The Steve Grover Blog

September/October

2008-09-19T14:42:00.000-07:00

September- October selected event calendar

Sept 2 Steve Grover Quartet w/ David Wells, saxophones; Tony Gaboury, guitar; Steve Grover, drums; and special guest Chris Van Voorst Van Beest, bass. Tonight!

One Longfellow Square
Congress Street, Portland ME 8PM
$5 cover

Sept 3 Marsters and Johnson Quintet w/ Rick Marsters, trumpet; Willie Johnson, trombone; Steve Grover, piano; Fitz Jenkins, bass; Seth Kearns, drums

Zachary’s at The Holiday Inn West
Exit 48 Maine Turnpike, Riverside Street, Portland ME 7PM
No cover

Sept 4 Frank Mauceri Trio w/ Frank Mauceri, tenor saxophone; Sam Sherry, bass; Steve Grover, drums

Gelato Fiasco
Maine Street, Brunswick, ME 7:30 PM
No cover

Sept 13 Tony Gaboury-Steve Grover Duo w/ Tony Gaboury, guitar; Steve Grover, drums

Strange Maine 8PM
Donations

Sept 10, 17, 24 Marsters and Johnson Quintet w/ Rick Marsters, trumpet; Willie Johnson, trombone; Kenny Gaspar, piano; Fitz Jenkins, bass; Steve Grover, drums

Zachary’s at The Holiday Inn West
Exit 48 Maine Turnpike, Riverside Street, Portland ME 7PM
No cover

Oct 7 Steve Grover Trio w/ David Wells, saxophones; Tony Gaboury, guitar; Steve Grover, drums

One Longfellow Square
Congress Street, Portland ME 8PM
$5 cover

Oct 1, 8, 15, 29 Marsters and Johnson Quintet w/ Rick Marsters, trumpet; Willie Johnson, trombone; Kenny Gaspar, piano; Fitz Jenkins, bass; Steve Grover, drums

Zachary’s at The Holiday Inn West
Exit 48 Maine Turnpike, Riverside Street, Portland ME 7PM
No cover

Oct 21 Jeff Coffin w/ The Tom Snow Trio w/ Jeff Coffin, saxophones; Tom Snow, piano; Tim Webb, bass; Steve Grover, drums

Skowhegan High School day clinic, evening concert
Details TBA

Oct 22 Jeff Coffin w/ The Tom Snow Trio w/ Jeff Coffin, saxophones; Tom Snow, piano; Tim Webb, bass; Steve Grover, drums

Bates College time TBA, probably 7:30 or 8PM

www.stevegrover.com
www.myspace.com/stevegrovermusic

August

2008-08-17T07:58:00.001-07:00

August 5 The Lenny Breau Project w/ Brad Terry, Tony Gaboury, Fitz Jenkins, Steve Grover

One Longfellow Square, Congress Street, Portland ME 8PM

August 6, 13, 20, 27 Marsters and Johnson Quintet w/ Rick Marsters, Willie Johnson, Steve Grover, Fitz Jenkins, Jeff Witherell

Zachary’s at The Holiday Inn West, Portland, ME 7-10 PM

August 16 Paavo Carey Latin Jazz Ensemble w/ Paavo Carey, saxophones; Matt Fogg, piano; Ezra Rugg, bass; Steve Grover, drums; Norm Bergeron, percussion

Hope Jazz Festival, Hope ME 12 noon

August 22 Steve Grover Quartet w/ Bruce Saunders, guitar; Tony Gaboury, guitar; Chris Van Voorst Van Beest, bass; Steve Grover, drums

Downtown Bath Maine Street Music Series
Bath, ME 5-8PM

August 23 Steve Grover Quartet w/ Bruce Saunders, guitar; Tony Gaboury, guitar; Chris Van Voorst Van Beest, bass; Steve Grover, drums

Bar Harbor Jazz Festival evening concert
Bar Harbor, ME 8PM

August 31 The Lenny Breau Project Featuring Denny Breau w/ Brad Terry, Tony Gaboury, Fitz Jenkins, Steve Grover

Freeport Cabaret, Freeport, ME 6-9PM

September 2 The Steve Grover Trio w/ David Wells, saxophones; Tony Gaboury, guitar; Steve Grover, drums

One Longfellow Square, Congress Street, Portland, ME 8-10PM

September 7 Matt Fogg/David Wells Quartet w/ Matt Fogg, organ; David Wells, tenor saxophone; Tony Gaboury, guitar; Steve Grover, drums

Portland Museum of Art, Portland, ME 10:30-12noon

Gigs in May and early June

2008-05-03T05:34:00.000-07:00

Some selected gigs upcoming:

May 6 Steve Grover Trio w/ David Wells, tenor; Tony Gaboury, guitar; Steve Grover, drums; and opening will be The Miles Davis Ensemble from The Tony Boffa School of Music. Please come early and hear a very talented student group under the direction of David Wells. Our trio will play starting at 8:30PM.

