Live Jazz

Sep 16 2018

Cortex performing in Lexington is rare good news for a Monday

 

It would be a pretty good idea to be in Lexington, KY on Monday night.  Cortex is gonna be in town for a September 17th show at the Jacob Niles Gallery on the University of Kentucky campus.  The Skien, Norway-based quartet straddles the distance between old-school and new-school sounds.  They are more likely to stomp and roar rather than bop and swing, but in the tradition of 1960’s inside-out jazz, strong transmissions of the blues come through loud and clear… before disappearing again into the chaos of free improvisation.  What it all boils down to is that there will be some warmly familiar sounds to tap your foot along to accompany all of the thrilling wildness of the moment.

This is outstanding stuff, and it’s a great opportunity to catch some tunes that don’t normally float through Kentucky.

The quartet is comprised of trumpeter Thomas Johansson, saxophonist Kristoffer Berre Alberts, bassist Ola Høyer and drummer Gard Nilssen.  Their latest release Avant-garde Party Music (on Clean Feed Records) doubles as a succinct description of that mix of old and new music I mention above.  Here’s a track from the album, which you can buy on Amazon.

This is the 15-year anniversary, and Event #204, of Ross Compton’s Outside the Spotlight series.  Ross is one of those local music scene heroes who devotes a ton of sweatwork bringing great music to his community.  There have been a ridiculous wealth of talent from the experimental and jazz pools that has performed in Lexington because of Ross’s efforts.  And most of those shows, like this one, is free to the public.  Also, a shout-out to WRFL 88.1 FM for their support.

It happens tomorrow, Monday, September 17th.  Show starts at 7:30pm.

Where it’s at:  Jacob Niles Gallery on the UK campus, 160 Patterson Dr, Lexington, KY 40508.

Ticket cost:  Free!  Bring money to buy CDs!

Here’s a video of a live performance of the album’s opening track…

By • Jazz Recommendations - 2017 releases, Live Jazz • 1 • Tags: , ,

Jul 10 2018

Upcoming: Tin/Bag live in Louisville at Jimmy Can’t Dance

 

This Thursday, June 12th, 2018, the duo of trumpeter Kris Tiner and guitarist Mike Baggetta aka Tin/Bag will be performing at Jimmy Can’t Dance in downtown Louisville.  On their individual projects, each musician’s wingspan covers a wide range of expressionism.  Together, that experience directly informs their compelling, ephemeral style, and it’s why they’re just as likely to perform a rendition of Bob Dylan or Hank Williams as they are something by Thelonious Monk.

Their previous recording, The Stars Would Be Different, might give some indication of what Thursday’s show will be like.  Here’s a track…

And you can read more about it on this site.

It’s not every day these all-stars make their way through Kentucky, so take advantage of the opportunity.  Plus, after Tin/Bag wrap up, Louisville’s own, the Kendall Carter Trio, gets up on stage, so there’ll be all kinds of music that night.

The duo is currently striking a path through the mid-South as they wind their way up north, so check below (or their site) for other tour stops.

The show details:

When:  Thursday, July 12th, 2018 at 8:00pm

Where:  Jimmy Can’t Dance, 119 S 7th St, Louisville, KY.

It’s a free show, which means more cash to buy CDs and whiskey.

The artist’s site-> LINK

Check out their music on two different Bandcamp pages:  Epigraph’s and the artist’s.

By • Announcement - Music, Jazz in Kentucky, Live Jazz • 0 • Tags:

Apr 19 2018

Chris Potter at the Lyric Theatre, Lexington KY

 

It would be a pretty good idea to be in Lexington, KY on Sunday night.  One of the very best saxophonists on the planet is gonna be in town for an April 22nd show at the Lyric Theatre.  Tenor saxophonist Chris Potter is currently doing a Midwest tour swing with his quartet of drummer Dan Weiss, guitarist Adam Rogers and bassist Fima Ephron.  You can reliably count on Potter for some modern straight-ahead goodness… except when you can’t.  While Potter has come up through the tradition of old-school jazz and made his mark on the modern post-bop era, his creative drive is just as likely to take things off the familiar path as it is to keep to the center of the lane.  That he’s got drummer Dan Weiss in tow is probably a good sign of the potential for unconventional music.  Weiss’s new album Starebaby is out this month, and his willingness to go old-school, new-school or no-school is certainly something that Potter will feed off.

