Category: Music

New Orleans Jazz Orchestra

Last night, I had the pleasure of playing with the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra directed by Irvin Mayfield in State College, PA. I’m not a regular member of the group, but I usually end up doing something with them every 6 months or so. This gives me an interesting perspective to watch the group’s development.

The band has always swung very hard and had great soloists, but over my last couple of stints with the band, I have really noticed how the depth of both the material and the performances has increased. Much of the music is very roots/tradition based, but there are times when the stuff gets pretty out as well. There is an honestness and an organic balance to the group’s performances. Some of this is due to Irvin’s vision and leadership, and a lot of it is due to the fact that the band’s featured players are all super bad. Last night featured great performances from Ed Petersen, Evan Christopher, Herlin Riley…the whole band is slammin’.

If you get a chance to hear the NOJO, don’t miss it.

I feel electric

Just about everything I have done under my own name in the last few years has been acoustic. Today I did a recording session with some old and new friends, and for a variety of reasons, it ended up being all electric bass and electric keyboards, and it was way fun. I’m sure you’ll hear more about it soon.

Chicago’s emerging jazz musicians bow to the past

Here’s a nice piece from the Chicago Sun Times on some of the young free jazz scene players in Chicago. Several of my Lucky 7s compadres get some nice props.

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Jazz :: Chicago’s emerging jazz musicians bow to the past

They swing, but they play free jazz. That is, they improvise freely (oh, no!), outside chord changes (shocking!), and sometimes they’re even arhythmic or atonal (the horror!). Sometimes their music is fierce, with exhilarated honks and explosions. More often, it’s intense, very tight group explorations, often lyrical or abstract or even charming.

Lucky 7s reviewed in Cadence Magazine

Here are some choice quotes from the Cadence Magazine review of the Lucky 7s Cd Farragut.

The originals are interesting, the ensemble plays loose or very tight depending on the needs of the moment and the solos are inspired. …You may already know Jeb Bishop’s work with Vandermark, Brotzmann, etc. The presence of Albert brings out the best in them both.

The ensemble plays a raucous, yet controlled form of Jazz that has some of the joy of old New Orleans style yet is thoroughly Post-Bop in its inflections.

The opening piece, “Stitch,” is a microcosm of all that is strong in this band. Swinging ensemble, an interesting head, a dynamic rhythm section that builds intensity in response to the heat of some great solos.

This is modern ensemble Jazz of the highest caliber. Grab this one!

You read what the man said…

2 good ones last Sunday

January can be a slow time in New Orleans. There’s a lull between the holidays and Mardi Gras. Well, I had the pleasure of playing two really fun and rewarding gigs this past Sunday.

The first was with Martin Krusche’s Magnetic Ear at Bacchanal. It is an early gig (6-9) and it is outdoors. It was pretty cold, but the music and the company were very happening. It is always an honor when friends and musicians come out to hear us play, and we were honored Sunday. The band had a couple of new members of the Magnetic Ear musician pool, and they both played great. Will Terry on sousaphone, and Charlie Kohlmeyer on drums were both grooving and aware, and a real pleasure to make music with.

Later that night I got to play with a Jonathan Freilich band called Klezmurder All-Stars, which was an amalgom of the long standing New Orleans Klezmer All-Stars, and a newer band that Jonathan has called Klezmurder, which is a sort of free-jazz klezmer band. There was a lot of flying by the seat of my pants, but I was surrounded by great musicians, and it was tons of fun. There was a fun and engaging audience as well, which always helps.