Future Jazz: telematics at UCSD
Mark Dresser, Michael Dessen, Nicole Mitchell and Myra Melford performed with musicians from across the country and the Atlantic Ocean while staying put in La Jolla.
The recent three-day consecutive telematic virtual tour performed at UCSD with a quartet comprised of Mark Dresser's bass, Nicole Mitchell's flutes, Michael Dessen's trombone and Myra Melford's piano interacting in real time with musicians from Amherst MA, Zurich Switzerland, and …
For The Roses
Robin Adler & Mutts of the Planet delivered two knockout sets of Joni Mitchell music to a packed house at Dizzy's.
Mutts of the Planet is kind of a misleading name for a band that produces such consistently gorgeous music, and unless you're a Joni Mitchell "insider,' you might not realize that the moniker comes from a lyric on Mitchell's Mingus …
Geoffrey Keezer: solo piano April 9, @ Jazz Live
The brilliant pianist performs a rare home-town gig at SD City College
Virtuoso pianist Geoffrey Keezer will perform solo, on April 9, at Jazz Live, on the campus of San Diego City College in the Saville Theatre at 8 pm. It's easy to forget sometimes that Keezer lives in our fair town. …
Gerald Clayton Quartet live in La Jolla
Clayton's group delivered an excellent example of modern, small group improvising.
Athenaeum Jazz led off their new concert series with a performance by the Gerald Clayton Quartet on April 3, at TSRI in La Jolla, featuring special guest tenor saxophonist Mark Turner alongside Joe Sanders on bass, Justin Brown on drums …
Rez Abbasi, Mark Dresser, Satoshi Takeishi : Live
Free wheeling solos and rhythmic adventure characterized this excellent trio of sonic explorers.
These Bonnie Wright concerts just keep getting better. On the last day of March, NYC guitarist Rez Abbasi assembled a special trio with his longtime associate Satoshi Takeishi on drums and SD bassist Mark Dresser for a riveting performance of …
Joshua White, Tripp Sprague & Gunnar Biggs @ Westgate Hotel
Three masters explore, deconstruct, and reinvent standards in the moment.
Piano virtuoso Joshua White cemented another step in his quest for self-fulfillment on March 29, with a smoking performance at the Westgate Hotel featuring tenor saxophonist Tripp Sprague and bassist Gunnar Biggs. Unwinding soft honeyed tones over the solid time …
Robin Adler & Mutts of the Planet: April 6
The next best thing to seeing Joni Mitchell herself is catching Mutts of the Planet.
"We're looking forward to presenting a newly learned suite of Joni music on April 6, and have been spending the last few months in preparation so we can honor it properly," says Mutts of the Planet guitarist Dave Blackburn, "It …
Four new local jazz releases
Road Work Ahead, Rob Thorsen, Steph Johnson and the Peter Sprague String Consort all have brand-new discs available.
Four local jazz recordings hit the open market this month, including efforts by Road Work Ahead, the Steph Johnson Trio, Rob Thorsen Trio and the Peter Sprague String Consort. http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/mar/27/42696/ This group began as the Bob Magnusson Quartet back in …
Shrinking the carbon footprint with a "virtual" tour
Using technology only available at certain universities, jazz musicians are performing together from different geographic locations.
UCSD's contrabass virtuoso Mark Dresser strikes boldly into the world of technology in a series of concerts coordinated from the UC campus, with a core quartet featuring flutist Nicole Mitchell, trombonist Michael Dessen, and pianist Myra Melford--performing live in real …
Rez Abbasi Trio: March 31
Expect sparks to fly when the guitarist performs with fellow New Yorker, SatoshiTakeishi and SD bass great Mark Dresser.
Bonnie Wright's Fresh Sound @ Space 4 Art concludes this month with a bang by virtue of a performance from the Rez Abbasi Trio on March 31, at 8 pm. Abbasi won #2 Rising Star Guitarist in the Down Beat …
Dependent Origination live at the Taoist Sanctuary
Multi-reed man Peter Kuhn led a stellar ensemble of improvisers for a scintillating set on March 16.
The Taoist Sanctuary on Park Blvd. played host to an all-star free jazz concert by some of the music's heaviest hitters on March 16, when Dependent Origination, an ensemble organized by multi-instrumentalist Peter Kuhn unleashed a blistering, kaleidoscopic 90 minute, …
re: Trio live at the New Dizzy's
This was the final gig this week for Ben Schachter's East Coast group, visiting from NYC and Philadelphia.
Tenor saxophonist Ben Schachter has been in San Diego for less than a year, if I'm not mistaken, but the former Philadelphian is definitely making waves in the local jazz scene. Key to his success is an uncommon versatility. Schachter …
Carl Stone live in the East Village
Electronic music pioneer blended a myriad of sounds for a journey into places unknown.
Electronic music composer Carl Stone was the featured performer at Bonnie Wright's March 14 installment of her Fresh Sound @ Space 4 Art series. A pivotal moment in Stone's musical history came about in his student days at Cal Arts, …
Ellen Weller & Joshua White at Palomar College
There is both serious and joyful chemistry between these two masters.
Woodwind multi-instrumental virtuoso Ellen Weller surfaced with a rare public performance on March 14, in a sublime duo with pianist Joshua White for an afternoon concert at Palomar College. Choosing an all-improvised format, Weller began with slinky clarinet weaving around …
Ben Schachter Quartet at Jazz Live
Schachter is an exciting saxophonist and he blew the roof off the Saville Theatre
Saxophonist Ben Schachter, in a quartet featuring iconic pianist Mike Wofford, NYC bassist Leon Boykins and Philadelphia drummer Matt Scarano delivered a blistering set of modern improvised music on March 12, at KSDS Jazz Live, for a sold-out house at …
Steph Johnson: Nature Girl release party, March 16, @ Sunset Temple
The soulful vocalist is celebrating her new CD with bassist Rob Thorsen and drummer Fernando Gomez, plus special guests.
Guitar-slinging vocalist Steph Johnson is hosting the official CD Release party for her brand-new album Nature Girl on March 16, at the Sunset Temple, located at 3911 Kansas, in North Park. Nature Girl has been receiving quite a bit of …
Solo electronic music concert: Carl Stone, March 14 @ Space 4 Art
"The king of sampling" drops in for a performance in the East Village.
http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/mar/12/41687/ Live computer music pioneer Carl Stone comes to Bonnie Wright's Fresh Sound @ Space 4 Art series on March 14. Stone has been hailed by the Village Voice as "the king of sampling" and "one of the best composers …
Helzer, Grinnell & Hubbard: The ARC Trio
Shifting from intricate notation into free improvisation while keeping it all swinging is serious fun.
The ARC Trio featuring pianist Rick Helzer bassist Justin Grinnell and drummer Nathan Hubbard played a reunion gig on March 9 at Villa Musica--reconfirming the depth of talent in the San Diego jazz scene. These guys may be the best-kept …
Joe Garrison & Night People live at 98 Bottles
The underground composer surfaced with a red-hot nonet to interpret some very original music.
Composer and pianist Joe Garrison brought the rich 9 piece ensemble he calls Night People into 98 Bottles on March 7, for an evening of creative, swinging original material featuring some of San Diego's best instrumental soloists. Garrison himself is …
ARC Trio: March 9, at Villa Musica
Creative music returns to Villa Musica with Helzer, Grinnell and Hubbard.
http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/mar/06/41253/ On Saturday, March 9, the San Diego Center for the Arts presents the ARC Trio, featuring pianist Rick Helzer, bassist Justin Grinnell and drummer Nathan Hubbard. The concert which begins at 8 pm, will be held at Villa Musica, …