This show is part of the Origins Jazz Series, which has been bringing some intriguing shows to the Lexington scene.

Here’s a track off Potter’s 2017 release The Dreamer is the Dream (on ECM Records).  We have no way of knowing what any one live show will ultimately sound like, but here’s a sense of what’s what:

The show details:

When:  Sunday, April 22nd, 2018 at 7:30pm

Where:  Lyric Theatre, 300 E. Third, Lexington, KY.

Tickets are $25.

The Lyric Theatre’s site-> LINK

The artist’s site-> LINK

Learn more about the Origins Jazz Series-> LINK

And you should probably check out Walter Tunis’s write-up of Potter and the upcoming show.  Tunis is a nice resource for Lexington’s music and art scene.

By • Jazz in Kentucky, Live Jazz • 0 • Tags: ,

Feb 3 2018

So, Lexington, try to act normal when one of the country’s best saxophonists stops by tonight

 

It would be a pretty good idea to be in Lexington, KY tonight.  JD Allen is gonna be in town for a February 3rd show at Tee Dee’s Lounge.  The tenor saxophonist is one of the best on the scene, and his ability to switch between an old-school bop and something with some edge and thump more reflective of the modern scene is one of the many reasons his music is so damn entertaining.

You can read more about his latest album, Radio Flyer, right here on this site.  And there’s a nice write-up about this show and the artist by Lexington scribe Walter Tunis.  He’s a nice resource for the Lexington, KY scene, and his blog Musical Box is a good place to learn what’s up.

This show is part of the Origins Jazz Series, which has begun bringing some intriguing shows to the Lexington scene.

The show details:

When:  Saturday, February 3rd, 2018 at 7:30pm

Where:  Tee Dee’s Lounge, 266 E. Second Street, Lexington, KY.

Tickets are $17.50.

The artist’s site-> LINK

Learn more about the Origins Jazz Series-> LINK

By • Announcement - Music, Jazz in Kentucky, Live Jazz • 0 • Tags:

Jan 25 2018

Jaimie Branch is performing in Lexington this Saturday, so now all you have to do is figure out your Friday plans

 

It would be a pretty good idea to be in Lexington, KY on Saturday night.  Jaimie Branch is gonna be in town for a January 27th show at the Farish Theater.  This’ll get framed as a jazz show.  I get that.  Branch released one of the best albums to hit the scene in 2017.  Fly or Die was tagged as a jazz recording, because where else are you going to slot wildly creative and innovative sounds that are mostly instrumental and highly improvisational and don’t quite fit anywhere else?  Besides, the trumpeter is of the tradition… she’s certainly cemented her jazz rep on Chicago’s deep music scene, and, now, as an ex-pat in NYC.  The point is, this is outstanding stuff, and it’s a great opportunity to catch some tunes that don’t normally float through Kentucky.

Joining Branch, her trumpet and her sonic pyrotechnics is percussionist Jason Nazary.  As a duo, they’re Anteloper.  What little I’ve heard of this duo doesn’t sound that far removed from Branch’s Fly or Die recording.  At least, not in spirit.  As a bonus, Josh Berman is also showing up to do a solo cornet thing.

This is the 15-year anniversary, and Event #200, of Ross Compton’s Outside the Spotlight series.  Ross is one of those local music scene heroes who devotes a ton of sweatwork bringing great music to his community.  There have been a ridiculous wealth of talent from the experimental and jazz pool that has performed in Lexington because of Ross’s efforts.  And most of those shows, like this one, is free to the public.

The shows happens this Saturday, January 27th.  Doors open at 6:30pm, show starts at 7pm.

Here’s a track off Branch’s excellent 2017 release Fly or Die.  We have no way of knowing what any one live show will ultimately sound like, but here’s a sense of what’s what:

You can listen to the whole album, and purchase it, on her Bandcamp page.

Also, a reminder that Fly or Die earned the #2 slot for Album of the Year on this site’s Best of 2017 list.

The show details:

When:  Saturday, January 27th, 2018 at 7:00pm

Where:  Farish Theater at the Lexington Public Library.  140 East Main St., Lexington, KY.

It’s a free show.

The Farish Theatre’s site-> LINK

The artist’s site-> LINK

Here’s a video from a show last August in Brooklyn featuring the Anteloper duo…

 

By • Jazz in Kentucky, Live Jazz • 2 • Tags:

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