Author Topic: The Concert Thread  (Read 399064 times)

Wayback

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Re: The Concert Thread
« Reply #675 on: October 30, 2008, 03:50:44 PM »
Possible Jackson 5 reunion tour (with Michael & Janet) and new album. This article has new video for J5's "Who's Loving You" (with scenes of the ol' J5):
http://music.yahoo.com/read/news/61823599

ETA: now Michael denies he'll take part in J5 reunion:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081031/music_nm/us_jackson_life
« Last Edit: October 30, 2008, 08:48:15 PM by Wayback »

Tinka Cat

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Re: The Concert Thread
« Reply #676 on: October 30, 2008, 05:19:06 PM »
I saw Cecil Taylor play at Grace Cathedral last Friday.  He's considered of the great jazz pianists of the century(ies) -- a long career and he's 79 now, still going strong  --  and is generally acknowledged (mostly by music jazz snobs) to be decades ahead of his time.  Being "ahead of his time" also means that his music is pretty inaccessible: an atonal, aggressive approach to playing, like turning the keyboard into a drumset.  (Some guy in one of my college classes on Music and Religion called him "a monster" -- in a good way.)

I've never been a fan or had that much direct exposure to his music, but I leapt at the chance to see him for free  (I won tix from from a radio station -- I don't know if I would've shelled out $30 per ticket.).    I also felt I could "handle it" -- his style of free jazz was familiar to me and I know people who play improvisational atonal stuff, influenced by folks like Stockhousen, Cage, Morton Feldman, blah blah.  It's not always for me, but I've had exposure to its vocabulary. 

After he was introduced, we clapped and expected him to come out and sit down right away and get into playing.  But it was a couple minutes before anything seemed to happen. just silence.  Then we saw a figure come out of the shadows from WAAY in the back of the cathedral and start moving forward slowly. Then we heard some spoken words, things about astrophysics, astronomy, balance, etc.  He was reading verse  --  and he did this for about 10 minutes while walking behind the alter (do Episcopal churches have altars?).  he was in a peach color sweater (old guys can wear anything and look cool).  Then he sat down and started in.

So I'm glad I went, but it wasn't what you'd call a toe-tapping good ole time.  He does make you work, and it's not background music, for sure.  Attack is a fitting word (sometimes) for what he does to the keyboard, but he's not always a maniac, either. he does build shapes, big and small, hard and soft, but visualizing the waves of a turbulent sea can describe what most of the night was like.   

One of the factors that came into heavy play is the Cathedral's acoustics:  they suck.  The sound was muddy from where we sat, and there's a 7 second reverb in there -- meaning a sound bounces around for seven seconds in some capacity before completely decaying.  That kind of action can make a piano lose so much.  the program notes mention the reverb and said taylor would use it as part of the perf.  I'm sure from where he sat and what he heard himself playing was as diff experience than the rest of he place.  I'm glad I went.  I do consider it part if my musical edu-ma-cation at the very least.  I downloaded some of his music, too.  When I want to go someplace I seldom go musically speaking, it's there for me.



   
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Tinka Cat

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Re: The Concert Thread
« Reply #677 on: October 31, 2008, 01:45:55 PM »
another perf I saw recently was the in-store appearance of Taj Majal last Sunday at the San Francisco Amoeba.  I knew about him peripherally, but when I found myself in Amoeba last Sunday midday and saw that he was doing an appearance at 2 PM, it was my lucky day. I had seen him at the aging hippie 40th Anniversary of the Summer of Love last year in GG Park, but the experience didn't stay with me .. maybe it was the aromatic waft of second hand smoke and patchouli that did it.

He was fantastic!  I thought he was primarily a blues player, but he did a folky-cajun-y take on Fisherman Blues (?) that was very cool.  He brought out a banjo for a song, too (let's not forget the banjo is an instrument developed in America by African slaves.)  He also has some great arrangements: his trio played an African-influenced song that appears on the new CD (the CD version features more musicians -- including Angelique Kidjo) and the three of them had so much energy.  The dude is funny, too.  There were maybe 200 fans there, and they loved it.  (Compare that with the Amoeba in-store I saw recently by Elvin Bishop, which just wasn't that exciting, to be honest: I was over back at the clearance bins by the third song, looking for more Rush and/or AC/DC -- that was for Mike and Alicat ... )

.. But with Taj Majal, I didn't want it to end.  Great band, that Taj Majal Trio.  They don't play TOO many notes if the song doesn't require, and are very tight.  Go see them if you can.

