Waves de Aché, “a Columbus-based band blending modern jazz harmony with rhythms rooted in Afro-Cuban and Salsa music,” is starting a new monthly residency series this month. Waves de Aché kicks off their residency at Kafe Kerouac in Old North Columbus on Thursday, August 16th, from 8 to 11pm. Future dates scheduled at this time are September 6th and October 25th. A $5 donation is encouraged but not required for admission to these shows because, as co-leader and bassist Will Strickler told me, “We’d rather have people there to be a part of the music!” Overall, “The residency is going to feature a rotating line-up of musicians and will be chance for us to premiere a lot of new compositions and arrangements, both things I’m very excited for!” Strickler was kind enough to answer my questions about this week’s opening performance and their upcoming live album, so keep reading to learn more, and expect new modern Latin jazz adventures each month.
What can you tell us about the members of the band for Thursday the 16th?
Will Strickler (WS): Andrew Williard – piano
We’ve done many hours on the road, in airplanes, on tours across the country playing for a variety of pop artists, but this is the first time Andrew has played with Waves, which I’m very excited for.
Alex Burgoyne – alto sax
I’ve had Alex on some gigs with my other group The WS Collective, really like his playing and excited to hear him play in Waves for the first time.
Eli Chambers – percussion
Eli is an amazing bass player, so I don’t get to play together with him often, excited to get deep in some pockets with him.
Zach Compston – drum set
This is the second gig Zach has played on, he just got back from a month in Alaska teaching Latin Jazz, his knowledge of the genre is deep, so I’m very happy to get to play with him.
Kevin O’Neill – tenor sax
The main sax player in this group since day one. I’ve spent years seeing Kevin tear it up with Hoodoo, it’s an honor to have him playing in this group.
What new compositions and arrangements are in the works for the band?
WS: New tunes for the group include “Stargazer,” a tune I wrote as a ballad this summer, it turned into a samba on the last gig, excited to see where it goes this time. We’ll also be playing “Fatty Stroll,” a tune my good friend and pianist Ben Maloney wrote together a couple years ago, but this will be the first time Waves de Ache plays it. We also have a tune “DMV,” written by Braxton Cook (sax player with Christian Scott and more). Max Marsillo (co-leader of the group with me, who has another gig the night of 16th) transcribed Mongo Santamaria’s version of the Latin jazz classic “Manteca,” we like to maintain a balance of new and original music with classics from the tradition.
What can you tell us about release plans for your new live album?
WS: We don’t have a specific release date for the live recording, hopefully by the end of September at the latest. We’re in the final stages of mixing the tracks and then we have video to sync up. Nate Corson did the recording and mixing and Grant Kendrick is doing the video, they’re both easy to work with and produce great art, so I’m happy to be working with them.