[woodsyi]

C S & N at Wolftrap.

Stephen Stills can still play the guitar, Graham Nash is losing it and David Crosby can still bellow.  It was a good show with a lot of the old standbys but Nash was a bit over the top with anti-war comments and actually got in a shouting match with some of the audience. 

[toobluvr]

Old 97s, Webster Hall in NYC, Friday night.

I can't recommend these guys highly enough.  Second to last show on their current tour and Rhett and the boys were tight, hard-driving and polished.  They blew the roof off this medium sized sold-out venue.  If you ever get the chance....see them!  You will enjoy and leave with a big smile on your face.  I guarantee it!

 

My third time seeing them and they always deliver.  These guys rock!  The 97s are an honest, no pretense, and enthusiastic band that flies under the radar.  They appear to really enjoy what they do. With all the crap bands out there, hard not to admire a group that is so affable, works this hard, and is this good. 

For the uninitiated, check out the "Satellite Rides" album.  It's my favorite.  Not a throw-away on it, and the sonics are very good.

[BobM]

Going to see The Police tonight at Jones Beach Theater, on the water.

Bob

[woodsyi]

UB40 sounded good with Duncan Campbell who took place of his brother Ali who left the band.  Maxie Priest joined in and the band has also hired Marvin, son of Maxie, to add some hip hop/dub action.  I actually really enjoyed the thumbing bass and chair shaking drums that I heard from the orchestra pit. I think I gotta tun up my sub woofers next time I play UB40 at home. 

[maxwalrath]

Radiohead, Camden NJ

[sts9fan]

Saw Mike Gordon on 09/06/08 in Boston.  Was real tight.  Closer for the tour. 

[Dan_ed]

In the last three months Cowboy Junkies, Iron Maiden, Live, Collective Soul, Blues Traveler. Still, I think I'm forgetting one.

[mca]

This Summer:

Seether, NOFX, Drowning Pool, Sevendust, Shinedown, Seether (again) and Queensryche.

 

[Crimson]

NIN x 3, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Kid Rock, King Crimson x 2, Radiohead, RATM, Heaven & Hell (Dio + Sabbath) x 2, Iron Maiden, Live, Collective Soul, Daughtry, and a few others I don't remember. I love the summer.

[The_KiD]

Saw the Cult on Wednesday night here in DC. The band sounded absolutely fantastic and tight. It was a great show. I put the set list below and a link to a Youtube Video.

-Chris

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fn3BrreKBD0&feature=related

Set List

Nirvana
Rain
I Assassin
The Witch
Sweet Soul Sister
Edie
Illuminated
Horse Nation
Spiritwalker
Rise
Savages
The Phoenix
Dirty Little Rockstar
Wild Flower
Love Removal Machine

Encore:
Fire Woman
She Sells Sanctuary

[low.pfile]

My Morning Jacket in Berkeley, last night.

I don't own any MMJ music but I wanted to see them. A very good rock show.  It was a cool night to see a concert in the misty fog. I like Band of Horses quite a bit more....I mention that since the two are often compared-the only similarity I hear are the lead vocalist's voices.

[chadh]

Last night I caught The Wayne Shorter Quartet playing with the Imani Winds (http://www.imaniwinds.com/).

Here's the concert info: http://www.ums.org/s_current_season/artist.asp?pageid=462

The quote at the end of that blurb is interesting:

A lot of musicians worry about protecting what I call their musical foundation. They want to…put their best foot forward, play their best runs, and try to impress people. But I’m at a point where I’m just going to say, ‘To hell with the rules.’ That’s all I’m doing with the music now…I’ve got nothing to lose now. I’m going for the unknown.

When I left the show, that was exactly how I felt.  A million musicians could try to do the things that Wayne Shorter is doing now, and they would all fail miserably.  But this guy has the reputation to command attention where ever he goes, the charisma and vision to attract musicians of the caliber of Brian Blade, John Pattitucci and Danilo Perez and the absolute genius to make killer, innovative music out of these ingredients.  I thought to myself: he's a very lucky man.  Wayne Shorter can do essentially anything he wants, musically, with no concern for satisfying anyone but himself.  And what's more, he can make it work, not just for himself, but for a huge audience.

