborhood: Alto saxophonist Benny Carter , pianist , Freddie Johnson, reed player Russell Procope and trumpeter James  "Bubber" Miley  who was the trumpet player in the Duke Ellington Orchestra, and as such must have made quite an impression on young Thelonious . Barbara Monk   One must be careful though, not to overlook the support and encouragement that was  given to Thelonious Monk by his mother,  Barbara Monk, to follow the musical path of his choosing.This woman literally 'slaved', scrubbing floors, to provide for her children. They were Thelonious, Thomas and Marion. The first thing Monk had to overcome in the New York neighborhood where he lived as a youth was the white str...

I listen to and enjoy all kinds of music: popular music songs, rhythm and blues, classical, rock-to name some; but I am a rabid jazz music fan, about which I am like a devoted relative. I notice everything. So as I hear of the steady loss of jazz radio stations, jazz night clubs and iconic jazz musicians, I feel a quiet panic and wonder whether the art form known as "jazz" is in decline; slowly dying right before my eyes and ears. Nevertheless, something inside of me insists that this is not the case; just can't happen. It should not happen. Jazz is too important; too big to fail; too necessary. The question then becomes: will jazz music continue to enjoy the influence, excitement, force or following of the Bebop and Hard Bop years? If you've forgotten what Bebop is; it hit the jazz scene in the mid 1940's, representing a shift from the swing dance music craze of the big bands. Bebop's chief founders and architects were trumpet player John Birks "Diz...