Stanley Jordan at Jazz Alley

I wandered down to Jazz Alley tonight to hear Stanley Jordan -- somebody who over the years has definitely helped to expand the technical possiblities of the guitar, both within and outside of jazz music. I've listened to his playing quite a bit over the years, particularly his album Cornucopia with Kenny Kirkland, Jeff 'Tain' Watts, and Charnett Moffett from 1986, and have always been impressed by his virtuosity on the instrument. If you are interested in learning more about how he plays the guitar, visit this page on his website titled, Getting Started with the Touch Technique.

With all that said, the set I heard left me a little cold. Without question, Jordan is a monster on his instrument and is certainly capable of a great deal, but I still found something missing. At times, I felt like certain ideas just came off sloppily, and the endings of most of the tunes were disjointed and ineffective. The highlights of the evening -- on a positive note -- were his collaborations with visiting tap dancer Roxanne Butterfly, where they weaved in and out of each others' rhythms and accents to create a great set of duets, including Miles Davis' All Blues. I should alos mention that Stanley Jordan is one of the world-class, nicest and generous musicians on the scene today. If you've never had the pleasure of hearing Stanley Jordan live, I would have to say that you should get out there and try and check out a show. But, for me, myself, and I -- I'll definitely keep supporting and listening to his music, but I didn't feel like I got the best Stanley Jordan tonight.

Will Stellenraad at The Musicquarium

I headed down to The Musicquarium to check out some old friends and a "New York heavy" in a straight-ahead organ trio setting. Now, I've been living in New York for the last five years (now back in Seattle), and certainly have heard my fair share of super-serious, ultra-heavy playing, especially on the guit-fiddle. The guitar playing I heard tonight was -- well, not reflective of those descriptions.

You'd be hard pressed to find two more happening guys to have backing you in an organ trio: Joe Doria, one of Seattle's most visible and ecclectic orgainists (and pianist with my own group for a couple years); Matt Jorgensen, drummer, bandleader, and recording/internet developer extraordinaire. Matt played with as much fire and inspiration as I've ever heard him play, and Joe's happy and soulful approach is always a joy to hear. But Will Stellenraad still managed to disappoint me. I was not familiar with his playing going in, and had no expectations, but at times I felt like I was hearing somebody play jazz music for the first time. The majority of the music came from a groove-based mentality, certainly drawing on the jazz guitar lineage of Wes Montgomery, George Benson, and John Scofield. However, most of the time I felt like I was hearing a so-so player, or maybe somebody just coming into playing jazz from rock music. Why? Suspect time, lack of solo development, sometimes didn't really know the tunes -- need I go on? I am sure that Will's recordings are very good, and quite enjoyable listening, especially if you are a fan of groove-oriented music. But trust me -- we in the Northwest have never had a shortage of great guitar players -- Dan Heck, Dan Faehnle, Dan Balmer, Dave Peterson... -- and all of these guys would've left me with a better taste in my mouth. To all those people who ask me why I've returned to Seattle: my point has just been illustrated.

Band Battle III at Jillian's with Below Average Productions

Week 4 of the Band Battle III extravaganza at Jillian's was short and sweet last night, with Below Average Productions taking home the win on the night. I had a super busy day, so I only got to hear ten minutes of the first act, a local MC named Ian who guested with Project Live a few weeks back. The second band was Below Average Productions, and from the get-go they had the crowd with them. While I'm not versed in the terminology associated with the many sub-genre names in rock music, I can certainly tell you that these guys play with alot of energy, soul, and focus. The third band, whose name excapes me at the moment, was full of variety in both styles and instrumentation -- most of the band memebers played more than one instrument, allowing them to change their "palette" at will. However, for my tastes, the stylistic variety was a little too accross the board; at the end of their set, I couldn't really figure out what they did well, or what the musical intent was. Below Average Productions didn't seem to have that problem -- we got the picture, and so did the judges! If you'd like to heard more of this band, or just find out more about them, visit their website and check out their tunes!

Bebop and Destruction / 2-Bit Trio at The Owl and Thistle

I negelected to do a post last week on the regular jam session at The Owl and Thistle, and since I would be totally remiss if I didn't cover this, and am a regular court-holder down there, here's a little info from both last night and last Tuesday.

If you aren't aware of Bebop and Destruction's Tuesday night gig and jam session at Post Alley's The Owl and Thistle, you may have been living in a hole since 1995. Bebop and Destruction, certainly one of Seattle's longest-running groups, has had a regular gig and jam session in at least one club for about 10 years, and, in the parlance of the new millenium, they keep it real. From their own vast array of originals, to covers from Miles Davis to Led Zeppelin to Ornette Coleman, this band is always a trip and a half. The scene at the Owl is all it's own, and these four guys -- Marc Fendel, Ryan Burns, Jose Martinez, and Geoff Harper -- take it to another level. They appear at The Owl every Tuesday, play their first set at around 10pm, and afterwards the jam session starts. In the last two weeks, I've seen the following array of Seattle players join the jam session: Travis Ranney, Victor Noriega, Steve Tressler, Dawn Clement, Lamar Lofton, Geoff Cooke, and a whole host of folks I've never met or heard before.

One such person that I "discovered" last week was an old friend from high school that I hadn't heard play in ten years. He walked in with his alto, plus the drummer and bass player he's been working with the most, and proceeded to turn many heads when they took to the bandstand as a group. The trio is called 2-Bit Trio, and my old friend Seth Alexander, for lack of a beter term, blew me away! Seattle has always had a kind-of bipolar jazz scene -- inside, beboppers and outside, avantgard-ists -- and yet, when I go to The Owl and Thistle, it's just one melting pot of music. The 2-Bit Trio played what I can only assume was one of their own compositions after accompanying a singer on an old standard, and the transition from one tune to the next was totally natural despite the stylistic differences. While seemingly influenced Ornette and Dolphy, Seth has checked out so much music from many styles, and the supreme concept of melody -- regardless of stylistic influence -- really comes out in his playing. Complimented by Ethan Cudaback on drums and Birch Pereira on bass, this trio is sure to get your attention after your first listen. I've only heard them play one tune live, but I've listened to their mp3 tracks on their website, and you can, too, at: http://www.2bittrio.com. You won't be disappointed.

So that's that for The Owl and Thistle. If you've never been down, next week is always a good time to start: cheap drinks, great people, and killing music never hurt anyone...

Rick Mandyck's American Voyage at the Musicquarium

With a band like the one Rick Mandyck has put together under the umbrella of American Voyage, it's pretty hard to go wrong. Actually, it's pretty hard to do anything but sound spectacular with Jeff Johnson, John Bishop, and Hans Tueber as your band mates, but Rick Mandyck took this band to the stratusphere at the Musicquarium last night with his solid guitar playing and great choice of tunes. That's not to say that it was all burners or high-powered, full-frontal jazz all night; acutally, I was surprised by the wide diversity of feels and directions the band presented, from traditional blues to reggae to burnout and elsewhere. Among the great songs I heard last night: Trapeze, a tune by Claudine Francois going around the Seattle scene for quite some time; Machu Picchu, by Jeff Johnson; What is This Thing Called Love, with a scorching solo by Hans that made me think the guy can do anything; Rick's new composition Short Shorts, which has a certain air of familiarity to it (one of the great qualities of Rick's originals). Rick will be starting up a recurring gig with his trio at the Ballard Oddfellow's Hall starting at the end of the month (Sunday the 31st is the first one I believe), and if the gig last night was any indication of what is to come, we should all be getting in line to see those shows NOW! If you haven't come across Rick Mandyck in the past, this is your chance to find out what everybody in Seattle has been talking about for the last 20 years.

New Stories at the Musicquarium

Marc Seales never ceases to amaze me - I've been listening to him for almost 15 years, and I've never heard him play more inspired than last night with New Stories and Brent Jensen at the Triple Door's Musicquarium. The billing listed them as playing music from their new album featuring the music of pianist Elmo Hope - an unsung hero in the jazz canon -- but instead, with Marc playing keyboards, the tunes were slightly revamped from the album versions and mixed with some band-member originals. Of particular notice were two of Marc's tunes, Long March and Number Two. I know that Long March has been recorded, but I think the other has yet to make it on CD -- when it does, find it!

Last summer I told Paul de Barros that this was the best new venue in town period, and in many respects I still think so. The Musicquarium, while it can be a little Hollywood, tends to present great jazz on Monday nights, and a variety of other offerings during the week from salsa to hip-hop. If you haven't been down -- and remember, the Musicquarium is the small, outer bar at the Triple Door, not the main room -- it's definitely worth the effort of going downtown on a Monday. I'll be going next Monday to see Rick Mandyck's new band, American Voyage, so if you see me at the bar, be sure to say hello.