Category: Blues/Jazz

Revisit Derek and the Dominos ‘Live at The Fillmore East’: October 23 & 24, 1970
This weekend marks the anniversary of some of the greatest music ever performed by Derek and the Dominos, which happened to take place at the iconic Fillmore East in New York City. Although the band does have one studio album to their credit, Live At The FIllmore East may be their crowning achievement in terms of audio recordings.

This is an incredibly easy to listen to album, one that combines original Dominos songs and Eric Clapton tunes with a splash of cover songs mixed throughout. Derek and the Dominos was a band that, essentially, came together during the recording of George Harrison’s first solo album All Things Must Pass. And while their shelf life may have been short, thanks to this album their legacy will live on forever in a very positive way.

The band wastes no time getting into an immediate early groove for the album-opening “Got To Get Better In A Little While.” A song that was planned for the band’s second studio album that never came to fruition, it features Clapton and Bobby Whitlock going riff for riff on guitar and piano, respectively, in a tasteful jam that stretches out to nearly 14 minutes in length. Whitlock adds some nice vocal harmonies as well as the chorus rounds back into place with the music picking up a collective head of steam.

This first track was pulled from the opening night of music on October 23. Here’s a taste of the October 24 version that didn’t make the album cut.

For the next number, this time drummer Jim Gordon and Whitlock kick things off on “Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad?” Eventually, Clapton gets his guitar’s wah pedal going in full force and a crisp little jam ensues before the first word is ever sung. This is the first of many songs pulled from the group’s epic Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs album that would be released just weeks later. Co-written by Clapton and Whitlock, who again adds some impeccable backup vocals, it’s another one of the longer tracks on the album thanks to a whirlwind jam that never lets off the gas pedal, ably fueled by Carl Radle on bass. After coming a to head, the band shifts the tone into a much quieter, bluesy one for several minutes before the chorus comes back around one last time. The Fillmore crowd demonstrably shows their appreciation to the Dominos after this one.

This helps set the tone for “Key To The Highway,” a cover of an old blues standard that dates back to the 1940s. Clapton takes center stage and shows why he’s considered one of the great blues players of this generation, delivering one stinging guitar lick after another. Another Layla song, this one made it onto the album by pure happenstance. Allegedly Clapton and Duane Allman, who was prominently involved with the album’s studio recording – playing on 11 of the 14 tracks, heard the song being played in a neighboring studio and decided to play along to it. “Blues Power” slides in perfectly behind this, a song that appears on Clapton’s first solo album that Leon Russell helped write. These last two blues-heavy numbers are both taken from the October 24 recording.

The first of this two-disc releases out first with “Have You Ever Loved A Woman,” another blues cover that found its way onto Layla. This one is even slower and “bluesier,” if that’s possible, with the tempo never going past a slow shuffle. Clapton lets both his vocals and guitar do all the singing on this one while Whitlock adds some delicate piano fills throughout. Then “Bottle Of Red Wine” wraps up the first part of the album, another rollicking, blues-infused song that Clapton navigates with ease, with Whitlock jumping on the organ for assistance now.

The second half of this iconic albums begins with “Tell The Truth,” another Clapton-Whitlock collaboration pulled from Layla. The two essentially share lead vocals on this fun little number that ebbs and flows with emotion and soul. Once the vocals are out of the way, Clapton reverts back to rock legend mode and lays down a tremendous solo, spearheading one of the longer jams of the album. Up next is another sterling cover of a blues standard. This time it’s “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out,” originally written by pianist Jimmie Cox in 1923. Clapton’s bluesy drawl is backed perfectly by Whitlock and Gordon on piano and drums, respectively.

