Jazz Stories

On a warm Sunday afternoon in January, the Bach Dynamite and Dancing Society offered the best of both worlds. Indoors, we enjoyed an energizing set led by Australian bassist Linda May Han Oh. She was playing fresh compositions from her album, The Glass Hours. The album is described as “a collection of works based on abstract themes of the fragility of time and life; exploring paradoxes seeded within our individual and societal values.” We were seated near the very creative pianist, Fabian Almazan. The quintet also featured vocals by Sarah Serpa, drummer Mark Wittfield jr, and saxophonist Mark Turner. The music was intricate, rhythmic, and uplifting. ...

Julian Lage led a quartet through an inspiring take on Jazz Standards on a rainy Sunday evening at SFJazz. The fourth member of the quartet, Chris Potter, was the guest sax player. I love when a band is having a great time, and the quartet seemed just overjoyed with how this set went. Julian was playing a four-night stand at SFJazz and this was the final night. The show was organized as a tribute to seminal jazz guitarist Jim Hall, who was a mentor to Lage. It was also somewhat of a homecoming for Lage, as he grew up in Santa Rosa. Because it was a tribute show, Lage did not play his own compositions, but instead chose Standards like: ...

To celebrate MLK with Mom, we went to see the Harlem Gospel Choir. Entering the Sony Music Hall was itself an experience–a seemingly endless descending staircase in a decrepit stairwell. The hall itself is a throwback to music halls of years past; actually it is probably pretty unchanged from years past. The choir was full of energy and talent, but more entertaining than soulful. A powerful rendition of Amazing Grace was the highlight. ...

A funk-filled trance. Or a soul-filled groove. Or a tight jam sailing an indigo sea. Psychedelic jazz. It’s hard to describe Meshell Ndegeocello’s music, but it was a great show. I arrived around 9:30 pm on a wintery night, taking the D train from Herald Square. Already there were a dozen people in line and behind me it grew to over a hundred. All standing in the cold and staring at the Greenwich Village comedy club across the street, which had just sold out the 10 pm show. ...

Kris Davis plays very rhythmic, abstract, modern jazz. In this set at the historic Village Vanguard, she was well-matched to precision drummer Johnathan Blake and bassist Robert Hurst. The musicians seemed challenged by her music, but also exhilarated by it. Most of her tunes were fast and technical, but one titled “Dreamscape” was slow and expansive and featured beautiful bowed bass. As the set progressed, the band loosened up and the music took flight. ...