Jazz in Kentucky

It would be a pretty good idea to be in Lexington, KY on Sunday night.  One of the very best bassists on the planet is gonna be in town for an October 28th show at the Lyric Theatre.  In support of his new album Christian McBride’s New Jawn, Christian McBride brings his quartet to town, featuring trumpeter Josh Evans, drummer Nasheet Waits and saxophonist Marcus Strickland.  What you can expect is that potent mix of Hard Bop locomotion and warmth, where some hard charging swing is hospitable to lovely sighs of melody.  McBride’s music, however, isn’t simply an echo from the past… modern post-bop and contemporary music qualities emerge throughout.  He’s also an essential part of the modern jazz scene, via his small groups and big bands, his collaborations with NPR, WBGO and Jazz at Lincoln Center.

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 McBride’s new release Christian McBride’s New Jawn (released on Brother Mister Productions, a new imprint of Mack Avenue Music).  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 scoop that album up at Amazon or, I imagine, buy something at the merch table after the show.

The show details:

When:  Sunday, October 28th, 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 here’s a video of their performance at the 2018 Malta Jazz Festival…

Yes yes yes, I should’ve given you a heads-up about this hours, days, weeks ago, but because excuse excuse excuse excuse I am only getting to it now.

In just a couple hours, the Quin Kirchner Quintet and the Brandon Seabrook Trio are performing in Lexington at the Niles Gallery on the University of Kentucky campus.

They are both touring in support of new albums.  Kirchner’s new release was one of my Best Jazz on Bandcamp recommendations back in January.  At the time, I said it was too early to be calling The Other Side of Time one of the best things I’d heard all year (even though it was).  Now, with 2018 hitting the homestretch, I no longer need to hold back on that assertion.  His quintet are a list of reasons to see the show even in the absence of that recording.  Clarinetist Jason Stein, tenor saxophonist Nate Lepine, bassist Matt Ulery and trombonist Nick Broste have received plenty of mentions on this site (and my various other outlets).

Here’s a track from Kirchner’s new album…

Listen to more of it, and purchase it, on the artist’s Bandcamp page.

Seabrook just released a new recording (coincidentally, like Kirchner, also on the Astral Spirits label) titled Convulsionaries.  Nothing ironic about the title.  It’s hyperactive music where the melody is at the mercy of the motion.  The guitarist is joined by bassist Henry Fraser and cellist Daniel Levin, and if nothing else, it’s a deft illustration of the rhythmic potential of a string trio.

Here’s a track from Seabrook’s new album…

Listen to more of it, and purchase it, on the artist’s Bandcamp page.

The Details:

When:  Today, Sunday, October 7th, 2018.

Time:  Music starts at 7pm.

Where:  UK’s Niles Gallery (inside the UK Fine Arts Library)

Cost:  Free! (now you can buy some CDs).

Goal:  Have fun (you will).

It’s a pretty good idea to be in Danville, KY tonight.  The brass quartet The Westerlies will be in town for an 8pm show at the Norton Center for the Arts on the Centre College campus.  The Seattle-based quartet exists in a place where modern jazz, chamber music and rock all flow from the same breath of melody.  Their debut Wish The Children Would Come On Home received the #13 slot on this site’s Best of 2014 list.  Their eponymous 2016 release was more of the good stuff.  And if you were at this year’s Pitchfork Music Festival, you saw the Westerlies performing with Fleet Foxes.

It’s definitely a show you won’t want to miss.

Here’s a track from their debut album:

Explore more of their music on their Bandcamp page.

Details:

The show happens tonight, Friday, October 5th.  Show starts at 8:00pm.

Where it’s at:  Norton Center for the Arts on the Centre College campus, Weisiger Theatre, 600 West Walnut Street, Danville, KY 40422.

Here’s a video of their performance on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series: