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| A Tale of Two Drummers: Matt Slocum and Phil Hey at Landmark Center |
© Andrea Canter
The Star
Tribune has a good idea -- every Sunday you can read about recent arts
happenings from two perspectives, dubbed Pick Six. Two writers -- usually a
Strib staffer and an invited guest--each select three highpoints in their arts
week. Once in a while, a jazz event makes the cut. Not often enough. So I
decided if the Strib can "Pick Six," surely I can "Take
Five" of my favorite jazz-related events of the past week. So here's my
picks:
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| Good Vibes Trio |
- April 6, Creation Audio "Parlor" Music, Chris Bates' Good
Vibes Trio. In
what will hopefully be the first of many such "parlor concerts,"
Steve Wiese opened the studio at Creation Audio to a small audience to hear a
preview of the Good Vibes Trio's debut, self-titled recording. The music was
actually recorded at Terrarium Studios but no matter, the studio with real
sound engineers managing the acoustics was an ideal setting for such glorious
music, from Mingus to Coltrane to Bates, Hagedorn and Hey.
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| Brad Mehldau |
- April 8, McGuire Theater (Walker
Art Center),
Brad Mehldau and Chris Thile. Mehldau alone or with his trio (who performed the next
night) is a major force in American jazz, but who knew his most formidable
partner yet would be a bluegrass mandolinist? Thile seems to have the chops to
be a major force in anything he attempts, and with Mehldau he proved to be a
perfect fit to the sounds of jazz, country, folk, classical and of course
bluegrass, all of which melded together beautifully in this unexpected duo
format. But the highlight of the evening was an even more unexpected,
breathtaking vocal performance by Thile on "I Cover the Waterfront."
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| Matt Slocum |
- April 9-10, Landmark
Center's Weyerhaeuser
Auditorium, Matt Slocum and Friends. Former area resident and now acclaimed drummer Matt Slocum
finished a short CD release tour back home, setting up his drumkit for two
nights at Landmark
Center and inviting some
friends to play additional sets. I caught night two, featuring a stunning solo
set from Bryan Nichols, the centerpiece trio set from Slocum (with Sam Yahel on
piano and Massimo Biolcati on bass), a two-drum duo with former mentor Phil
Hey, and the closing set from the Dave Karr Quartet with Hey on drums. (The
Phil Hey Quartet with second drummer was featured on the previous night.) Each
set had its own agenda, overlapping influences and personnel giving the full
show some cohesion. Favorite moments--
the friendly fire of the two-drum interaction; the friendly exchange between
Hey and Karr in the closing quartet.
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| Jeremy Walker and Jason Harms |
- April 11, Bethel College Benson Great Hall, Jeremy Walker's 7 Psalms CD
Release. A year
ago, Jeremy Walker premiered his concert-length suite, 7 Psalms. A few tweaks
to the score and a new choir later, Walker recorded in a St.
Paul church and released the result in a St Paul college hall. The texts were simply
taken verbatim from seven of Jeremy's favorite psalms; the music bears the
imprint of Walker's
muse Duke Ellington, as well as other influences from classical and jazz
idioms. Vocal soloist Jason Harms and the 17-voice 7 Psalms Chamber Choir added
some soulful energy to an already-soaring score; saxman Brandon Wozniak played
High Priest, honoring Coltrane.
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| Connie Evingson |
- April 13, Jungle Theater, Connie Evingson and Jon Weber's "Desert Island
Picks." Sharing the stage on a Prairie Home Companion cruise, Connie and Jon started listing the
music they would hope to have in hand if stranded on a desert island. Soon they had the ingredients for a Jazz at
the Jungle show, adding bassist Gordy Johnson. Their choices included Peggy
Lee, Lerner and Lowe, Dave Frishberg, the Beatles, and more, with special turns
by both Weber and Johnson on solo vocals and a smirk-inducing "My Attorney
Bernie" by Connie.