8 PM One Longfellow Square Congress Street, Portland ME

May 7, 14, 21, 28 Rick Marsters Quintet Not sure if I’m playing piano or drums for the summer, but I will be there. Probably a little of both. Fun group, with sitting in for the second set. Musicians welcome-

7-10PM Zachary’s at The Holiday Inn, Exit 48 Maine Turnpike Portland ME

June 3 Steve Grover Ensemble Stay tuned for this gig; there may be some exciting surprises; I’m working on this right now.

8 PM One Longfellow Square Congress Street, Portland ME

June 7 LatinFest presented by The Maine Jazz Alliance featuring Enclave, with Gary Wittner and Dos Canosos Y Otros; and Primo Cubano Annual MJA Festival has a latin theme, with the headliner Enclave, an excellent contemporary latin jazz group from Boston.

7 PM The Chocolate Church, Bath ME

For tix information, e-mail
mja@mainejazzalliance.org

Phoenix Best Music Poll

2008-03-23T08:36:00.001-07:00

Hi Folks,

I've been nominated in The Portland Phoenix's Best Music Poll. To vote, go here http://thephoenix.com/bmp/Portland/vote.aspx?id=42

Thanks for your support-

SG

2008-02-21T10:39:00.000-08:00

Here is a link to a short article about our group coming to the Press Room this Sunday Feb 24:

http://www.wirenh.com/Music/Music_-_general/Steve_Grover_Quintet_brings_bebop_to_The_Press_Room_200802212771.html

Upcoming Events

2008-02-19T07:24:00.000-08:00

Hi Folks,

There are exciting gigs coming up this week and over the next few weeks. I hope to see you at one or more of them. The following is a list through the first week of March of some highlights:

Feb 18: Tonight I will be appearing on Bob Cochran’s WMPG jazz show at 9PM, talking up the concert at Starbird’s in Portland on Feb 23, and playing some of my music. Tune in 90.9 FM in the greater Portland area, or hit the web http://wmpg.org/include/listenlive.htm

Feb 20: Rick Marsters Quintet w/ Rick Marsters, trumpet; Willie Johnson, trombone; Kenny Gaspar, piano; Fitz Jenkins, bass; Steve Grover, drums. Musicians welcome. The gig is 7-10PM

Zachary’s at The Holiday Inn
Exit 48 Maine Turnpike, Portland ME

Feb 23: Dimensions In Jazz Presents The 3rd Annual Birthday Bash with The Steve Grover Quintet, featuring Trent Austin, trumpet; David Wells, tenor saxophone; Tony Gaboury, guitar; Tim Webb, bass; Steve Grover, drums. Lots of new music and a mix of tunes from my CDs, with a few surprises. We’re back at Starbird’s again. The concert is at 8PM. Please come by and enjoy the show. Tix and info call
207 828 1310. Let’s hang!

Starbird Performance Hall
Forest Avenue
Portland, ME

Feb 24 The Steve Grover Quintet featuring Trent Austin, trumpet; David Wells, tenor saxophone; Tony Gaboury, guitar; Tim Webb, bass; Steve Grover, drums.
We play 6-10PM. This is our first time at The Press Room, so come support the band and enjoy music in a venerable music room with a long history of presenting jazz:

The Press Room
77 Daniel StreetPortsmouth, NH 03801(603) 431-5186

Feb 27 Rick Marsters Quintet w/ Rick Marsters, trumpet; Willie Johnson, trombone; Kenny Gaspar, piano; Fitz Jenkins, bass; Steve Grover, drums. Musicians welcome. We play 7-10PM

Zachary’s at The Holiday Inn
Exit 48 Maine Turnpike, Portland ME

Feb 29 The Steve Grover Quintet featuring Trent Austin, trumpet; David Wells, tenor saxophone; Tony Gaboury, guitar; Greg Loughman, bass; Steve Grover, drums. We will be attempting a slightly different program at this UMA concert. Concert is at 7:30PM

University of Maine At Augusta
Jewett Auditorium
University Heights
Augusta, ME

Mar 2 Matt Fogg, piano; Tom Bucci, bass; Steve Grover, drums. This is a jam session. The first one with this group in Feb was a lot of fun, with lots of student musicians showing up to play. 11:30 – 2:30PM

