As promised last week, I have more national jazz show news to report. Columbus must be treating Snarky Puppy well, as the nonstop touring machine has just announced its 3rd and 4th Columbus shows of 2014! They will be returning to Park Street Saloon on Monday, September 15th for two shows, at 7 and 9:30 pm. Tickets are available here and here. These guys are surely contenders for the hardest working band in show business (or at least jazz business) these days, and these shows will surely get the Monday crowds dancing.
Shows To See This Week
Thursday, August 7th: Pete Mills Sextet: The Music of Art Blakey & More at Bungalow Jazz. Mills will bring a souped-up version of his regular group to Columbus’ finest house party venue to pay homage to the music of legendary drummer Blakey along with other select material. Mills and his frequent collaborators Erik Augis (piano), Andy Woodson (bass), and Zach Compston (drums) will be joined by Cleveland musicians Bobby Selvaggio (alto sax) and Sam Blakeslee (trombone). Selvaggio recently released his Origin Records debut Short Stories, which is one of my favorite jazz albums of 2014 so far.
Thursday, August 7th: Bob Ross Quartet at Dicks Den. More visiting Ohio jazz musicians will play in town Thursday night as guitarist Ross’ group ventures north from Cincinnati. Ross, who plays in multiple groups including a duo with fellow Cincy guitarist Brandon Coleman, self-released the album Arriving in 2013, which showcases a subdued yet potent combination of Ross’ gliding tone and Mark McCafferty’s excellent work on the vibraphone. Ross will be making his Columbus debut with Dan Barger (saxophone), Jon Massey (bass), and Bart Foster (drums), and promises a night of “modern original jazz mixed with some standards and a hint of funk!”
Friday, August 8th: James Gaiters Quartet at Bowties Lounge (Inside the Ramada Plaza Hotel), 4900 Sinclair Road. Veteran drummer Gaiters has been playing here every Saturday night since early July with a new quartet featuring Tom Davis on guitar, Eddie Bayard on saxophone, and Greg Wolfram on bass. Effective this weekend, their weekly gig moves to Friday where they will continue to build this new jazz night. Davis is playing in Scotland until the end of August, so Kevin Turner is taking on the guitar role in the meantime. Gaiters’ insights into the night reveal a great place to watch a high-level local jazz unit gel before the audience’s eyes:
We’re still working on finding our sound, especially since Tom is away as well as when he gets back. However, we will throw some original charts into the mix. Standards are always helpful when it comes to developing/strengthening vocabulary, dexterity, and communication. I’m confident that these nights will prove helpful in sharpening another perspective of the local scene as well as developing a tight group. I believe that this mix of cats has a lot of potential.
Wednesday, August 13th (7-8pm): Jack Menkedick at Brothers Drake. Before trumpeter John Lake’s second Columbus performance next week is an intriguing rarity. NYC-based Columbus native Menkedick will be playing an hour-long solo saxophone performance. I’m not sure what to expect here, but the meadery should be a great backdrop for a solo jazz odyssey.