The Dominos then return to their own catalog with “Roll It Over.” While it wasn’t on the original Layla release, it did make its way on to the 40th Anniversary Deluxe reissue. It’s a classic rock number the sees Clapton explore a few different tones in his guitar play during a steadily progressive jam. The Fillmore crowd immediately recognizes the next song as “Presence Of The Lord,” made famous by one of Clapton’s former bands, Traffic. It’s the only Traffic tune on the album, but the Dominos do it justice as a mellow, laid back composed section gives way to a rapid, intense sequence of music before reverting back.

The final three tracks of Derek and the Dominos: Live At The Fillmore may be one of the best three-song sequences of the album, and, naturally it contains a pair of incredible covers. The first of these is Jimi Hendrix’s “Little Wing.” Whitlock’s organ fills give this cover more than a soulful feel as both he and Clapton take care of the vocals with ease. Not one to be outdone, Clapton then delivers a few bars of a psychedelic guitar solo that serves a truly fitting homage to the great Hendrix who passed away barely a month before this performance in 1970.

This jaw dropping cover is followed by what very well may be the best track on the album, a scintillating and exploratory “Let It Rain.” It’s the last of three singles from Clapton’s solo album and the Dominos stretch this one out and then some. Clapton and Whitlock go tit-for-tat with each screaming out, “Let It Rain” in succession towards the end of the composed section. Afterwards, all hell breaks lose starting with one more mesmerizing run by Clapton on the fretboard as the rhythm section just tries to keep up. Eventually, Clapton switches from wailing guitar mode to a heavy, funked out “wah” effect, taking the jam to another level. This eventually gives way to a Jim Gordon drum solo that goes on for well more than four minutes before the guitar finally reenters the mix. After a few more minutes of some fun Gordon and Clapton call and response interplay, the band explodes back in the chorus emphatically. It’s by far the longest track on the album, and arguably the most enjoyable as the “beautiful” Fillmore crowd (so labeled by Clapton at song’s end) would surely attest.

The album then closes with the last cover song of the evening made famous by another one of Slowhand’s former bands. This time it’s the great Robert Johnson’s “Crossroads,” although, in fitting with the tone of the album, it’s a much slower and soulful take than the version Cream made famous. It allows for one last great Clapton guitar solo which ends the album in grand fashion and serves as the last reminder of one memorable two-night run by Derek and the Dominos at the Fillmore that took place, truly, at the height of their powers.

This album is available to listen in its entirety on Youtube here. Also, be sure to check out the video below of all the great songs and outtakes that didn’t quite make the final cut.

Derek and the Dominos Live at the Fillmore East – New York, NY October 23 & 24

Disc 1
1. Got To Get Better In A Little While
2. Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad
3. Key To The Highway
4. Blues Power
5. Have You Ever Loved A Woman
6. Bottle Of Red Wine
Disc 2
1. Tell The Truth
2. Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out
3. Roll It Over
4. Presence Of The Lord
5. Little Wing
6. Let It Rain
7. Crossroads
October 23, 2021
Robert Glasper and Terrace Martin Dazzle the Crowd at Blue Note Jazz Club
Renowned jazz musicians Robert Glasper and Terrace Martin began their annual October residency at Blue Note Jazz Club at the beginning of this month. If the other shows have been anything like the one I attended on the night of Wednesday, October 20th- crowds have been in for an absolute treat.

Robert Glasper at Blue Note Jazz Club, 10/20/21. Photo by Kunal Khunger

Glasper and Martin have been two of the most prolific popular jazz musicians working today, having done a range of production work for a range of artists, like Kendrick Lamar, YG, Mac Miller, Anderson Paak, and many more. That doesn’t even include their solo albums or their super-group Dinner Party, which includes other legends Kamasi Washington and 9th Wonder. Their work has reached critical acclaim within the jazz community, leading them to have a wide-reaching influence.

Terrace Martin at Blue Note Jazz Club, 10/20/21. Photo by Kunal Khunger

The chemistry was apparent between the two. Glasper and Martin cracked jokes for much of the night, talking about their upbringing and how they both have been friends since they were teenagers. One particular funny story was how Martin inadvertently got himself replaced on the piano parts of Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly by Glasper. The vibe of the show was very easygoing. I felt like I was eavesdropping on a bunch of friends just jamming out.

Robert Glasper at Blue Note Jazz Club, 10/20/21. Photo by Kunal Khunger

Glasper and Martin performed a tribute to Herbie Hancock and some material off of their Dinner Party project, but then were shortly joined by a special appearance from Denzel Curry, a prolific rapper from Miami. Denzel joined everyone else in cracking some jokes and performed some songs off of his Unlocked collab project with Kenny Beats. Curry’s music is usually fairly high energy, so it was really interesting to see him perform in a more relaxed environment. He even commented how unusual it was for him to be performing while sitting down.

Denzel Curry at Blue Note Jazz Club, 10/20/21. Photo by Kunal Khunger

Right when the crowd settled down, Denzel Curry introduced another special guest: Brooklyn’s very own Joey Bada$$. The crowd immediately went into a frenzy, while Joey performed a few songs and joined in on all the jokes the whole group was having. One particular highlight was when both Joey and Denzel free-styled off of a lone baseline for fifteen minutes, back and forth.

Joey Bada$$ and Denzel Curry at Blue Note Jazz Club, 10/20/21. Photo by Kunal Khunger

The show was great and if anyone has a chance to go check out a show, please do so. Robert Glasper’s residency continues all October, with more dates listed here. Be sure to take a look at the full photo gallery down below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxYvt-IBcNE
Photos by Kunal Khunger
October 23, 2021
Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes Bring the Boardwalk to Homer Center for the Arts

From the same Jersey Boardwalk scene as Bruce Springsteen the legendary Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes sound is currently touring this season.The group traveled from the Jersey shore to Upstate New York’s Homer Center for the Arts on Sunday October 17, 2021. Jon Bon Jovi has acknowledged Southside Johnny as his “reason for singing”.

Out Loud Pictures: Southside Johnny, Tom Seguso, Glenn Alexander, Chris Anderson

Southside Johnny revived the 1950’s Summer vibe last July at a Drive in Concert at Monmouth Race Track. More than a 1,000 vehicles honked their car horns to show appreciation for the Asbury Jukes horns sound in New Jersey’s biggest concert last year. So to have them inside the sold out Center for the Arts Homer on Sunday was truly an intimate performance.

Out Loud Pictures: Southside Johnny and The Asbury Jukes

The Horn Section is made up of Chris Anderson on Trumpet, John Isley on Saxophone and Neal “The Dude” Pawley on trombone. The trio helped serenade the spirits of the 150 year old church turned music venue on Sunday.

Across on B3 Hammond and piano was the band’s musical director Jeff Kazee. He led the ensemble on vocals for Steve Winwood’s classic “Can’t Find My Way Home”. Glenn Alexander rocked the evening on lead guitar. John Conte’s bass lines bounced off Tom Seguso’s boardwalk beats. Seguo sported a pair of Carter Beauford style white gloves while playing the kit.

Southside Johnny sang to the crowd during the twenty one song set that “I want to hear people laughing and having a good time, I want to know why she told me she had to go, why did she leave me so lonely…it’s time to go but I don’t want to go home”

Out Loud Pictures: Jeff Kazee, John Conte

It should come to no surprise that Bruce Springsteen joined the band when they played in Asbury Park for “The Fever”. The Homer crowd was given the same medicine on Sunday night as they played this classic. Oh he’s got the fever. Left this little boy blue.

Out Loud Pictures: Southside Johnny and The Asbury Jukes

The eight piece ensemble closed the show with “Shake em Down.” Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes were howling in unison with the crowd… We’re Gonna Rock until the morning We’re gonna ride till we die. I gotta keep movin till I’m satisfied.

