If any of you are having a summer similar to mine, you must be exhausted! Combine all of the activities, concerts and heat and I’m quite certain I could spend a week sleeping and still not be caught up. So on this Sunday day of rest (because we could all use some rest) sit back with an iced tea beneath the quiet whirring of the AC and let the sounds of Wes Montgomery take you away.
Montgomery made a name for himself with his guitar playing, pulling inspiration from greats like Django Reinhardt, but molding that fast finger picking into smooth jazz. Considered by some to be the greatest guitar player of all time, here is Wes Montgomery. Happy Sunday!
I love the idea of podcasts. I want to love them and listen to them all day long on my ipod while learning new and interesting things. Except I am terrible at podcasts! I have a hard time listening when I can’t see people’s faces (which is probably why I am terrible at talking on the phone), so podcasts often end up acting as white noise unless I am sitting down and concentrating intently.
Determined to make podcasts work in my life, I explored some of the music podcasts. There are many I have found that I can listen to, but I have especially been loving an old series that NPR did called Jazz Profiles. In 2008 they featured episodes on Jazz greats like Duke Ellington, Rosemary Clooney, Dave Brubeck and Oscar Peterson. Even if I only half listen to the dialogue, the soundtrack is superb. I also don’t mind listening to episodes on repeat, hearing new bits and pieces each time.
I love the Jazz greats. I remember hearing Rosemary Clooney in concert years ago at Interlochen and being lost in her crooning sound. I love the swing of Ellington and the syncopation of Oscar Peterson. So here’s todays jazz treat. This is C-Jam Blues by Oscar Peterson. Happy Monday!
I like to think that Eldar and I go way back, even if we have met only once. Back in the 90′s Eldar and I both went to summer camp at Interlochen, spending our summer in the ‘land of the stately pine’ in our navy blue knickers. I studied visual arts and he was the scrawny nine year old jazz piano prodigy wowing even the most talented of audiences. I remember watching him up on stage with Bill Cosby (who was playing drums) and being blown away by the maturity of the jazz notes being pounded out of the piano.
I met Eldar years later when he performed at the Rochester Jazz Festival. All grown up, he sat with one hand on the piano, another on a keyboard at his side, fingers flying while he smiled and nodded to the bass player and drummer. He is jazz piano delight and perfect for sunny summer afternoon.
Ryan Shaw came out on the stage tonight at the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival and said, “I sing about love.” And he did. He sang, “Music is to fill us up!” And it did. Shaw filled the packed tent with love and soul with his smooth rhythm and blues to an audience that couldn’t get enough of it. His soulful voice and R&B wails (and attempts at scat) were rounded out by the talented musicians he had to accompany him. He sang gospel tunes, love songs (he even sang one to me!), Stevie Wonder, and his cover of Janis Joplin’s “Piece of my Heart” is what makes festivals like this one so great. Tonight Ryan Shaw was a celebration of love and great music!
Tomorrow I head back down to Austin, but this was a perfect way to end my Jazz Fest and I will be sure to pocket some of this jazz love and soul and bring it home with me to share.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
I love the way the Rochester Jazz Festival has such a versatile selection of music. There is music for dancing and letting loose, music for the contemporary, the traditional, cacophonous, or music for quiet listening. There’s brass and strings, plucking and strumming. And while all of the music is great, incredible even, every once in a while there is music that is transformative. It’s the kind of music that touches a part of the soul.
Last night Grace Kelly did that for me. As this young girl wailed on her saxophone and filled Kilbourn Hall with sound, I sat in the very back of the balcony smiling in the dark as her rich sound enveloped me. At only 19, Kelly is confident on stage, artfully weaving dynamics and melodies with her voice and sax. Her cover of Summertime was remarkable and the audience erupted in applause and praise.
And then Grace Kelly came out for her encore. She quietly lured us in with hushed, subtle sound and began playing Somewhere Over The Rainbow. Before I knew what was happening, tears were streaming down my face in the back of that concert hall. In all of my years of concerts, I’m not sure that has ever happened to me before. And so I sat with salted cheeks and allowed myself to be taken away by her sound.
Haiku for Grace Kelly:
floating from below
wafts enriching, dynamic
soul transcendent sax
Grace Kelly signing autographs after the show
Check out her albums on itunes. She is sure to change your world.
This week I packed up my shorts, put away my sunscreen and left my sweat in Austin, Texas for a few days in the nice, cool north. While this is a chance to see my family and catch up with friends I haven’t seen since Christmas, it is really a trip to attend the Rochester Jazz Fest, which I have never missed. This unique, delightful, musically rich festival is worth traveling from anywhere to catch.
Last night I caught Bonerama, a trombone trio (with guitar, bass and drum support) who filled the big tent with New Orleans sounds. Vetrans of the fest, concert-goers knew not to bother to look for vacant seats; Bonerama is for the dance floor. I knew I had found jazz heaven when I was snaking my way through the crowd in a conga line, the marching beat of the drum and tuba beating time and the wailing of the trombones coursing through my soul. It was jazz fest perfection!
I saw The Bad Plus years ago on stage at the Rochester Jazz Fest and was immediately taken away by their sound. If there are limits to jazz, this trio pushes them creating sweet cacophony!
Check them out covering Everybody Wants To Rule The World and then buy all of their albums and play them on repeat. They’ll change your world.
I woke up this morning with gypsy jazz playing in my soul. There’s nothing like the staccato melody and quirk of great gypsy guitar playing. Heavily inspired by the sound of Django Reinhardt, Stephane Wrembel captures the dance and soul of this traveler sound. Growing up in France and traveling extensively throughout the world, he now resides in New York City, collecting sounds from his experiences and this melting pot city to infuse in his music. I saw him a few years back at the Rochester Jazz Festival and I was instantly captivated. Enjoy!
Stephane Wrembel Trio at Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival 2011: (watch the percussionist, he’s my favorite part!)
