Branford Marsalis Quartet with Joey Calderazzo, Eric Revis & Jeff Watts Sunday, March 29, 7PM Palace of Fine Arts Theatre
Cedar Walton at Long Island University Concert Dates: 02/21/09
Lenore Raphael at Dizzy Gillespie Auditorium at the BHai Center Concert Dates: 01/27/09
Lift your spirits and enjoy the Jazz Concert Season. Its not necessary to do just the big name/ big venue concerts. You can find unknown, wonderful talent at many of the free concerts across the country as well as the various Jazz Festivals that offer good ticket packages. Two of the best and most diverse festivals that I know are the Portland Jazz Festival and the S.F. Jazz Festival. There are many more !!
Our first introduction to Ms. Kitt may have been her 1953 hit record “Santa Baby” and her unusual featured live performance on the Ed Sullivan T.V. Show. Eartha Kitt passed away recently-Christmas Day 2008 to be exact. Eartha Kitt shattered (at that time) my limited beliefs about what it meant to be a “Negro”.
I could never listen to Poetry. Had to read it in order for it to make sense. If there was a beat or music, then that’s all I recognized, never really catching the lyrics. Which is to say there has been a ton of “Rap” that has eluded me.
On reading about the reunion of the “The Diplomats” the famed Harlem Hip Hop group, I decided to listen to a few of their raps while reading the lyrics. To be truthful, I was singing along with them silently. I still have the moves while sitting, just wished I had a hat that I could turned to the side.
AfroCubism
“Al Vaiven de Mi Carreta”
Playing at: Town Hall (123 W. 43rd St., Midtown West)
Get: Tickets ($35-$65) Listen in here or on WNYC
Cuban singer/guitarist Eliades Ochoa and the Malians Bassekou Kouyate (ngoni) and Djelimady Tounkara (electric guitar) are joined by Eliades’ Grupo Patria, Toumani Diabate (kora), Kasse Mady Diabate (vocals) and Lasana Diabate (balafon)
I was at the TEDx Phoenix event this past weekend and the onstage musical act was “Dry River Yacht Club”. Because I, like most people are familiar with the music that I am familiar with, I shamefully knew nothing about this band or it’s lead singer “Garnet”. So I committed the sin of reading the little write up on them in the program guide, which said think of Bjork, which is fine except, I found myself listening and looking for Bjork, and unfortunately I was not listening to this group (so I thought).
On the drive home after the event I kept hearing in my head faint musical images of the band and so pledge myself to find their website and listened again for what I missed consciously and what was still living inside of my subconscious. I won’t tell you what I heard or who they are like, other then to say I liked them and hope to hear them live again. Listen for yourself, make your own judgment if you’ve not heard them before they don’t sound like anyone else. Dry River Yacht Club on MySpace
