There is a new Tuesday night adventure jazz hang in New Orleans at King Bolden’s Bar, 820 N. Rampart St. On May 16, I caught the second set by Martin Krusche’s Magnetic Ear. Martin is a tenor saxophonist and composer, who is originally from Germany, but has lived in New Orleans for quite some time (with a Brooklyn detour in there).
The band Tuesday night was Martin on acoustic and electric tenor sax, Dan Oestricher on bari sax, John Gross on electric sousaphone, Endres Landsnes on drum set and Anthony Cuccia on percussion and sampler. It was slammin’. Original tunes mixed with jazz classics, all with interesting grooves and an open minded attitude. The electronic compents lended an ambient vibe, but solid grooves and reaching improvisations were the real heart of the music.
If you are in New Orleans on a Tuesday, check out King Bolden’s. My band will be there June 6, 2006, and the plan is to have some interesting jazz/improvising group there every Tuesday.