Blog Archives

Fabulous Evening of New Flamenco Music and Dance

I doubt anyone was more thrilled than I was that the Juanito Pascual New Flamenco Trio‘s original album release show was rescheduled due to a snowstorm (hurrah! I didn’t have a conflict for the new date)!

Juanito Pascual New Flamenco Trio with special guests

Juanito Pascual New Flamenco Trio with special guests

The excitement was palpable in the lobby of the Sanders Theatre; there was a reception for some contributors to the Kickstarter campaign that made the new album and this event possible! Read the rest of this entry

Amazing Recital at Berklee College of Music

Anyone who reads my blog knows that I have a passion for live music of many genres; I also appreciate both established musicians as well as newcomers.  Last week I had the opportunity to attend a recital by some of the latter in the form of Akenda, a group composed of students at Berklee College of Music.

Akenda

Akenda

Akenda was formed by Bert Cheshire (guitar), and includes Lee Dockery on bass, Devon DiPaolo on keyboard, and Tim Wolf on drums. Read the rest of this entry

SFJAZZ Collective: A Unique Concept

I was expecting an interesting evening of music from the SFJAZZ Collective, but I had no idea just how much fun it would be.

SFJAZZ Collective (Partial)

5/8 of SFJAZZ Collective (Robin Eubanks, Avishai Cohen, Matt Penman, David Sanchez, Miguel Zenon)

The concept seems simple: each year since their inception ten years ago, they chose a modern jazz composer (Chick Corea, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, and Stevie Wonder, to name a few) and performed work by that composer as well as new work composed by the members of the Collective.

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Club d’Elf Never Ceases to Impress

I’ve seen Club d’Elf perform a half dozen times at this point; each show is different and equally amazing.

Club d'Elf

Club d’Elf

The lineup changes each week, with the only constant I’ve observed being Mike Rivard who plays bass and sintir.

Mike Rivard

Mike Rivard

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Ron Carter Leads a Supergroup at Regattabar

I spent another evening at Regattabar listening to a group of incredible jazz musicians perform for a sold-out crowd.

Ron Carter, Donald Harrison, and Billy Cobham (l to r)

Ron Carter, Donald Harrison, and Billy Cobham (l to r)

I was very excited to see this show; some friends had seen the show the week before in New York and loved it. Read the rest of this entry

Where The Heck Are We???

That was something Cesar Rosas of Los Lobos said repeatedly last weekend at Bull Run Restaurant in Shirley, Massachusetts!

Cesar Rosas

Cesar Rosas

Admittedly, Bull Run is a bit off the beaten path… The venue, though, is first-class and is able to attract such musicians as Los Lobos because of that.

David Hidalgo

David Hidalgo

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Another Wonderful Evening of Americana Music

Large arenas like TD Garden are not the best places to see acoustic music. Sometimes, though, this type of band gets too popular for smaller venues, and that’s the case with the Avett Brothers and Old Crow Medicine Show.

Avett Brothers and Old Crow Medicine Show

Avett Brothers and Old Crow Medicine Show

I saw both bands perform at the 2013 Newport Folk Festival and was extremely impressed with Old Crow so I was especially glad to be seeing them again. Read the rest of this entry

A Jazz Supergroup Performs

Four Generations of Miles Davis performed at Regattabar last weekend; I was only able to catch one set, but oh what a set it was!

Set List for both Friday shows

Set List for both Friday shows

The four musicians who comprised this show all played with Miles Davis, albeit at different times. Read the rest of this entry

It Was A Privilege To See The Spring Quartet

I made a somewhat last-minute to see The Spring Quartet at the Sanders Theatre last week.

Leo Genovese, Esperanza Spalding, Joe Lovano, Jack DeJohnette (l to r)

Leo Genovese, Esperanza Spalding, Joe Lovano, Jack DeJohnette (l to r)

I’d never seen Jack DeJohnette perform but have been extremely interested in doing so for many years.  I finally seized the opportunity. Read the rest of this entry

Chemistry Was In The Air As Two Seemingly Disparate Music Legends Performed

There was much excitement in the air in TD Garden on Monday night, as the sold-out (or nearly sold-out) crowd waited for the two legends, Paul Simon and Sting, to take the stage.

Sting and Paul Simon

Sting and Paul Simon

I made a last-minute decision to see this show, and I’m extremely glad I did. I had never seen Sting perform, and hadn’t seen Paul Simon since the famous Simon & Garfunkel concert in Central Park in 1981.

IMG_5634

Both Bands

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