Babies of Wackiness

Time for a post on recent goings-on.

Caught the inaugural night of the Columbia Harlem Festival of Global Jazz a week ago. An ambitious and multifarious festival... kudos to George Lewis and all involved for putting this excellent 10 days or so together.

Joelle Leandre's octet and Globe Unity Orchestra opened the festival at the stately Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz Information Center.

It was an engaging and varied evening of music. I had mixed feelings overall about the music's success and the acoustics in the space were detrimental for Globe Unity, but am so glad that these groups were presented in New York. Very long overdue!

Steve Smith’s review at Night After Night is here.

Globe Unity trombonist, musical compatriot and all-around good bloke Jeb Bishop’s comments at Night After Night are here.

Hank Shteamer’s wonderfully-titled review of the evening is here.

The next night I went down to Cornelia St Cafe to hear Adam Lane's Full Throttle Orchestra. Good fun, great compositions and inspired ensemble/individual performances all around.

That was Friday. My ears took a day off Saturday from concertizing and then I made it out to a Sunday afternoon concert of two gorgeous pieces for brass ensembles by Anthony Braxton as part of the FONT festival. What a treat to hear two pieces of Braxton's from the early/mid 80s performed by crack ensembles that included two of my favorite musical compatriots, FONT co-curator Taylor Ho Bynum and Nate Wooley. And what a pleasure to watch Mr. Braxton conduct. So clear and with such intention!

I'll be heading down to the Abrons Art Center this Sunday September 30 to hear Nate's FONT-commissioned piece with Paul Lytton and David Grubbs. Should be a great night. Bravo to Dave Douglas, Taylor, and all the other FONT organizers for presenting another diverse, challenging, killing festival.

Creative Music Tuesdays completed its inaugural month at Spike Hill September 25. Tomas Fujiwara brought a wonderful trio with Keith Witty and Shoko Hikage. Sara Schoenbeck's and my duo Saris played after them.

Here's the complete listings for October, which I'll also include as a separate blog at the beginning of the month. Come on down if you're in the NYC area.

Creative Music Tuesdays at Spike Hill

184 Bedford Avenue (@ N7)
Brooklyn , NY 11211
(718) 218-9737
www.spikehill.com
www.myspace.com/spikehillnyc

October curated by Harris Eisenstadt
$10 cover per set

Located on the corner of Bedford and North 7th, with
delectable pub food, gold-standard Guinness, pristine sound and two full bars, Spike Hill has flourished into a staple among the area’s clubs while still maintaining its intimate atmosphere.

***
Oct2
8pm Wayne Horvitz/Briggan Krauss/Brandon Seabrook Trio
10pm Radio I-Ching: Dee Pop/Don Fiorino/Andy Haas

Oct9
8pm Eyal Maoz's Edom with Shanir Blumenkranz, Brian Marsella, Yuval Lion
10pm Michael Sarin Trio with Brad Shepik and Brad Jones

Oct16
8pm Steve Swell Slammin the Infinite w/ Sabir Mateen, Matt Heyner, Michael Wimberly, with John Blum (tentative)
10pm Angelica Sanchez Trio with Lisle Ellis and Michael Sarin

Oct23
8pm Jason Mears Trio with Kato Hideki and Harris Eisenstadt
10pm Mary Halvorson and Jessica Pavone

Oct30
8pm Barry Altschul Trio with Hayes Greenfield and Ed Schuller
10pm Harris Eisenstadt Canada Day Quintet with Matt Bauder, Chris Dingman, Eivind Opsvik, Nate Wooley
***

On the visual front, Sara and I watched a crazy movie that Jason Mears lent us: Mail Order Bride. Check it out. Its out.

Been struggling through Thomas Pynchon’s Vineland for a couple months. Was glad to find this link to help me on my way. Perhaps my most simultaneously engaging and difficult reading since Nabokov's Pale Fire and Joyce's Ulysses as an undergrad. The title of this post is one of Pynchon's hilarious turns of phrase.

Final word for now. I patiently but vigilantly await the fifth and final (HBO, you're really bumming out) season of The Wire.