He's drumming up support for his new CD, and he played for maybe 25 minutes, but it was qual-ee-tay stuff, I gotta say.

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RGMike

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Re: The Concert Thread
« Reply #678 on: October 31, 2008, 02:49:22 PM »
another perf I saw recently was the in-store appearance of Taj Majal last Sunday at the San Francisco Amoeba.  I knew about him peripherally, but when I found myself in Amoeba last Sunday midday and saw that he was doing an appearance at 2 PM, it was my lucky day. I had seen him at the aging hippie 40th Anniversary of the Summer of Love last year in GG Park, but the experience didn't stay with me .. maybe it was the aromatic waft of second hand smoke and patchouli that did it.

He was fantastic!  I thought he was primarily a blues player, but he did a folky-cajun-y take on Fisherman Blues (?) that was very cool.  He brought out a banjo for a song, too (let's not forget the banjo is an instrument developed in America by African slaves.)  He also has some great arrangements: his trio played an African-influenced song that appears on the new CD (the CD version features more musicians -- including Angelique Kidjo) and the three of them had so much energy.  The dude is funny, too.  There were maybe 200 fans there, and they loved it.  (Compare that with the Amoeba in-store I saw recently by Elvin Bishop, which just wasn't that exciting, to be honest: I was over back at the clearance bins by the third song, looking for more Rush and/or AC/DC -- that was for Mike and Alicat ... )

.. But with Taj Majal, I didn't want it to end.  Great band, that Taj Majal Trio.  They don't play TOO many notes if the song doesn't require, and are very tight.  Go see them if you can.

He's drumming up support for his new CD, and he played for maybe 25 minutes, but it was qual-ee-tay stuff, I gotta say.

Damn -- how OLD is he?
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Tinka Cat

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Re: The Concert Thread
« Reply #679 on: October 31, 2008, 03:35:57 PM »
another perf I saw recently was the in-store appearance of Taj Majal

Damn -- how OLD is he?

per wikipedia

born May 17, 1942 (age 66)

Also, I misspelled his name: it's "Mahal" (w an "h")

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mshray

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Re: The Concert Thread
« Reply #680 on: October 31, 2008, 04:15:17 PM »
another perf I saw recently was the in-store appearance of Taj Majal

Damn -- how OLD is he?

per wikipedia

born May 17, 1942 (age 66)

Also, I misspelled his name: it's "Mahal" (w an "h")



Did he play "Ain't Nobody's Business"?  I have a live version of that where about 2/3 in he just goes off without warning on this hystercial rap about his tricked out car - culminating in a Wolfman Jack impression - and then right back into the chorus.  Very funny.
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Wayback

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Re: The Concert Thread
« Reply #681 on: November 03, 2008, 08:37:17 AM »
Article in Chron lists notable shows of past 20 yrs at Slim's nightclub:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/11/02/PK4N13NB7I.DTL

Tinka Cat

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Re: The Concert Thread
« Reply #682 on: November 03, 2008, 08:46:46 AM »
another perf I saw recently was the in-store appearance of Taj Majal

Damn -- how OLD is he?

per wikipedia

born May 17, 1942 (age 66)

Also, I misspelled his name: it's "Mahal" (w an "h")



Did he play "Ain't Nobody's Business"?  I have a live version of that where about 2/3 in he just goes off without warning on this hystercial rap about his tricked out car - culminating in a Wolfman Jack impression - and then right back into the chorus.  Very funny.

I don't recall that one, but it's possible.  I'm hoping Amoeba will eventually put up the video they shot. 
Also, Taj will be back in the bay area at Yoshi's Oakland Dec 19-21..!
« Last Edit: November 03, 2008, 08:51:34 AM by Tinka_Cat »
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ggould

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Wake The Dead 11-1-08 Freight And Salvage, Berkeley
« Reply #683 on: November 03, 2008, 09:31:32 AM »
had a great time Saturday night.  Went in a group of 8 in a van, just like 35 years ago trekking to Winterland!  I'd never been to F&S before, in the 40 years it's been around.

