Jazz Scene 080707
By
Last week: Well, friends, it doesn’t get much better than
what was presented in just two nights – Thursday at Pacchia and Saturday at
Gilly’s. Jazz is definitely alive and well in Dayton, at least temporarily,
even if not many people are showing up to hear it.
Thursday
night Mike Teckenbrock brought his lyrical flugelhorn into Pacchia, accompanied
by two other master musicians – bassist Mike Sharfe and pianist Brian Cashwell.
Sharfe is Cincinnati’s first-call bassist and Cashwell, who spent some time in
New York before returning to the area, is an excellent pianist. Teckenbrock’s
silky smooth tones caressed one of his favorite tunes, Tom Harrell’s “Moon
Alley”. The trio also played standards, such as Sam Rivers’ “Beatrice”, “Alice
in Wonderland” and Duke Ellington’s “In a Sentimental Mood.” Drummer Jim
Leslie, who had been playing a big band gig on Riverscape, slipped in with just
a snare and a pair of brushes and joined them during Jerome Kern’s
“Yesterdays”. The last set was a quartet setting, including Harry Edison’s
“Centerpiece”.
Saturday night was even better, as
saxophonist Tim Warfield came into Gilly’s with Philadelphia pianist Neil
Podgorsky, Indianapolis bassist Brandon Meeks and Cincinnati drummer Anthony
Lee. They opened with Charlie Parker’s “Anthropology”, but after that it was
all Warfield’s compositions. “A Prayer for Uthman” was a dedication to the
bassist Tarus Mateen. Before the next tune, Warfield brought out his special
guest, trumpeter Mike Wade. Wade had a difficult challenge, since he was
sight-reading some of these charts for the first time. The next tune was “Blues
for Mr. Bill”, a homage to “my two favorite Bills” – the original Saturday
Night Live character and Bill Cosby. The first set closed with “Beneath the
Sands of Trinidad”, a pretty tune dedicated to the parents of his
ex-girlfriend.
Warfield switched to soprano sax for the
second set, which began with “A New Blews” and was followed by a dedication to
drummer Clarence Penn, called “Penn’s Interlude”. This was a raucous,
convoluted piece, which challenged all the players and was very well received.
A lovely ballad called “Lies in Beauty” was next and the evening closed with
“Shake it for Me”, a title which he refused to explain. Those in attendance
were privileged to hear all these new compositions, which the general public
won’t hear until his new CD comes out next year. Meanwhile, we not only got to
hear the new things but we also enjoyed a great evening of jazz.
This week in Dayton: Pacchia
welcomes Chicago vocalist Typhanie Monique and guitarist Neal Alger Wednesday
night. Thursday Brian Cashwell plays solo piano, Friday night it’s the Ron
Jones Trio and Saturday the Mike Sharfe Trio. Across the street, Café Boulevard
has vocalist Patricia Berg and pianist Brian Cashwell Friday and the John
Wagner Duo Saturday.
Eddie Brookshire’s big band has two
performances this week. Thursday they’ll be on Riverscape from 7:30 to 9:30 and
next Monday they’ll be at Gilly’s from 8 to 10. The Brian Powell-Lou James Trio
plays at Therapy Café in the Cannery District Friday from 9:00 to 12:30.
In the ‘burbs: Khalid Moss is at
The Greene in Beavercreek Wednesday from 5:30 to 9:30. Randy Villars Trio will
be there Sunday from 1 to 4. David Simpson will be at Yankee Trace Golf Club
Wednesday from 7:00 to 9:30. The Smart Set with Mike Eldridge continues at
L’Auberge in Kettering Friday and Saturday from 8 to midnight. Saturday
afternoon the Tom Daugherty Orchestra is part of the Englewood Arts Festival
from 2:30 to 4:00. Sunday afternoon Puzzle of Light plays its annual gig at Art
on the Common in Lincoln Park from 2:30 to 4.
In Cincinnati: Vocalist April
Aloisio and guitarist Bob Roetker are at Tink’s Café in Clifton Wednesday from
6:30 to 9:00. They’ll also be at Chateau Pomije in Hyde Park Friday from 6 to
9. Ricky Nye and Dottie Warner appear at Arnold’s Thursday from 7:30 to 9:30.
The Jim Connerley Trio plays at the Blue Wisp Jazz Club Thursday. The Art Gore
Quartet is at the Wisp Friday and Saturday. Art’s quartet will also be at
Sonny’s in Bond Hill Sunday night. The Dan Faehnle Quartet is at Jordan
Crossing (formerly Swifton) Thursday from 6 to 8. Ricky Nye is at Chez Nora in
Covington with Liz Pennock and Dr. Blues Wednesday. He’ll also be there with
his Swingin’ Mudbugs Friday and Saturday. Pamela Mallory sings with the Jim
Hart Trio Friday and Saturday at the Hilton Hotel Palm Court. The Mike Wade
Quartet plays at the Hyatt Regency Hotel Friday at 8. Pianist Jeff Hufnagle and
bassist Mike Sharfe will be at Washington Platform Friday from 5:30 to 8:30.
King “Fruit Bowl” Reeves and Charlie “Buns” Wilson and their quintet will be at
the Greenwich in Walnut Hills Saturday at 8.
Cap City Capers: Yumbambe is at the
Bar of Modern Art (BOMA) Wednesday. The Silky Ray Band plays at the Rude Dog
Wednesday. The Vernon Hairston Trio is at the Worthington Inn Friday from 7 to
10. The Dwight Lenox Trio plays at the Goodale Park Gazebo Sunday afternoon
from noon to 1:30. Cellist Helen Money appears at Milo Electric Saturday night
as the closing concert of the summer Icebox series. And there will be a jazz
festival in Newark, featuring Cincinnati’s Bruce Minefield Quartet, Dayton’s
Mario Abney Quintet and four groups from Columbus – the Tom Carroll Quartet,
the Linda Dachtyl Quartet, Maggie Green and Rolando Matias and the AfroRican
Ensemble.