For the past few months, I've been kicking around the idea of adding an Atlanta concert journal to this jazz blog. In the journal I'd list each Atlanta jazz concert that I attend, the musicians' names, and some notes about the performance. My goal for the journal was to provide a resource where people could go to get an idea of type type of music they'll hear when they attend an Atlanta jazz concert. For instance, if somebody is unfamiliar with Bernard Linnette and they'd like to know what type of music he plays at Churchill Grounds, they could come to the Atlanta jazz concert journal page of my jazz blog and see that the previous week he played a set of fantastic straight-ahead jazz with some of Atlanta's best jazz musicians. For some people, that extra bit of information might be just what they need to make the decision to attend an event.
While I liked the idea of a Atlanta concert journal, I wasn't entirely convinced that I'd be able to adequately describe each event. And then it occurred to me... I shouldn't just write about the concerts, I should record video clips and share them online. Finally, a decent excuse to buy myself one of those cool ultra-compact cameras!
Below you'll find various Atlanta jazz video clips that I shot with my (new!) Canon PowerShot SD850. You can check this page of my jazz blog for future updates or you can subscribe to my videos on YouTube.
There was another great turnout of musicians at the Twain's jazz jam session tonight. In the clip below, Atlanta jazz trumpet player, Joe Gransden, leads the house band on "Eye Of The Hurricane". You'll also hear Tyrone Jackson on piano, Craig Shaw on bass, and Chris Burroughs on drums.
Every Tuesday night, Joe Gransden leads a jazz jam session at Twain's Billiards and Tap in Decatur. In the clip below you'll hear Laura Coyle sing "Black Orpheus" with Joe Gransden on trumpet, Ede Wright on guitar, Craig Shaw on bass, and Chris Burroughs on drums.
If you haven't already, you should definitely check out the Tuesday night jam sessions at Twain's. I've been to two of them so far and both nights the turnout was great and so was the music!
APRIL 12, 2008 Churchill Grounds - 660 Peachtree Street, Atlanta, GA 30308
In the clip below, David Ellington leads a trio performance of "Bye Bye Blackbird". You'll hear solos by Clarence Johnson on saxophone, David Ellington on organ, and Chris Burroughs on drums.
APRIL 1, 2008 Graveyard Tavern - 1245 Glenwood Avenue, Atlanta, Ga 30316
I first heard David Ellington play during the 2008 Future of Jazz Competition in February. David sounded great that night so I was happy to learn that he's got a regular gig on Tuesday nights at the Graveyard Tavern. According the the schedule of events on David's website, he routinely invites a variety of musicians to sit in with the band. On this night, one of my favorite Atlanta jazz musicians, Mace Hibbard (saxophone), was there along with Chris Burroughs on drums. As you'll hear in the clips below, the music was fantastic!
David Ellington Trio - Have You Met Miss Jones In this clip, you'll hear organ and saxophone solos as the band plays "Have You Met Miss Jones".
David Ellington Trio - Anthropology This clip features solos by all of the musicians on "Anthropology".
Atlanta jazz drummer, Bernard Linnette, leads a jam session at Star Jazz and Blues Lounge every Monday night. They had another great turnout of musicians tonight, including Russell Gunn, Melvin Jones, Danny Harper, Julie Dexter, Charlie Robinson, and several talented young musicians. The following clips are just a sampling. As the night went on the music got better and better but with everyone moving to and from the stage it was hard to get a good video clip. If you haven't been to Star Jazz and Blues Lounge yet, I encourage you to check them out on a Monday night.
Bernard Linnette Jam Session - Stablemates In this clip you'll hear Russell Gunn on trumpet, Louis Heriveaux on piano, Craig Shaw on bass, Bernard Linnette on drums, and Ramadan Mu Min on conga.
