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 Stanley Clarke  Sarah Pedinotti  James Moody  jason Moran Trio  Roberta Gambarini |
THE TOP 5 CONCERTS (AND A LOT MORE OF 2007) by J Hunter First things first: Grab your bow tie and cummerbund, as we present… THE 2007 'LIVING IN THE MOMENT' AWARDS! BRONZE MEDALIST: STANLEY CLARKE, who took gentle-but-firm control of the version of “Happy Birthday to You” the Hart Theatre was giving to bandmate JEAN-LUC PONTY. Hey, when Stanley Clarke lays down the time, you follow along! SILVER MEDALIST: SARAH PEDINOTTI, who got the SRO crowd at her industry showcase to turn the Swyer Theatre into a virtual aviary. Forget that it was a hometown crowd; the enchanting vocalist could have made it happen in Fon-Du-Lac, Wisconsin! GOLD MEDALIST(S): JAMES MOODY and ROY HARGROVE, whose hilarious (and amazing) scat-singing cutting contest was the highlight of the Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band's main stage set at Freihofer's Jazz Festival. Congratulations to the winners, and remember: It's an honor just to be nominated. Having done that… LET'S MEDLEY! LIFE IS FULL OF SECOND CHANCES: If you missed Moody with the Dizzy Big Band, the septuagenarian saxman opened the Skidmore Jazz Institute's annual free-concert series two nights later, with a quartet that included faculty members RENÉE ROSNES and TODD COOLMAN (Skidmore also presented shows by JASON MORAN and SJI alum CHRISTIAN SCOTT)… Scheduling kept me from seeing RAVI COLTRANE close the Williamstown Jazz Festival, but Ravi came back in June to burn down the main stage at Freihofer's… ROBERTA GAMBARINI bookended our summer: She started it at the Spa Little Theatre, and ended it with HANK JONES at Tanglewood. (Gambarini's Spa gig was part pf a three-show mini series that featured a blasting appearance by NOLA dynasty THE JORDAN FAMILY. Please, SPAC, we want some more!) TWO (OR THREE) TASTES THAT TASTE GREAT TOGETHER: KURT ELLING and BILL CHARLAP teaming up on “Darn That Dream” at the Swyer; CHICK COREA and BÉLA FLECK playing dynamic duets at Proctor's; Clarke, Ponty and AL DI MEOLA reviving the super group RITE OF STRINGS. (Speaking of super groups, Di Meola says RETURN TO FOREVER is planning a 2008 reunion tour! YEEHAH!) OUT IN THE OZONE: MEDESKI, MARTIN & WOOD brought its gonzo acoustic show back to the Hart Theatre, while OREGON took the Swyer Theatre on a time trip; JACOB FRED JAZZ ODYSSEY broke the piano while delighting the crowd at Freihofer's Gazebo stage; CHARLIE HUNTER and STANTON MOORE made separate visits to Red Square; RASHIED ALI QUINTET kicked butt and changed perspectives at the weather-resistant Lake George Jazz Weekend; ANTHONY BRAXTON stuffed a twelve-tet (plus 1) into RPI's Chapel and Cultural Center. RANDOM SAMPLES: It was guitar madness at Troy Savings Bank, with PAT MARTINO saluting Wes Montgomery in the spring, and the PAT METHENY TRIO (featuring CHRISTIAN McBRIDE and ANTONIO SANCHEZ) rocking out in the fall… The Linda continues to give the Capital Region three large jazz venues, bringing in TIERNEY SUTTON and DAVID 'FATHEAD' NEWMAN and hosting CD-release parties for LEE SHAW and BRIAN PATNEAUDE… Jazz and cinema intersected for the third straight summer as Steve Bernstein's MILLENNIAL TERRITORY ORCHESTRA provided Laurel & Hardy silent films with original scores at MASS MoCA… The Eighth Step opened its new home - Proctor's new 436-seat GE Theatre - with a show by the SHEILA JORDAN TRIO, featuring STEVE KUHN… Thankfully, the Whisperdome was still A Place for Jazz, with stellar shows by MARK MURPHY, GARY SMULYAN, WYCLIFFE GORDON and KEITH PRAY'S BIG SOUL ENSEMBLE. We even got jazz in the spring, with a visit by BOBBY SANABRIA and QUARTETO ACHE. Okay, enough with the stream-of-consciousness, already! LET'S COUNT IT DOWN! |
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 T.O.P. |
5) T.O.P. (Jacky Terrasson/Ugonna Okegwo/Leon Parker) SWYER THEATRE @ THE EGG - ALBANY, NY The first concert of the year, and it never left my head. Terrasson hooked up with his former rhythm section to perform a stunning musical chemistry experiment. Who says reunions are boring? |
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 Either Orchestra |
4) EITHER/ORCHESTRA PROSPECT PARK - TROY, NY This Boston group - last seen at Sanctuary for Independent Media - has been stretching the boundaries of Big Band for over two decades. Seeing them for free in a tent in Troy? I don't get gifts that good at Christmas, even when I hint! |
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 New Regime |
3) ALBANY RIVERFRONT JAZZ FESTIVAL CORNING PRESERVE - ALBANY NY Neither rain nor wind nor lightning could stop the JOSHUA REDMAN TRIO, NNEENA FREELON, the REBIRTH BRASS BAND and local heroes NEW REGIME from tearing it up! To paraphrase the late great Ernie Banks, “Next year, let's play two!” |
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 Ethan Iverson |
2) THE BAD PLUS ST. JOSEPH'S HALL, COLLEGE OF SAINT ROSE - ALBANY, NY Most student groups do car washes to raise funds; the CSR chapter of the International Association for Jazz Education booked the band purists love to hate, and the pride of Minnsota took no prisoners whatsoever. Beats the hell out of a bake sale! |
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 Maria Schneider |
And the Number One Jazz Concert of 2007… MARIA SCHNEIDER JAZZ ORCHESTRA TROY SAVINGS BANK MUSIC HALL - TROY, NY The waiflike Schneider brought a busload of heavy hitters, including DONNIE McCASLIN, TIM HAGANS, STEVE JORDAN, FRANK KIMBROUGH, SCOTT ROBINSON and many more. We're talking nearly three hours of slack-jawed wonder. See you in 2008. |
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J HUNTER is a former announcer/producer for radio stations in the Capital Region and the Bay Area, including KSJS/San Jose (where he was Assistant Music Director/Jazz programming), Q104 WQBK/Albany, and WSSV/Saratoga. He has also written music and theatre reviews for the Glens Falls Chronicle. He currently resides in Clifton Park. |