Creative Music Tuesdays begins at Spike Hill

Her's the press release for a new Tuesday music series in Williamsburg:

Creative Music Tuesdays at Spike Hill

184 Bedford Avenue (@ N7)
Brooklyn , NY 11211
(718) 218-9737
www.spikehill.com
www.myspace.com/spikehillnyc

September curated by Harris Eisenstadt
$5 cover per set

Located on the corner of Bedford and North 7th, with delectable pub food, gold-standard Guinness, pristine sound and two full bars, Spike Hill has flourished into a staple among the area’s clubs while still maintaining its intimate atmosphere.

***


SEPTEMBER 11
8pm
Aaron Alexander/Julian Priester duo
- 25 years ago, Aaron Alexander and Julian Priester met in Seattle as student and teacher. While visiting Seattle early in 2007, Alexander invited Priester to join him in the studio for an informal recording session. They recorded spontaneous compositions and were struck by the ease of which the structures emerged and the feeling of being deeply heard by one another. Priester was planning a trip to New York for the summer, and a follow up recording session was arranged. Once student and teacher, now both professionals, the two musicians present a concert of new and spontaneous compositions. This concert will be a memorial tribute to the great drummer Max Roach and may feature some special guests.

10pm
Adam Rudolph (hand drums and percussion, with Charles Burnham (violin) and Brahim Fribgane (oud & percussion)
- Composer/percussionist Adam Rudolph invites frequent collaborator multi-instrumentalist Brahim Fribgane and freewheeling violinist Charles Burnham for a set of soulful improvisations dedicated to the late master artist/musician/drummer Max Roach.

***


SEPTEMBER 18
8pm
Aaron Siegel, percussion and Sam Amidon, woodwinds
- Drums, violin, banjo, dancing, singing, tom foolery and
earnest tunes for the new day of mountain improv.

10pm
Andrea Parkins (accordion, electronics)
Ches Smith (drums/electronics)
- Frequent collaborators Andrea Parkins and Ches Smith meet up for some duo mayhem.

***

SEPTEMBER 25
8pm
Tomas Fujiwara's The Hook Up
with Shoko Nagai – keyboard, Keith Witty - bass
- With a "quiet energy that propels" (All About Jazz) and a style that is "both volatile and watchful" (New York Times), drummer Tomas Fujiwara leads a group of like minded musicians through a set of his original compositions. With inspiration ranging from Wayne Shorter to Haruki Murakami, Fujiwara's pieces deal with the intersection of composition and improvisation as well as concepts of shifting roles within an ensemble.

10pm
Saris (Sara Schoenbeck – bassoon, Harris Eisenstadt – drums)
- Saris formed in 2000. They have toured the US and Europe, and play compositions by both members and some of their favorite composers. Sometimes they invite guests to play with them.

RIP Max Roach

Check out Max playing "Big Sid" and other drum solos in this, one of so many incredible Max Roach videos on Youtube. I learned parts of Big Sid early on while transcribing Max's solos (along with Elvin, Roy, Philly Joe, Tony). Had the pleasure of playing parts of Big Sid with Adam Rudolph and Big Black while living in LA in both of their groups.

I've been watching/listening to/reading about Max Roach all day. Its moments like these that make me very thankful for Youtube and internet radio streaming. Sad that the death of a master is usually what it takes to precipitate extensive, cathartic re-investigation, but hey, at least the resources are out there.

There are so many people listening to WKCR's tribute broadcast to Max here that the stream keeps being interrupted. Frustrating, sure, but its a wonderful thing that this many people are tuning in. And WKCR will be playing Max's music for a week!

Its been said very eloquently here and here and here how important Max Roach's legacy is. From these links you can find your way to many other Max treasure troves.

Max Roach will forever be a great inspiration as an Artist, as a Musician, as a Drummer. He was a supreme melodist who played with astonishing clarity. He was a forward-looking innovator who continued to challenge himself and his audience throughout an almost 70-year career.