The show just blew me away on so many levels.  The most amazing thing, I think, was that the music could be so challenging and intellectualy demanding, but at the same time be so appealing on a very primitive, emotional level.  With a single, gut-wrenching note from his saxophone, Shorter could resolve a maelstrom of abstract notes and musical motifs into a sublimely cohesive groove that had huge portions of the audience grooving completely involuntarily in their seats.  I'm not kidding:  there were times where I was concerned that my row of seats might be wrenched from the ground.

It was also extremely exciting to see the Imani winds, an innovative wind quintet that looks to reach out beyond the "classical" tradition, swinging and rocking and interacting so naturally with Wayne Shorter and the rest of his band.  They played some pieces themselves, and were wonderful, but you could also sense their excitement about the relationship they'd been able to develop with Wayne Shorter.

The other thought I had as I was leaving the show was how wonderful it would be if my kids could learn music from someone like Wayne Shorter.  As a parent, I don't think there's a greater compliment I could offer.  This is obviously a man for whom musical boundaries mean nothing.  He doesn't think about jazz, or classical, or contemporary, or rock, or latin, or any other kind of music.  Instead, he seems to have a complete focus on reaching way down into his soul and producing music that expresses exactly what's there: music that's full of humor and sadness and anger and beauty and ideas; music that is playful and that preaches and that soothes and that takes the time just to breathe.

One negative from the show:  Shorter himself was looking old, and had gained a lot of weight since I saw him last in 2000.  He played much of the show propped against the piano.  I just hope that he can continue to make such amazing music for a long time.

Chad

[jackman]

Saw the Cult on Wednesday night here in DC. The band sounded absolutely fantastic and tight. It was a great show. I put the set list below and a link to a Youtube Video.

-Chris

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fn3BrreKBD0&feature=related

Set List

Nirvana
Rain
I Assassin
The Witch
Sweet Soul Sister
Edie
Illuminated
Horse Nation
Spiritwalker
Rise
Savages
The Phoenix
Dirty Little Rockstar
Wild Flower
Love Removal Machine

Encore:
Fire Woman
She Sells Sanctuary

Wow!  Great set.  The Love album is my favorite from the mid 80's and they played all of the good songs from that album (except Hollow Man, Big Neon Glitter and She Sells Sanctuary).  I wished they would have continued along the lines of the sound they had on this album because their later albums (starting with Electric) lost the dark Gothic sound of Love.  I think Rick Rubin really F-ed up their sound.  This album was way ahead of its time. Sorry about the rant! 

I hope to see them the next time they swing by Chicago.

Cheers,

J

[Se7en]

Austin City Limits on Sunday night.

Gillian Welch, Flyleaf, Xavier Rudd, Neko Case, Shooter Jennings, Blues Traveler, South Austin Jug Band, Gnarls Barkley, Silver Sun Pickups, The Raconteurs, Kevin Fowler, Band of Horses, Foo Fighters.

[Hicks]

My Morning Jacket at McMenamin's Edgefield on 9/27.

Absolutely mind blowing two and a half hour set, one of the best I've been to in quite some time.

MMJ are the innovators, Band of Horses are the imitators, IMO.

[ltr317]

My Morning Jacket at McMenamin's Edgefield on 9/27.

Absolutely mind blowing two and a half hour set, one of the best I've been to in quite some time.

MMJ are the innovators, Band of Horses are the imitators, IMO.

I really like their latest cd, Evil Urges.

[doug s.]

i was able to get to the downtown dc mall today, to see three of the six featured artists; part of the week-long duke ellington jazz fest...

