The Jazzcat

Great Black Music Project Podcast: Kelan Phil Cohran on his time with Sun Ra’s band from Floyd Webb on Vimeo.

Inaugural #BAM Conference NYC 1/5/12 from Nicholas Payton on Vimeo.

Ruth Price has started 2012 with the biggest bang in music. The schedule is progressive and just where the music needs to be in the 21^st Century. There of course is no better way to start a new year than with Jean Michel Pilc.  This brother and trio are one continuous wave of sonic beauty that I make sure to sync my sound with. The JMP trio operates on a frequency that sends out signals decoded by a higher order of melodic mathematics. Ari Hoenig and Francois Moutin round out the music to the 3rd power and beyond.

From swinging cyclones diving right down into the loveliest ballad, the conversation addresses the dynamics and the subtleties of romance, excitement, and intellectual properties of grandeur. Tonight we are at MI in Hollywood and the mission is made possible by a connective sound that is greater than the sum of its parts!

The trio is playing in all senses of the word.  Quotes so creative that you won’t have a clue how they sneak up on you and in an instant they, are history and we are back to the future! Fun and lots love are intertwined in the simple strands of complex DNA – dynamic nostalgic associations. The experience is like traveling through mystic lands and uncovering every little piece of magic along the way. All hues, All Blues!

JMP can work one key and turn it into the sweetest Morris Code you ever heard and the message is always clear, Joyful Music Prevails-Jean Michel Pilc!

Dig the time signatures that dance like the spinning “Spheres” of Monk on a gansta groove! Every tune is a tune even when it is a tune called “Tune”; a Hancock, Mozart, Monk mash up filled with harmonics, percussive exploration and accentuated by sensitivities of Ivoronic proportions.

There is “Threedom” in the sound and as we approach the King holiday in this New Year I say,  “Let Threedom Ring”

That’s  Baby Grand!

LeRoy Downs – The Jazzcat

Jason Moran & Sam Rivers – Black Stars Recording Session Blue Note Records 2001 from jason moran on Vimeo.

Here is live footage from the Matthew Shipp Trio at Le Poisson Rouge

Matthew Shipp Trio at Le Poisson Rouge from Search and Restore on Vimeo.

The Broad Stage in Santa Monica has an intimate room behind the actual theater where it hosts its jazz performances. The space is not nearly as glamorous as the main theater but the artistry of jazz music and its unmatched sophistication allows for genuine musical experiences to always be had! Such is the case each time I have had an opportunity to see the great talent that is being performed at the Broad; case and point; Miguel Zenon and his Quartet.

One of the most appreciative and humble characters in the realm of the music, Miguel Zenon graces the stage with alto sonnets that enwraps each and every individual in the smile and warmth of his tone.  With the incredible band of Luis Perdomo on piano, Hans Glawischnig on bass and Henry Cole on drums, Miguel roots his self firmly to stay grounded while his body attempts to take flight with the alto ascension before floating down as light as a feather!

I am use to seeing and hearing Miguel as a part of the SF Jazz Collection where he holds an equal and prominent position as creator, interpreter and facilitator of giant sound. Respect is continually paid as Miguel plays much of the music from his newest release on the Marsalis Music label entitled, “Alma Aldentro, The Puerto Rican Songbook”.

Being of Puerto Rican descent, second generation and living in New York, he realized that on this quite different island, there were others who have shared this similar scenario. Knowing of his own experiences and travels, Miguel decided to interview Puerto Ricans and New Yoricans, as they are called, about their experiences with life in this new cross cultural existence. The human voice is one of the most powerful instruments, especially when truth, passion, culture and expressions of living in the now carve out these stories that are saturated in the reality of today and memories of yesterday.

What emerges is a sound built and developed around the stories of these Puerto Rican interviewees. The vocal tracks are the voiceprints that are supported by and are an integral part of the music. You can hear and feel so clearly the impetus of the soul telling its story while the music dances, plays, comforts and allows us to live through it.

The ballad beauty is astounding and Perdomo’s melodic runs are preciously dynamic as he blends effortlessly with Glawischnig and Cole filling the room to support Zenon’s sublime and gentle breeze. And then, after the pause, the cats dig right down into the eye of the quiet storm touching down inside the richness of the sound.

Zenon addresses the audience with kindness and much appreciation for their participation in feeling the music. He talks about the music, his culture and mentions Rafael Hernandez, on of the most important Puerto Rican musicians who was poor and studied music there in San Juan. He learned to play many instruments and went on to write and perform music that would change and inspire his country. Miguel honors that tradition and pays homage to the local inspiration with his composition called, “Perfume de Gardenias – Rafael Hernandez”.

Driven by his trio, Miguel has the power to soar and make you want to book a trip. Some tunes are filled with daring circular rhythmic melodies that propel the sphere forward. Miguel starts spittin’ out notes like the code in the Matrix! The signal is not a distress call but a vibration filled with passion and fueled with love and respect for culture and sound. Listen to the voices, feel the tempo of the waters and come to understand.

LeRoy Downs – The Jazzcat

This is one of my favorite vocals and the visuals it projects have really touched me deeply with its exuberant sense of warmth, free spirit and love! Waberi turned a thought to a song, let’s help her visual become ours!!!!!