I stepped out on Tuesday the 10th for my first Jazz Night Out in weeks when I caught the first set of the Park Street Tavern Jazz Jam. As is often the case when the CJO is in town, the house band – the Pete Mills Quartet – was joined by special guests. This time, it was Mill’s CJO colleagues, trumpeter Dwight Adams and tenor saxophonist Chad Eby, who injected further musicality into the already powerful band. With three horns, the early part of the evening was essentially a blowing session, with bountiful excellent solos from all involved: keyboardist Danny Bauer, bassist Greg Wolfram, and drummer Zach Compston included. The set was mostly mid- to up-tempo workouts, but the band also took on a ballad or two with equal verve. The twin tenor attack of Mills and Eby added excitement with strong interplay on several tunes. I wish I could have caught the open stage part of the night, but what I saw was great Tuesday night entertainment at a local jazz institution.
Shows To See This Week
Saturday, March 14th: Maxwell Button Presents The Music of Bud Powell at Dick’s Den. Drummer Button’s monthly tribute series at Dick’s keeps rolling with an homage to the legendary pianist. The band for the evening will be a trio, with Danny Bauer on piano and Nate Smith on bass, and will also feature visiting saxophonist Elliot Scozzaro (see below) on a few tunes. Button tells me that the program will consist mostly of songs composed by Powell, and that he foresees “a hard swinging straight up bebop show,” so this is not one to miss!
Sunday, March 15th (8 – 11pm): Scozzaro/Jones/DiCenzo at Kafe Kerouac. This trio performance marks the third strong jazz show in the last four weeks at this North Campus coffee shop. Saxophonist and 2014 Capital graduate Elliot Scozzaro is on spring break from his graduate studies at the University of North Texas and visiting his old stomping grounds. His trio for the evening will include Zakk Jones on guitar and Derek DiCenzo on bass, and the material for the show will consist of “standards and compositions by Dave Frishberg and the late, great Mark Flugge.” This well-timed Sunday night gig will make for a great end to the weekend.
Wednesday, March 18th: Heavy Weather: FLIPPO Performs the Music of Weather Report at Natalie’s. The local fusion all-stars are continuing in their series of tributes to their biggest influences by honoring one of the most famous jazz fusion bands. For Wednesday night, the band will entail Paul Brown (guitar), Louis Tsamous (drums), Michael Cox (saxophones and EWI), Andy Woodson (bass), and Lucas Holmes (keyboards). Alongside an expanded look into Weather Report’s catalog, the night will also include “original music by members of the band, as well as music by some of their other inspirations, such as Herbie Hancock and the Headhunters, and Pat Metheny.”
Have a great week. Here’s a live video of FLIPPO performing Weather Report’s “A Remark You Made” in 2011:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSUrZbCd1L0