Dec 5 2017
Kneebody at the Lyric Theatre, Lexington KY
It would be a pretty good idea to be in Lexington, KY on Thursday night. Kneebody is gonna be in town for a December 7th show at the Lyric Theatre. This is gonna get framed as a jazz show. I get that. The quintet of keyboardist Adam Benjamin, trumpeter Shane Endsley, electric bassist Kaveh Rastegar, saxophonist Ben Wendel and drummer Nate Wood came up through the jazz tradition. But with each subsequent album, their sound has increasingly transcended that tag, and the music isn’t really tethered to any particular genre as a prime mover. In many ways, we can say this same thing about Beck or Radiohead or Psychic Temple. For some musicians, there is no preconceived final destination for how it all comes out sounding. They are just as likely to rock or groove or drone as they are to bop. What you can expect is it will be exceedingly fun.
This show is part of the Origins Jazz Series, which has begun bringing some intriguing shows to the Lexington scene.
Here’s a track off Kneebody’s 2017 release Anti-Human. 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 their Bandcamp page.
The show details:
When: Thursday, December 7th, 2017 at 7:30pm
Where: Lyric Theatre, 300 E. Third, Lexington, KY.
Tickets are $25.
The Lyric Theatre’s site-> LINK
The band’s site-> LINK
Check out Kneebody’s music on their Bandcamp page-> LINK
Learn more about the Origins Jazz Series-> LINK
Here’s a video from a recent show at Blue Note Milano…
Anyone who’s gonna be within reach of Lexington, KY today should head on over to The Burl to catch an appearance by Psychic Temple. The rotating cast of musicians making this leg of the tour will be ensemble (aka cult) leader Chris Schlarb with Leeann Skoda on guitars & vocals and Philip Glenn on everything else. Their new album, the simply titled IV, is out now, and it encapsulates the ensemble’s transformation from experimental jazz outfit to pop music innovators. They know how to craft a melody and they know how to launch it into space.
You Louisville people should be aware that the solid Metta Quintet is playing tomorrow night at Comstock Hall on the University of Louisville campus.
Dec 10 2017
Kamasi Washington at Headliners, Louisville KY
Kamasi Washington is touring in support of his new release Harmony of Difference. He’s achieved fame in the music world via his work on Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly. That success translated to his own excellent 2015 release, The Epic. Washington’s three-volume work bridged a classic 1960s spiritual jazz sound with an updated post-bop more reflective of present day jazz. There was orchestra and choir and a big sound that resonated like mad. That synthesis of something old and something new signifies an established approach of the modern scene, and it’s the kind of thing that results in music that is able to appeal to a listener’s cerebral nature while also inciting their foot to tap along.
Washington’s new album keeps in line with The Epic, exploring convergences between spiritual, cosmic, and post-bop with a series of dramatic harmonic builds, catchy melodies and contemporary grooves. Those are elements tailor-made for the live show setting.
Here’s a video featuring music from Washington’s new album, Harmony of Difference.
The album is available for sale on Amazon.
Headliners is one of the better Louisville venues, and the mid-range size should be a nice fit for Washington’s booming sound.
The show details:
When: Sunday, December 10th, 2017 at 8:00pm
Where: Headliners, 1386 Lexington Rd, Louisville, KY.
Tickets are $32/35 (dos).
Headliners’ site-> LINK
Kamasi Washington’s site-> LINK
Check out Washington’s music on his Soundcloud page-> LINK
Here’s a video from a recent show at The Brass & Crimson in Glasgow…
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By davesumner • Jazz in Kentucky • 0 • Tags: Jazz in Kentucky, Live Jazz