RIP Paul Rutherford

Got word this morning that Paul Rutherford, seminal British trombone innovator/improviser, has passed. Very sad news. Had the good fortune to spend a couple weeks on the road with him and bassist Torsten Muller January 2006. I feel blessed to have spent that time with Paul, and to have met him on several other occasions in Vancouver, LA, and in the UK. I love Paul's incredible humor, razor-sharp wit, and complete disdain for b.s. He will be missed by many. He should be celebrated much more than he has been so far.

Above are a couple photos from the 2005 On the Outside Festival (Newcastle UK). He sounded incredible!

Esteemed Attendees

Great couple sets last night at The Stone. 8pm set was an improvised first meeting with Charles Burnham and Shanir Blumenkranz. We've played in other contexts but this was the first as a trio. Had a lovely time and what a treat to see my friend, the fantastic Cuban bassist Yunior Terry in the audience. Think he ended up there with a friend of Charlie's; great to re-connect.

The second set was my horn band, Gewel, with Michael Attias,
Taylor Ho Bynum, Russ Johnson, and Nate Wooley. Three trumpets (well, two and one cornet) and bari sax. Oh yeah. First gig for this group; we played my arrangements of Senegalese sabar drum ensemble music plus some transcriptions of old-time Senegalese pop music (mbalax). We had a quick 1.5 hour rehearsal the day before and all things considered, the music came off fantastic. Kind of sparsely attended as much of New York is on vacation, but had the good fortune to look out in the audience and see a couple good friends, composer/percussionist Aaron Siegel and Bjork trumpeter Sylvia Hlynsdottir who had come straight from the airport, plus the esteeemed composer/performer Henry Threadgill. A true honor to have Mr. Threadgill there.

Twice Told Tales, Upcoming Gigs

Photo by Scott Friedlander, tireless audio/visual documentarian of the creative music scene in New York for some years now. Taken at South Street Seaport gig a week or so ago with Tony Malaby, Louie Belogenis, Mark Helias. A fun one.

Some interesting gigs coming up:

Aug5 8pm The Stone
$10 www.thestonenyc.com

Vinny Golia Trio
Vinny Golia - woodwinds
Reuben Radding - bass
Harris Eisenstadt - drums

L.A.-based multi-winds/composer extraordinaire comes to town for a rare trio hit.


Aug5 10pm The Stone
$10 www.thestonenyc.com

Vinny Golia Quartet
Vinny Golia - woodwinds
Nate Wooley - trumpet
Reuben Radding - bass
Harris Eisenstadt - drums

L.A.-based multi-winds/composer extraordinaire comes to town for a rare quartet hit.


Aug7 8pm The Stone
$10 www.thestonenyc.com

Charles Burnham - violin
Shanir Blumenkranz - bass
Harris Eisenstadt - drums

First meeting for this improvising trio.


Aug7 10pm The Stone
$10 www.thestonenyc.com

Harris Eisenstadt's Gewel
Michael Attias - bari sax
Taylor Ho Bynum - cornet
Russ Johnson - trumpet
Nate Wooley - trumpet
Harris Eisenstadt - drums, compositions

All-new arrangements of Senegalese sabar and mbalax repertoire for horns and drums. First time this band has played since 2003.

Played, Playing, Heard, Read, Seen

Couple interesting gigs I have taken part in/am taking part in New York:

j a z z a t t h e s e a p o r t

seaport district cultural association performance space Front Street at Beekman Street (South Street Seaport)
fridays at 8:00 pm - 2 sets - admission $10

july 13 - daniel carter, reeds and piano; louie belogenis, tenor saxophone; hill greene, bass; harris eisenstadt, drums

july 20 - twice told tales
tony malaby, tenor saxophones; louie belogenis, tenor saxophone; mark helias, bass; harris eisenstadt, drums

subway: 2,3,4,5 to Fulton Street or A to Broadway/Nassau


Have heard/seen some lovely gigs this summer in New York. Two I'd like to make mention of:

- Taylor Ho Bynum and Positive Catastrophe at Zebulon, June 26. Wow, almost a month ago now. I've really not been blogging! Better late than never. The band included THB (cornet, conductor), Matt Bauder (tenor sax, clarinets), Michael Attias (alto, baritone saxes), Mark Taylor (french horn, mellophone), Raul Navarrette (trombone), Evan O'Reilly (guitar), Keith Witty (bass), Satoshi Takeishi (percussion), Abraham Gomez-Delgado (vocals, percussion), Jen Shyu (vocals, violin, erhu). Great band, fantastic arrangements of Sun Ra compositions, and a joyful feeling amongst the band and in the room. Very enjoyable and I think the first gig for this group.