Augustine’s @ The Daniel Stone Inn
Water Street
Brunswick, ME

Mar 4 David Wells, tenor saxophone; Tony Gaboury, guitar; Steve Grover, drums. Our OLS residency continues. Expect a potpourri of things, including folk and pop songs, bebop, free improv, and some original music. Still, the whole thing for me is the interplay, which helps to unify all of this diverse stuff. 8-10PM. There is a $5 cover

One Longfellow Square
Congress Street
Portland, ME

Mar 5 Rick Marsters Quintet w/ Rick Marsters, trumpet; Willie Johnson, trombone; Kenny Gaspar, piano; Fitz Jenkins, bass; Steve Grover, drums. Musicians welcome. We play 7-10PM

Zachary’s at The Holiday Inn
Exit 48 Maine Turnpike, Portland ME

Also, check out the new MPBN program ‘Conversations With Maine’, which features my tune ‘Art Advocate’ as its theme song. The program runs Thursdays at 8PM, and airs again Sundays at 4:30PM. Check the MPBN web site for how many shows are scheduled.

That’s it for now. I’ll check in at the beginning of the month with some dates going into the spring.

See you soon,

Steve
www.stevegrover.com
www.myspace.com/stevegrovermusic

Between Now And After Review

2008-01-18T06:02:00.000-08:00

Here is a recent review from The Portland Phoenix of 'Between Now And After', the CD released early in 2007:

http://thephoenix.com/article_ektid54546.aspx

For a free MP3 of "Short Suite" from the CD, as well as other MP3s, check out the 'Listen' page on my web site.

Upcoming Events

2008-01-07T19:26:00.000-08:00

Jan/Feb Schedule

Hi Folks,

Happy New Year. Here is an updated Jan/Feb schedule. I hope to see you at some of these events.

Jan 6 Organic Jazz All Stars w/ David Wells, tenor; Matt Fogg, organ; Tony Gaboury, guitar; Steve Grover, drums 10:30 – 12:00

Portland Museum Of Art
Free Street, Portland ME

Jan 7 Maine Jazz Alliance Jazz Improv Workshop w/ Brad Terry, clarinet; Fitz Jenkins, bass; Steve Grover, drums 4:30 – 6:30 PM

Waterville High School
Waterville, ME

Jan 8 Garden Above Trio w/ David Wells, tenor; Tony Gaboury, guitar; Steve Grover, drums 8-10 PM $5 at the door

One Longfellow Square
Congress Street, Portland, ME

Jan 9 Rick Marsters/Willie Johnson Quintet w/ Rick Marsters, trumpet; Willie Johnson, trombone; Kenny Gaspar, piano; Fitz Jenkins, bass; Steve Grover, drums 7-10 PM

Zachary’s at The Holiday Inn
Exit 48 Maine Turnpike, Riverside Street
Portland, ME

Jan 11 Steve Grover, piano 6:30-9:30 PM

Solo Bistro
Front Street, Bath, ME

Jan 14 7 Maine Jazz Alliance Jazz Improv Workshop w/ Frank Mauceri, tenor sax; Rick Nelson, guitar; Duane Edwards, bass; Steve Grover, drums 6-8PM

Gardiner High School
Gardiner, ME

Jan 16 Rick Marsters/Willie Johnson Quintet w/ Rick Marsters, trumpet; Willie Johnson, trombone; Kenny Gaspar, piano; Fitz Jenkins, bass; Steve Grover, drums 7-10 PM

Zachary’s at The Holiday Inn
Exit 48 Maine Turnpike, Riverside Street
Portland, ME

Jan 19 Steve Grover, piano 6-9PM

Augustine’s
Daniel Stone Inn
Brunswick, ME

Jan 23 Rick Marsters/Willie Johnson Quintet w/ Rick Marsters, trumpet; Willie Johnson, trombone; Kenny Gaspar, piano; Fitz Jenkins, bass; Steve Grover, drums 7-10 PM

Zachary’s at The Holiday Inn
Exit 48 Maine Turnpike, Riverside Street
Portland, ME

Jan 30 Rick Marsters/Willie Johnson Quintet w/ Rick Marsters, trumpet; Willie Johnson, trombone; Kenny Gaspar, piano; Fitz Jenkins, bass; Steve Grover, drums 7-10 PM

Zachary’s at The Holiday Inn
Exit 48 Maine Turnpike, Riverside Street
Portland, ME

Feb 1 Steve Grover Quintet TBA probably David Wells, tenor sax; Trent Austin, trumpet; Tony Gaboury, guitar, bass TBA; Steve Grover, drums 9PM

This gig is tentative pending personnel confirmation
MPBN Radio
65 Texas Ave
Bangor, ME