In June 2021, Bruce Springsteen was the first to play Broadway at The St. James Theater since its closing last year. He treated the crowd to stories of his Freehold, New Jersey childhood where he grew in to song. Southside Johnny and The Asbury Jukes brought the same small town magic back to the Center for the Arts during its Fall season. In similar fashion to when Bruce guested with the Jukes they closed the night with a nod to Sam Cook Sundays for his classic “Were having a party” Tell Em one more time, were havin a party, yeah. and everybody’s swinging, oh, were dancin to the music, on the radio, tell you, were havin a party.

Southside Johnny and The Asbury Jukes Homer Center for the Arts – October 17 2021

Setlist: Passion, Ain’t That Lonely, Angel Eyes->Forever, Lost, Wrong Side, Gin Soaked Boy, Woke up this AM, Good is Gone, Fool, Your My Girl, All I Can Do. Without Love, Fever, Talk to Me, Trapped Again, Shake Em Down
Encore: Not that Lonely, Were Having a Party

Photos by Out Loud Pictures

October 20, 2021
Donny Frauenhofer Trio (DF3) to Celebrate Debut Album Release at Sportsmens Tavern

Buffalo’s Donny Frauenhofer Trio will celebrate the culmination of a decade of work as they take the next step as a live band, releasing their debut album on Friday, October 22. The night before, the trio will perform at Sportsmen’s Tavern.

Donny Frauenhofer Trio, also known as DF3, consists of Isaiah Griffin on drums, Colin Brydalski on bass, and Frauenhofer on keys. Coined as “The Weirdest Music You’ve Never Heard,” Donny’s trio is creatively driven by spontaneity. The group travels through time signatures, styles, and key signatures with ease, making Frauenhofer’s complicated compositions sound like a walk in the park. The group plays a daring brand of original music with unique arrangements of popular tunes tastefully sprinkled in.

With an album full of originals, two notable covers get a jazz treatment, with DF3 approaching Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall” and Fall Out Boy’s “Sugar We’re Goin Down” as though they are entirely new compositions,

The album has taken 10 years to get here, although the trio didn’t start until about 2016, playing consistently starting in 2018. There is also the factor of capturing the music, learning the language of music and studying all the aspects of playing and performing it. 10 years ago, Frauenhofer did not see the dream of being signed on a label and just making music as possible or as probable as many of his peers. He saw where things were heading with the music business and how to monetize it, so he set out to learn as much as possible about recording, engineering, mixing, mastering, and producing as much as I could.

Frauenhofer didn’t want to release an album until he felt he was somewhat capable of doing the quality he wanted for himself. 10 years of digging into jazz and trying to find his own sound, that is when many compositions took root. He would often tell friends “I had this sound in my head I couldn’t describe,” and a lot of artists he was a fan of were in that realm, but Frauenhofer had a particular vibe, an air or atmosphere that he wanted to capture.

Regarding the jazz scene in Buffalo, Frauenhofer notes the great deal of talent in the scene, with a small but passionate audience that is continuing to grow.

My goal is to get more of my generation involved. A lot of this album reflects that – using contemporary styles from my generation and putting that in a jazz setting, or vice-versa. Electronic music styles and hip-hop in particular can really get young crowds excited and be a great window into more traditional styles of jazz
Donny Frauenhofer, on the Buffalo Jazz scene

The album release show will take place on Thursday, October 21st at Sportsmens Tavern in Buffalo. The show kicks off at 7pm with the band playing two sets of music, with physical copies of Uppin’ the Ante available at the show. Guest musicians will also be performing with the trio.

The release of this upcoming album marks the distinctive transformation of #DF3 from a local live act to a burgeoning national touring force. Uppin’ the Ante will be available on all streaming platforms on Friday, October 22nd. Along with this exciting release, the band will soon be announcing tour dates for the remainder of 2021.

Donny Frauenhofer Trio perform on Thursday, October 21 at 7:00 PM Sportsmens Tavern. Tickets are $12 and available here, with additional info available via the Facebook event.

