Kobie had kept his lineup secret leading up to this gig. What a pleasant surprise! He'd collected John Brown on bass, Aaron Hill on alto/soprano, Lynn Grissett on trumpet (& recording equipment), & Charlotte-based pianist Lavelle Bratford (who's worth hearing on his own) to deliver an evening of swinging post-millennial hard-bop to an almost sold-out crowd. Most tunes were penned by Kobie, who--like many local musicians--is working towards a new CD. Again, I feel lucky to have been lured by his "Grouptet". I suspect there'll be another version to play locally soon...
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I could be very busy next week because there are performances that intrigue me:
--Tuesday night singer/cellist (& Cirque de Soleil perfomer) Shana Tucker appears at the Carolina Theatre. I must admit I'm primarily interested in--though liking Tucker--local trumpeter Al Strong either opening for her &/or playing with her. Al's always worth hearing (see the review of last night at Pinhook). --Wednesday night at Carrboro's Arts Center, DC-based saxophonist Brad Linde has organized a locavore & extravore big band to play contemporary jazz by Australian Elliott Hughes. At $6/7 a ticket, it's cheap at twice the price & worth taking a flyer on. --Thursday night UNC student drummer Atticus Reynolds (who's good) leads a good honoring Art Blakely & the Jazz Messengers by playing tunes composed by former Messengers (the best example: Wayne Shorter). This could be another little gem. --Friday night pianist Eric Hirsh plays opposite & with the local Avante jazz acapella group at Motorco. A great combination. Another little gem? I also note that revered extravore guitarist John Abercrombie is sold out at Sharp Nine, where sold-out performances are coming regularly... Local band Zoocru w/ Al Strong & guest guitarist Matthew Stevens & his quartet put on fine, energizing shows at Pinhook last night, produced by Art of Cool. Both mostly played high-tempo jazz that some might classify as funk or rock or indie jazz, though the drumming was mainly jazzish, propelling new melodies & fine solos.
This was the best Zoocru performance I've seen. Neo-millennial funkish jazz. Meanwhile, Matthew Stevens's quartet challenged the clichés of what used to be called fusion jazz. Yes, the tempos & sound were fierce, but the playing was jazz. And, the band sounded pretty tight, especially Lnda Oh's quietly, steadily assertive bass playing, & drummer Eric Doob's stoking the engine in tune with the overall sound. OK, I've lived through the jazz-rock & fusion era, & these days we find many combinations of jazz styles, to the point where old labels don't work (particularly if you take them too seriously). |
AuthorPeter Burke has liked jazz since he was in high school. Having lived & worked in exotic places with & without local jazz scenes, he has also led a Guide To Local Jazz class in the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at Duke. Archives
January 2020
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