1:00-2:00 PM  You could call him a singer, multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, ethnomusicologist, two-time Grammy winner, world-class musical collaborator, musicians’ advocate, fisherman or cigar aficionado and be right, though the essence of Taj Mahal – a pure man of music -- would be missing.  “I walk with the energy of music every day… it is who and what I am.” Self-taught, Taj plays more than 20 instruments then adds his voice, a distinctive instrument that ranges moodily from gruff and gravelly to smooth and sultry.  In performance with Taj are Bill Rich, on bass and Kester Smith on drums.  The trio has played together for more than 30 years and draws on a long, shared history of Taj’s music.

2:15-3:15 PM  Christian McBride’s prowess as a premier bassist with an intense and heart-felt passion for the craft has earned him a well-deserved reputation as one of the jazz genre’s most respected, in-demand artists.  He has performed with a wide range of artists from McCoy Tyner, Pat Metheny, and Sting to Kathleen Battle and Diana Krall.  He is currently performing with his own group, the Christian McBride Band (Ron Blake on saxophone, keyboardist Geoffrey Keezer and drummer Terreon Gully). With a formidable repertoire of original jazz compositions under his belt, McBride was recently commissioned by the Portland Arts Society/NEA to write and produce “The Movement, Revisited,” a dramatic musical portrait about the struggle of the civil rights era. 

3:30-4:30 PM  Conrad Herwig’s exploration of the connections between jazz and Latin music began when he first arrived in New York and had the chance to play with Mario Bauza, the great Cuban-born bandleader who was instrumental in bridging the gap between the two musical styles. He has performed with Slide Hampton’s World of Trombones, the Mario Bauza’s Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra, as well as with numerous orchestras including Mel Lewis, Bob Mintzer, Miles Davis, Quincy Jones, Frank Sinatra, and Eddie Palmieri. Conrad’s Latin Side project originated with his Grammy-nominated The Latin Side of John Coltrane in 1996, followed by The Latin Side of Miles Davis and The Latin Side of Wayne Shorter recordings. His most recent project focuses on the music of Herbie Hancock.   He is currently Professor of Jazz Trombone, Jazz Improvisation, and Jazz Composition and Arranging at Rutgers University of New Jersey. (paquito d'rivera played sax with his band, which featured keyboard, drums, bass, trumpet, sax, congas - sorry i dunno the names of the musicians...)

an excellent show, for sure; i shoulda stayed to hear mccoy tyner, but it was a long day - conrad herwig didn't actually finish until ~6pm...

doug s.

[Freo-1]

Chris Botti at the Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, RI in August. Great show!

A top shelf performer.

[Hicks]

Sigur Ros at the Schnitzer last night. 

I wasn't sure if their brand of contemplative music would make for a good show, I was wrong.  Absolutely an amazingly powerful performance.  If you have even a passing interest in them and they are playing near you I highly recommend checking them out. 

[Scottdazzle]

Helene Grimaud playing Beethoven's 4th piano concerto with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center.  Ms. Grimaud is an extraordinary musician with a unique and spellbinding style.  Her uniqueness may be related to her synesthesia which she describes thusly:

"It was when I was eleven, and working on the F sharp major Prelude from the first book of Bach's Well-tempered Clavier - I perceived something that was very bright, between red and orange, very warm and vivid: an almost shapeless stain, rather like what you would see in the recording control-room if the image of sound were projected on a screen. But as numbers had always had colours for me - two was yellow, four was red, five was green - and as I have always found music evocative, I didn't regard this as unusual. It was more the idea of colour than colour itself. Certain pieces always project me into a particular colour-world. Sometimes it's a result of the tonality - C minor is black, and D minor, the key that has always been closest to me, being the most dramatic and poignant is blue."

– From Credo - Hélène Grimaud interviewed by Michael Church[12]

If you haven't heard her, I recommend the Credo cd.

The NSO then played a dynamic and exciting version of Shostakovich's Symphony No.5. This symphony is terrific audio audition music.  It has sections that highlight each section of the orchestra and has a full dynamic range.  A good recording of this piece will reveal much about a system (to say nothing of the fact that it's my personal favorite symphony).