October 20, 2021
Courtyard Sessions from Mirth Films highlights Capital District Artists in an Intimate Setting

Earlier this year, as the weather thawed and there were early signs of the coming easement of pandemic restrictions, a small courtyard in the Center Square neighborhood of Albany became the home to intimate sessions from a variety of Capital District artists.

James White. Photo by Frankie Cavone

Produced by Frankie Cavone of Mirth Films, the Courtyard Sessions provided an opportunity for a variety of musicians from across the 518 to step into a private outdoor space and play acoustic renditions of their tunes.

Brad Hester of Annie in the Water. Photo by Frankie Cavone

Starting in May 2021, Cavone started the Courtyard Sessions as a way to help promote solo musicians in a creative form. Combining his video skills and a new courtyard at his recently moved into house, it was a match made in heaven.

For myself this was a way to stay creative learn and try new things. I don’t like being stagnant and after the big live streaming boom that we experienced in 2020 and early 2021, I wanted to try something different something less sterile.
Frankie Cavone, Mirth Films

The lineup was curated by Cavone, working with musicians he had worked with previously, as well as hoped to work with for the first time. The response was strong, with musicians coming to the courtyard for an afternoon or evening session, with enough interest and response from viewers to continue the series this fall and into 2022.

I did not know if this was something that would last as long as a did, but after 14 episodes, it’s something that I want to continue doing. As a creator it definitely helps me learn and build my skills.
Frankie Cavone, Mirth Films

Cavone’s end goal with Courtyard Sessions, now that it is established, is to have not only local musicians but national touring musicians as well who are coming through the Capital Region step into the courtyard.

An official Mirth Films series, Courtyard Sessions is one of a handful of new series that will be coming out before the end of 2021,

The Fall season will end later this month, with local singer/songwriter Caity Gallagher, who has a voice comparable to Dolores O’Riordan of The Cranberries, as the penultimate guest, premiering Wednesday, October 20 on the Mirth Films YouTube Channel.

Watch all episodes of Courtyard Sessions from Mirth Films below.

October 16, 2021
Experience Night of The Living Musical at The Hangar Theater in Ithaca

On Saturday, October 23, Ithaca’s Hangar Theater will host a fall day to remember. Broadway Jazz Star Julie Benko will headline the day’s festivities. She was awarded the Gold Metal and Johnny Mercer award at the 2017 American Tradition vocal Competition as well as the Wilde Award for best leading actress in a musical as Girl in Once. Julie Benko said “I think this is for everyone to enjoy ,it draws from the entertainment of the Broadway world, the vibrancy of the hot jazz tradition and the emotional vulnerability of theater.

The music will be handled by accompanist Jeff Theiss, with a very appropriate October vibe as Jeff was the musical director for the romantic story of “Ghost the Musical” at The Merry-go Round Playhouse on Owasco Lake. Julie’s voice, who has been part of the 85th Academy Awards and the 70th Academy Award ceremonies, will carry soft across Cayuga Lake next Saturday evening. She just welcomed a new cat into her family named Thelonius Monk. Musical chameleon Benko said “I want the listener to know exactly where they are and feel like they have been dropped in the middle of a scene”.

The scene at The Hangar Theater on October 23 will be fitting for you to win best costume by dressing as your favorite musical character. On July 11, 1975, the Hangar Theatre opened with Man of La Mancha, thanks to more than a decade’s effort by impassioned citizens in Ithaca. So this week put the same craft in planning your Saturday nights look. You will have chances to win many getaway evenings at Williams Henry Miller Inn, Firelight Camps, and Cayuga Lake Cottage. You can board the Cayuga Lake Boat Cruise. A pair of tickets to a show at The Hangar and State Theater will also be experienced in “Gorges” Ithaca and more.

The show will be held on the heated outdoor stage for one more Saturday night October 23rd 2021. Arrive by 3PM to begin with drinks and hors d’oeuvres. 3:30 will be the Hangar news welcome. Julie Benko will perform songs from beloved musicals, classic and contemporary performances from 4:00 to 4:40. By 5 PM the evening’s best musical costume winner shall be crowned and Summer 2022 special announcements.

Hangar artistic director Shirley Serotsky said “We hope to have your support in increasing access to arts education programming for all young people, allowing them the opportunity to express their most authentic and joyful selves through theatre, storytelling and movement. The funds we raise will help enhance the experiences of young artists and their ability to pursue their best paths”

Get tickets to the event on Saturday October 23rd at the Hangar Theater, starting at 3 PM, here

October 15, 2021
2022 Hudson Jazz Festival Announces Dates

The 2022 Hudson Jazz Festival has announced dates and themes for its 2022 celebration. The festivities will take place across two weekends on February 10-13 & 17-20, 2022 at Hudson Hall in Hudson, 45 minutes south of Albany.

The Hudson Jazz Festival aims to give a voice to artists as they respond to transformative events in our nation’s history. This year’s festival will focus on Black History Month and will be using Lift Every Voice as its theme. Held over two weekends in February which is Black History Month the festivities will feature performances, art, film, spoken word and community events. The festival hopes to honor the spirit of the unofficial Black national anthem Lift Every Voice through its celebration creating a joyous and optimistic new era of hope for equity, diversity, and inclusion.

The festival will feature six performances that include some exceptional talents. The big names include Jazzmeia Horn who is a multi-GRAMMY-nominated singer and The Baylor Project who are a multi-GRAMMY-nominated duo, GRAMMY-nominated saxophonist/composer Jimmy Greene and his quartet, and spoken-word artist, activist and TONY-nominated actor Daniel J. Watts. Some of the rising stars who may not be as well known in the line up are vocalist Alexis Morrast and acclaimed vibraphonist Warren Wolf.

Tickets to the 2022 Hudson Jazz Festival start at $25. People who are 25 and under may pre-purchase single tickets for $15 each using the discount code UNDER25. Tickets are currently on sale for members of the Hudson Hall with sales to the public opening up Friday, October 15, 2021.

For more information on the 2022 Hudson Jazz Festival and on Hudson Hall visit their website.

October 14, 2021
Center For Italian Modern Art to Honor Mario Schifano with an Evening of Jazz

The San Gennaro festival may be over, but The Center For Italian Modern Art will continue to embrace Italian culture with “Schifano and Jazz,” a concert dedicated to Mario Schifano’s passion for American Jazz, on Wednesday, October 20th at 6:30 pm ET.

Since 2013, CIMA has dedicated themselves to showcasing contemporary Italian art to a global audience. The public non-profit has presented many critically acclaimed exhibitions in efforts to showcase even new art never before seen in the United States. Not only are they providing a variety of public programs, they also have partnered with their international fellowship program to support a new scholarship that situates Italian modern art in an expansive historic and cultural context in efforts to preserve Italian culture, providing a sort of incubator for larger cultural institutions. They invite those who also share the same passion for modern Italian art, open to fresh new perspectives. Your visit begins with complimentary espresso before an informal exhibition tour with a resident fellows.

To continue honoring Mario Schifano after CIMA’s current exhibition “Facing America: Mario Schifano, 1960-65,” they will host live acoustic performances from multi-instrumentalists Stefan Zeniuk (Vampire Weekend), Ari Folman-Cohen (Grammy Award-winning guitarist Stephane Wrembel), and violinist Cody Geil. These artists will feature music from those who inspired Mario Schifano the most like Miles Davis, Bud Powell, and Freddie Hubbard.