Bernard Linnette Jam Session - Black Orpheus Melvin Jones and Danny Harper lead the band on "Black Orpheus." Danny really surprised me with that high "F" at the end of the tune. No matter how much I practice, I'll probably never be able to play one of them in my solos... and definitely not at the END of a tune. Wow!
This year's Future of Jazz Competition takes place at Star Jazz & Blues Lounge. Last night I attended the straight-ahead jazz competition featuring Leeland Davis, Ryan Whitehead, and Mace Hibbard. Of the three, the only person that I hadn't heard before was 19 year-old Ryan Whitehead on saxophone. I don't know what Chris Potter sounded like at 19, but my guess is that Ryan isn't too far away from that. Ryan and his band, featuring Dave Ellington or organ, were excellent! Aside from the terrific music, it was great to see so many people at the concert. The place was packed. While that's certainly good for the venue and the Atlanta jazz scene, it wasn't so great for recording video clips. I would have liked to get clips from each of the musicians but I only have two recordings from Mace Hibbard's set.
Mace Hibbard - When We Last Met Mace Hibbard plays "When We Last Met," an original composition from Mace's album by the same name. You'll also hear Bryan Leitch on guitar, Louis Heriveaux on piano, Mike Beshara on bass, and Justin Varnes on drums.
Mace Hibbard - About Time Mace Hibbard performs another original composition, "About Time," in the above clip. Mace would go on to win the event securing a performance at this year's Atlanta Jazz Festival.
Bernard Linnette Jam Session - Milestones Atlanta jazz drummer, Bernard Linnette, led the first Monday night jazz jam session at Star Jazz and Blues Lounge. On this night, about a dozen of Atlanta's jazz musicians showed up to play. The track features solos by Russell Gunn on trumpet, Dennis Springer on saxophone, and Lester Walker on trumpet.
JANUARY 24, 2008 Churchill Grounds - 660 Peachtree Street, Atlanta, GA 30308
I saw the Atlanta Jazz choir concert earlier this night and was in the mood to hear some more jazz afterwards. Thankfully, Russell Gunn and his band were playing at Churchill Grounds. In the clips below, you'll hear Russell Gunn on trumpet, Darryl Reeves on saxophone, Takana Miyamoto on piano, Craig Shaw on bass, and Chris Burroughs on drums.
Russell Gunn - Walkin' I love the confident opening of Russell Gunn's trumpet solo in this video clip.
Darryl Reeves - Walkin' Following Russel Gunn on "Walkin'" Darryl Reeves takes a solo in this clip. As you may notice, Takana isn't comping behind Darryl's solo. Waiting for the perfect moment, she waits until the end of the clip to come in and pushes the energy to another level.
Takana Miyamoto - Minority Takana Miyamoto plays a piano solo over the jazz standard, "Minority".
JANUARY 23, 2008 Blind Willie's - 828 North Highland Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30306
Scott Glazer's Mojo Dojo - Yardbird Suite Scott Glazer's Mojo Dojo jazz band performed at Blind Willie's in the Virginia Highland area of Atlanta. On this night, the band featured Scott Glazer on bass, Gordon Vernick on trumpet, Mace Hibbard on Saxophone, Louis Heriveaux on piano, and Yonrico Scott on drums.
JANUARY 3, 2008 Churchill Grounds - 660 Peachtree Street, Atlanta, GA 30308
Atlanta jazz drummer, Bernard Linnette, filled in for Russell Gunn's band on this Thursday night. With Bernard, you'll hear Kemba Cofield on vocals, Kebbi Williams on saxophone, Leeland Davis on piano, and Craig Shaw on bass.
Kemba Cofield - Caravan Kemba Cofield sings "Caravan", with solos by Kebbi Williams and Leeland Davis.
Kebbi Williams - Rhythm Changes Kebbi Williams leads the band on rhythm changes. Going into the tune they play the head to "Oleo" and coming out they play "Rhythm-a-ning". I've heard Kebbi play 3 or 4 times now and every time I thoroughly enjoy the energy he brings to the stage.
