Jazz in Kentucky

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:

Dec 10 2017

Kamasi Washington at Headliners, Louisville KY

 

Tonight, the Louisville, KY venue Headliners Music Hall is hosting one of the bright stars on the modern jazz scene.

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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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…

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