Before the music starts CIMA will raise a toast to another engaging season of modern Italian art in NYC. This special program will have discounted tickets for CIMA members and students. Registration, masking, and proof of vaccination are required. More info here

October 11, 2021
Acclaimed Guitarist Marc Ribot Unleashes Another Power Solo in his Literary Debut

Throughout his 40-year career, guitarist Marc Ribot has defied expectations and genre boundaries at every turn. He’s been the go-to guy serving up a singular fusion of rootsy Americana meets outré noise jazz meets Cubano swing with everyone from Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, Robert Plant, Nora Jones and Diana Krall to John Lurie’s Lounge Lizards, the Black Keys and the inexhaustibly productive John Zorn. Now with Unstrung: Rants and Stories of A Noise Guitarist (Akashic Books), Marc Ribot is stepping into the spotlight with his literary debut. And it is one as fresh, fiercely focused, unpredictable and delightfully disorienting as his masterfully knotty guitar work.

First off, this is not a musical memoir per se. It is a collection of darkly funny stories and essays that, in good part, touch upon his thoughts on guitars, amps, touring, composer’s rights and iconic musical partners like punk guitar icon Robert Quine, free jazz legends Derek Bailey and Henry Grimes and producer extraordinaire Hal Willner. But this is a collection that spreads its wings far beyond the world of music. It is a razor-sharp playlist of far-reaching modernist literature, one that puts a Dadaist spin on everything from iPhone failures to treatments for absurdist films that will only ever exist in Ribot’s fevered imagination.

In the first section of the book, “Lies and Distortions,” the guitarist turns his attention to his instrument. “My relation to the guitar is one of struggle,” he writes. “I’m constantly forcing it to be something else: a saxophone, a scream, a car rolling down a hill… I bend them and they bend me.” Marc Ribot also pens a great ode to amps and distortion. In it, he claims his need to play amps at peak volume, to a breaking point that risks both his hearing and livelihood, provides to a guitarist “what makeup is to a drag queen.” His love of distortion is also compared to the appeal of “vocal chords eroded by whiskey and screaming” and “the junked-out weakness of certain horn players” like Dexter Gordon or Lester Young. Ribot also pens a moving tribute to his first teacher, the renowned classical guitar master from Haiti, Frantz Casseus. Ribot’s distinct style may have been informed by his early lessons and lifelong friendship with this man, who like Bela Bartok, merged the folk of his native land with European classical tradition. Ribot’s fierce defense of creators’ rights is illustrated in his discussions of Casseus’ hand-to-mouth existence, due to being cheated out of his composer royalties for decades until the literal last months of his life. He also passionately tackles this issue in “The Attack on Artist’s Rights…and Me,” a much socially-shared 2014 essay first published in Talkhouse Magazine.

Some of my favorite pieces in the book are Ribot’s generally observational ones. In “Animal Sounds,” his astute ears dissect a rooster scream, which is not a single scream at all, but a mindlessly repetitive three-part pattern, a sonic cage which is the “opposite of being free as a bird” to the author. He also shares how a poetry exercise in 2^nd grade taught him a lesson about both unconscious plagiarism and life losses. There are also flights of fancy about a rocket scientist who dies because he can’t seem to learn how to tie his shoelaces properly and a boy, named Woody, who tries homespun horticulture to graft himself to a tree. There’s also a story where Botox leads to murder. This is all because a husband can’t detect the increasingly aggravated expressions on his wife’s newly treated and immobile face. Like his ofttimes sensibly brief guitar solos, a good deal of the stories here are rendered in a single page or two. They have a darkly humorous, almost haiku style slapstick that brings to mind the work of the great Italo Calvino in works like Italian Folktales and Marcovaldo.

photo by Ebru Ylidiz

The fantasies continue in the third section entitled “Film (Mis)Treatments.” In one, a past-its-prime avant-garde band on tour is not concerned with their performances, only where they are going to eat in each city. When the tour is cancelled after a single disastrous performance, their manager wants to pull the travel and hotel accommodations. So, the band kills him… and continues to eat its way across the Europe! In “The Club Date Musician (Or Saturday Night Nausea),” he lays out the agonizing travails of the wedding band industry, for both the players and the people who hire them. He also observes how all society band leaders seems to take new names that are two first names, and waspy ones at that, like the fictional Nathaniel (Nat) Alexander in his story.