Wake The Dead 11-1-08
Freight And Salvage, Berkeley
Set 1
Cumberland Blues
Scarlet Begonias
Box of Rain
Deal
Can't Let Go (Lucinda Williams song)
New Speedway Boogie
Black Muddy River
The Other One > tambourine solo > bagpipes from the back >
Sugar Magnolia
Set 2
Castin' My Spell On You (done by Johnny Otis, among others)
White Rabbit >
Friend of the Devil
Bird Song > Bluebird > Bird Song
St. Stephen
Farewell Angelina
U. S. Blues
China Cat Sunflower >
Bertha
Encore
Down the Day
The Dolphins (Fred Neil)
Goodnight
Don't stand in the way of LOVE!

mshray

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Re: The Concert Thread
« Reply #684 on: November 04, 2008, 11:24:29 AM »
Went with Wayback to see the Experience Hendrix show last night at the Masonic.  Not much time to post right now, but two really cool things:  A) we were able to hook up with Tinka-Cat for a beer & some wings before the show - had a great chat, & made sure that Tinka + GF will be invited to future get-togethers.  B) we had seats around to the right side of the stage, but only 4 rows back, and most of the performers entered & exited less than 20 ft from us.  So at the end, as they trickled backstage I got to say thanks to & shake hands with Brad Whitford, Robbie Krieger & Mitch Mitchell.   :o :D :o
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Gazoo

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Re: The Concert Thread
« Reply #685 on: November 10, 2008, 01:40:51 PM »
Has anyone heard the new Boz Scaggs covers?  He's doing a few jazz sets at the nearby Blue Note this week, and I'm wondering if it's a must-see/must-hear.  I find in general that I like his songs in spite of his voice rather than because of it, but maybe it works better in the blues-jazz medium?
“The choir of children sing their song.  They've practiced all year long.  Ding dong.  Ding dong.  Ding dong.”

ggould

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Re: The Concert Thread
« Reply #686 on: November 10, 2008, 06:18:04 PM »
Has anyone heard the new Boz Scaggs covers?  He's doing a few jazz sets at the nearby Blue Note this week, and I'm wondering if it's a must-see/must-hear.  I find in general that I like his songs in spite of his voice rather than because of it, but maybe it works better in the blues-jazz medium?
jeez!  I don't know what to say.  Sounds like a don't-miss show, but if you don't like his voice...
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urth

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Re: The Concert Thread
« Reply #687 on: November 10, 2008, 11:04:45 PM »
Has anyone heard the new Boz Scaggs covers?  He's doing a few jazz sets at the nearby Blue Note this week, and I'm wondering if it's a must-see/must-hear.  I find in general that I like his songs in spite of his voice rather than because of it, but maybe it works better in the blues-jazz medium?
jeez!  I don't know what to say.  Sounds like a don't-miss show, but if you don't like his voice...

I recall in the piece on Boz that ran in the Chron a few weeks back, it was mentioned he uses a different vocal range and style for these songs than he does on his older catalog tunes, or the bluesier stuff he's done lately.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/10/27/DDL613GP4R.DTL&hw=Boz+Scaggs&sn=001&sc=1000

Read the section under the subhed "Mastering the standards". It sounds like you might not be hearing the Boz you're accustomed to. And his band sounds killer, too. Both reeds player Paul McCandless (ex of Oregon--the band, not the state) and bassist Steve Rodby (formerly of Pat Metheny's band) are great players. I'd take the chance on this one, if it were me.
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Tinka Cat

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Re: The Concert Thread
« Reply #688 on: November 11, 2008, 09:16:50 AM »
I saw a group called The Tiger Lillies a couple Fridays ago at the Swedish American Hall in SF.  These three guys play a brand of bawdy, profane and dark cabaret that might not be for everyone on this board, and my GF is the real fan in this household (our cat might be, too), but I went b/c they do put on a good show.  The main singer/songwriter wears greasepaint, sings in either a falsetto or a guttural throaty voice, plays piano, accordion and something he called the banjolin (cross b/w banjo and mandolin)  and the themes on their new album (they've been recording since the mid 90s) are bitter crack whores, regular crack whores an spiteful whores who smoke crack.  OK, that's a stretch, but he doesn't hold back w the graphic lyrics and subject matter.  Let's just say hey have waay more in common w Tom Waits and the Weimar Republic than Dave Matthews and Lollapalooza.

The singer had to read a few of his newest lyrics, though, and that got distracting in those few moments when he lost his place. But for the most part, it was pretty dang fun.  If you ever get a chance to see them, I'd say check em out!

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urth

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Faces to re-form
« Reply #689 on: November 13, 2008, 02:38:22 PM »
I guess every band reforms sooner or later (except maybe the Ramones). Rod says he and Woody are game, but Mac and Kenney aren't mentioned by name.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/launch/20081112/en_launch/61860982

Still, I'd pay a few quid to see 'em.
Let's get right to it.