DECEMBER 27, 2007 Studio 281 - 281 Peters Street, Atlanta, GA 30313
Roy Meriwether Trio - Jonah Studio 281, located in the Castleberry Hill area of downtown Atlanta, often features musicians from other cities. In this clip you'll hear NYC-based jazz pianist Roy Meriwether and his trio perform "Jonah".
DECEMBER 15, 2007 Churchill Grounds - 660 Peachtree Street, Atlanta, GA 30308
Atlanta jazz drummer, Justin Varnes, assembled a fantastic group of musicians for a tribute to the music of Cannonball Adderley. In the clips below you'll hear Melvin Jones on trumpet, Mace Hibbard on saxophone, Gary Motley on piano, Brian Hall on bass, and Justin Varnes on drums.
Justin Varnes Quintet - Limehouse Blues In this video you'll hear solos by Mace Hibbard, Melvin Jones, and Gary Motley as they perform "Limehouse Blues". A popular version of "Limehouse Blues" was recorded on the album "Cannonball and Coltrane."
Justin Varnes Quintet - Tribute To The Adderley's This video features an original tune, "Tribute To The Adderley's," written by Melvin Jones. Melvin told me that he was inspired to write this tune after listening to several Cannonball recordings a few days ago. The tune sounded great and the guys played terrific solos!
DECEMBER 12, 2007 Club 29 - 2272 Lawrenceville Hwy Decatur, GA 30033
Kemba Cofield - Route 66 Kemba Cofield sings a great bluesy version of "(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66" with Bernard Linnette's Interactive jazz band. Taking solos, you'll hear Derek White on trombone, Lester Walker on Trumpet, and Dennis Springer on saxophone.
London Arrington - My Funny Valentine This video features London Arrington on vocals, performing "My Funny Valentine" with Bernard Linnette's Interactive jazz band. Lester Walker takes a solo on trumpet, followed by Louis Heriveaux on piano.
DECEMBER 8, 2007 Churchill Grounds - 660 Peachtree Street, Atlanta, GA 30308
Clarence Johnson III is a professor at Morehouse College. This was only my second time seeing him in concert (the first time was at the 2007 Morehouse Jazz Festival) and I'm already looking forward to his next gig. This guy is phenomenal! As an unexpected surprise, I also got to hear two of my favorite Atlanta jazz musicians: Che Marshall on drums and Ramon Pooser on bass. Rounding out the rhythm section was Val Parker on piano. I hadn't seen Val play before, but he was an excellent addition to the band.
Clarence Johnson - Night In Tunisia In this video, Clarence Johnson and the band play an exciting rendition of "Night In Tunisia".
Clarence Johnson - Round Midnight (1 of 2) "Round Midnight" was the second tune played during the first set. The drummer, Che Marshall, was delayed due to an earlier gig with the Atlanta jazz chorus. In this first clip (of two) you'll hear an introduction and solo by Clarence Johnson.
Clarence Johnson - Round Midnight (2 of 2) In this second "Round Midnight" clip, we've got solos by Val Parker on piano and Ramon Pooser on bass. During Ramon's solo, Che Marshall arrives (you can see him putting his cymbals on their stands). Che comes in at the end of Ramon's solo and really kicks things into high gear. A great finish to a great tune!
DECEMBER 5, 2007 Club 29 - 2272 Lawrenceville Hwy Decatur, GA 30033
Bernard Linnette Interactive - Someday My Prince Will Come Bernard Linnette's Interactive jazz group plays "Someday My Prince Will Come." On order of appearance, you'll hear solos by Dennis Springer (saxophone), Lester Walker (trumpet), and Craig Shaw (bass).
Julie Dexter - Softly As In A Morning Sunrise In this brief clip, you'll hear Atlanta jazz vocalist, Julie Dexter, sing "Softly As In A Morning Sunrise" with Bernard Linnette's Interactive jazz group.