There are also shades of what I assume is Ribot’s personal life outside music, and as a longtime New Yorker, in this brief but enjoyable book. In one story, we learn how a 10-year rent battle with his landlord in the Lower East Side unexpectedly ends in his favor, earning him $170,000 from an escrow account and a move to leafy Cobble Hill, Brooklyn. In “Kaddish for Joan,” we see how the slightly older artist cousin he so admired in his teens succumbs to pressures from her Jewish family – giving up art, the hippie life and going slowly mad in suburbia. A story that especially touched me was “Today I Did Something Remarkable.” In this, Ribot stroll down memory lane and comes to the realization he is entering a new stage of life, as he slowly takes apart the Ikea loft bed his now-adult daughter used throughout her youth.

For some musicians, talent is not limited to the world of sound and lyric. Joni Mitchell, Tony Bennett, Bob Dylan and David Bowie are among the many musos who are pretty good painters. Rob Zombie, George Harrison and David Bryne are among those who have produced or directed acclaimed films. With Unstrung, Ribot is joining this boundary crossing crew, with a collection of diverse, wonderful stories that sing even when they are not about music.

Check out Marc Ribot, as sideman and sideman, on this playlist.

October 6, 2021
Flushing Town Hall Monthly Jazz Jam Celebrates 10th Anniversary on October 13

The Louis Armstrong Legacy Monthly Jazz Jam at Flushing Town Hall will celebrate its 10th Anniversary on October 13, 2021. In celebration of the occasion Flushing Town Hall’s current house jazz band will be joined by members of Queens Jazz OverGround on Wednesday, October 13, 2021 at 7 PM EST.

The monthly jam started back in October of 2011 as an educational program in collaboration with the Aaron Copeland School of Music at Queens College. The program existed in order to provide a platform for young jazz musicians to play music together. Three years into the program’s formation the monthly jam transformed into a program for amateur and professional musicians and public audiences under the lead of Queens Jazz OverGround.

Flushing Town Hall’s Director of Education & Public Programs, Gabrielle M. Hamilton spoke on the creation of the monthly Jazz Jam saying, “Shortly after I joined Flushing Town Hall, we were able to launch our first Jazz Jam and Clinic in October 2011. Our partnership with Queens College provided graduate music students with an opportunity to jam together locally and educate young musicians in Jazz. A few years later, the jam expanded to reach more musicians under the leadership of Brian Woodruff and Queens Jazz OverGround (QJOG).”

Hamilton also announced that some of the QJOG original members will be joining the stage with Carol Sudhalter, Joe Vincent Tranchina, Eric Lemmon, and Scott Neumann — our current house band, to acknowledge ten years of great Jazz right here in Flushing for the 10th anniversary.

The band at the 10th anniversary celebration will feature Josh Deutsch on trumpet (founding member, Queens Jazz OverGround), Hashem Assadullahi on alto saxophone (current member, Queens Jazz OverGround), Amanda Monaco on guitar (founding member, Queens Jazz OverGround), Eugenia Choe on piano (current member, Queens Jazz OverGround), Richard Mikel on bass and Brian Woodruff on drums (founding and current member, Queens Jazz OverGround).

The celebration will take place in person at the historic building in Queens on Wednesday, October 13 at 7 PM EST. Admission is $10 or free to members. In adherence with Mayor De Blasio’s Covid policy for performance venues, Flushing Town Hall will require all visitors, performers, and staff to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19. A form of identification that matches the proof of vaccine is required, and masks must be worn at all times. For more details on Flushing Town Hall’s general Covid-safety measures and vaccine requirements, please visit here.

For more information on the Flushing Town Hall’s Louis Armstrong Legacy Monthly Jazz Jam 10th Anniversary event visit their website.

October 6, 2021