- Basya Schecter (voice), Ayelet Rose Gottlieb (voice), Jon Madof (ac. gtr.), Sebastian Noelle (ac. gtr.) & Shanir Blumenkranz performing music from John Zorn's Book of Angels at Bowery Poetry Club, July 15. First gig for this band too and they sounded wonderful. Zorn's compositions were soulful and the group's arrangements effective - a particular treat to hear two excellent vocalists working together. Nice one, folks.

Just started Jane Jacobs' The Death and Life of Great American Cities. Incredible ideas. Complicated but decipherable for non-professional urban planners. Sincere and humanist. More about this true VIP in future posts.

James Clavell's Gaijin is finally over. Not that I didn't love the swarthy, adventure/romance novel meets Dickens-loving prose, all 1000+ pages of it. "Back to feudal Japan, which now enters the modern world, from the master of the three-decker behemoth..." begins the Kirkus review here. They're not kiddding. I've read all of Clavell except Whirlwind and I must say I was overjoyed when I ran across Gaijin in the stacks at The Strand. Perfect reading on the bike at the gym. Oh how the time flies. I'd previously valued Clavell as great road-reading, that is, long sprawling epics that go down easy on trains in Europe, on planes to Asia or Oz, etc. I almost wish I'd saved it after buying it for future travels, but hey there's always Leon Uris to get into. Gaijin is not as good as Tai Pan or Shogun, probably comparable to Noble House, different than King Rat so hard to include K.R. in the list. I guess its number 3 for me Clavell's Asian Saga. I'm a sucker for feudal Japan. Written the year before he died, and I must say the book kind of runs out of steam a few hundred pages before it ends. Thoughts on this, anyone?

Wizzed through Israeli author Amos Oz' mid-career Black Book from 1988. Excellent NY Times review by Mary Gordon here. Oz is always a joy, and I recommend his conflicted, peace-loving, realistic authorial voice to any baffled by the prospects of peace in the Middle East. Not that his novels that I've read propose any concrete solutions; just that you get a sense that if his already-prominent voice were heard more along with similarly-inclined Palestinians, and whoever else had something of real value to say, maybe some peace could actually be achieved.

Been watching The Sopranos and Deadwood of late. I hadn't watched much Sopranos before the past few months. I've been watching many episodes, trying to get caught up. I know its very popular, and just ended, and blah blah, but as it turns out it actually is fantastically-layered storytelling. Great acting too, pretty much across the board. Somehow actually not over-the-top for the most part. Its been fun, and a great way to get my hours of rudiments-on-practice-pad time in, but it is not as singular nor as epic as Deadwood. And there were only 3 seasons of Deadwood to the Sopranos' 6, so thats saying something.

I've watched the 3 seasons of Deadwood slowly over the last couple years. I intentionally spaced them out for a couple reasons. First and foremost, I am a on-line or on-DVD TV viewer so have had to wait long periods of time for each successive season to be released on DVD. Second, because there are only 12 episodes per season, they tend to zoom by and I wanted to savor as much as possible. Third, and less significant, I spaced out my viewing because such a large percentage of the show's wonderfully-poetic dialogue is made up of swear words. This ends up taking a toll on my own vocabulary. What can I say?

Anyways, I'd just like to reiterate (i've mentioned it in this blog several times) that Deadwood is on my extreme short list of television-watched. Desert island? Give me this before Lost any day. My only real complaint (and corresponding deep sadness) is that there will not be a 4th season due to "budgetary concerns" from HBO. C&#ks&$kers! (Apologies for the profanity; its entirely appropriate considering the subject matter and hey, at least I censored it).