Yeah, of course, we need another place where musicians can jam on a regular basis & Ernest Turner can ply his trade. It's time for another person with Dan Stark's imagination & energy to find that place.
It pains me to have just removed the Shed from the home page. The new owners have declined to renew its lease. Not a surprise but still a loss. Dan Stark did a great job trying to maintain a space where jazz & other arts could be practiced, but that's such a hard thing to do in our economy. I will remember most the jam sessions that followed Ernest Turner's weekly set, for all the (mostly) young musicians I got to know & appreciate.
Yeah, of course, we need another place where musicians can jam on a regular basis & Ernest Turner can ply his trade. It's time for another person with Dan Stark's imagination & energy to find that place.
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Sometimes you stumble on to something good: With Brad Maiani on vacation from his Sunday West End Wine Bar (Chapel Hill), I didn't know what bassist Jason Foureman had in store but decided to see who was there. I was rewarded. He paired with pianist Eliana Fishbane, who recently graduated from UNC after having switched focus from classical music to jazz somewhere in mid-stream. So I sipped on chill wine white & listened to lovely jazz & songbook standards plus one Fishbane original. A marvelous surprise!
This Week: Kinda quiet again this week but there are numerous weeknight gigs going on in air-conditioned venues. Pick one gig & go for it... Friday: I'm likely to see Mark Meadows, a DC-based singer/pianist at the Beyu 7 & 9p. He's hard to categorize since he can mix jazz, hi-hop, & R&B (check "Stay Woke" at https://markgmeadows.com/music) with his singing, or stay jazz's middle road (check https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRaiclFNLhc). He's just a very pleasant, talented performer who deserves a listen...After which I may trundle over to Alley 26 to see what Al Strong has to offer, directly or indirectly. Saturday: Amid a number of choices, two things are worth noting. First, Art of Cool has a fund-raising jazz jam at Watts & Ward, 200 S. Blount St. in Raleigh 6-8p. I know I'll donate & lean towards stopping in--before, second, going to--->Dave Finucane getting out from his chair at Sharp Nine to lead a quartet featuring Scott Sawyer, bassist Jason Foureman, & powerful drummer Kobie Watkins at 8p. I predict you'll walk out of there having heard solid, solid jazz. Sunday: My only plan is to see what happens at Chapel Hill's West End Wine Bar 7p in Brad Maiani's absence. Discoveries:
1. Sean Mason is an incredibly imaginative pianist, with all the enthusiasm of youth absorbing as much music as possible, filling the brain with possibilities, & then spinning improvisation out of tunes & improvisation out of improvisation. I heard that Friday night at Sharp Nine, including 30-40 minutes of continuous playing. Economy wasn't a virtue that night, but ce la vie. 2. Jo Gore & Doug Largent are a good duo, her soulish jazz fitting his bouncy organ playing--based on their Saturday afternoon gig at the Station. 3. Ariel Pocock will start teaching at UNCG. I'm happy when local musicians make more money. 4, UNC & Duke Music Departments are filling in their fall jazz calendars, with more coming. The astounding thing was seeing Duke scheduling Nicholas Payton with the student jazz band the same night that Duke Performances has pianist Jason Moran & multi-instrumentalist Tyshawn Sorey. A mild WTF... This Week: A week of Usual Suspects to choose among, followed by a few weekend choices... Friday: I know what I'll do but am still perplexed. I'll see the Ernest Turner trio at Sharp Nine 8p while regretting not hearing DC-based singer Akua Allrich at Beyu & 7 & 9p. Locavore beats extravore except in extraordinary circumstances (e.g., Duke Performances "Monk @ 100" series). For Raleigh-centered locavores, the Gregg Gelb/Stephen Anderson quartet at C Grace 9p will do nicely. Saturday: Another tough choice. Locally-started singer Eve Cornelius has a CD release gig at Durham's Parizade restaurant 7:30p. That she's making the effort to reconnect with us makes it harder to consider hearing the fun local jazz acapella group Avante at Sharp Nine 8p. Raleighites, you do have the Al Strong Quartet at C Grace 9p for consolation. And, yes, I wish venues would schedule sets better for my needs! |
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
April 2024
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