Feb 3 Jazz Brunch Jam Session w/ Matt Fogg, piano; Tom Bucci, bass; Steve Grover, drums; plus special guests 11:30 – 2:30 PM

Augustine’s
Daniel Stone Inn
Brunswick, ME

Feb 5 Garden Above Trio w/ David Wells, tenor; Tony Gaboury, guitar; Steve Grover, drums 8-10 PM $5 at the door

One Longfellow Square
Congress Street, Portland, ME

Feb 6 Rick Marsters/Willie Johnson Quintet w/ Rick Marsters, trumpet; Willie Johnson, trombone; Kenny Gaspar, piano; Fitz Jenkins, bass; Steve Grover, drums 7-10 PM

Zachary’s at The Holiday Inn
Exit 48 Maine Turnpike, Riverside Street
Portland, ME

Feb 13 Rick Marsters/Willie Johnson Quintet w/ Rick Marsters, trumpet; Willie Johnson, trombone; Kenny Gaspar, piano; Fitz Jenkins, bass; Steve Grover, drums 7-10 PM

Zachary’s at The Holiday Inn
Exit 48 Maine Turnpike, Riverside Street
Portland, ME

Feb 15 Rick Nelson Ensemble w/ Frank Mauceri, tenor sax; Rick Nelson, guitar, bass TBA; Steve Grover, drums ( time tba; 8PM probably)

Theater Project
Brunswick, ME

Feb 20 Rick Marsters/Willie Johnson Quintet w/ Rick Marsters, trumpet; Willie Johnson, trombone; Kenny Gaspar, piano; Fitz Jenkins, bass; Steve Grover, drums 7-10 PM

Zachary’s at The Holiday Inn
Exit 48 Maine Turnpike, Riverside Street
Portland, ME

Feb 23 The 3rd Annual Steve Grover Birthday Bash Concert Featuring The Steve Grover Quintet w/ Trent Austin, trumpet; David Wells, tenor sax; Tony Gaboury, guitar; Tim Webb, bass; Steve Grover, drums. New music! 8PM

Starbird Performance Hall
Forest Ave
Portland, ME
Tix and info 207 828 1310

Feb 24 The Steve Grover Quintet w/ Trent Austin, trumpet; David Wells, tenor sax; Tony Gaboury, guitar; Tim Webb, bass; Steve Grover, drums 6PM – 9PM small cover charge

The Press Room
Portsmouth, NH

Feb 27 Rick Marsters/Willie Johnson Quintet w/ Rick Marsters, trumpet; Willie Johnson, trombone; Kenny Gaspar, piano; Fitz Jenkins, bass; Steve Grover, drums 7-10 PM

Zachary’s at The Holiday Inn
Exit 48 Maine Turnpike, Riverside Street
Portland, ME

Feb 29 The Steve Grover Quintet w/ Trent Austin, trumpet; David Wells, tenor sax; Tony Gaboury, guitar; Greg Loughman, bass; Steve Grover, drums 8PM

University of Maine At Augusta
Jewett Auditorium
University Heights
Augusta, ME

Post-gig thoughts

2007-11-25T14:34:00.000-08:00

The past week contained-along with generous helpings of turkey, mashed potatoes and pie at my mother's pad- an interesting mix of gig experiences.

Wedneday was my regular gig with trumpeter Rick Marsters, who along with trombonist Willie Johnson leads a quintet in a session format. The band plays a set and then a myriad of local musicians and students sit in under Rick's watchful eye. This past Wednesday was special, because the young drummer Jeff Witherall was in town from college and presented a glimpse of the future. For the first set, Jeff performed admirably on piano, making it clear that should he so choose, he could easily concentrate on this instrument and make a name for himself. But the second set showed what people have local people have been murmuring about: this kid is the real thing as a jazz drummer. Currently Jeff is attending The Manhattan School of Music in New York. I expect that within a very short period of time he will be making career strides on the NYC scene.

Friday night I played a solo piano gig at Solo Bistro, a friendly spot in Bath with excellent food and an intimate vibe. Nothing special would seem to be on the agenda as I solo navigated the first set, modestly playing some standards and sneaking in some originals for an expanded table of young women much more interested in each other than the music. But by the second set Brad Terry showed up to bail me out again. By then the revelers had split and Brad and I played to a small crowd of friends and appreciators. He made it clear as he effortlessly created a kaleidescope of beautiful lines on tune after tune that a master was in the house and I was simply along for the ride.

Last night (Saturday) I engaged in a drummer tete a tete with Devin Gray, another great young talent, at a funky little storefront called 'Strange Maine'. We played free, and it was some of the most fun I've had playing drums in a long time. Most of the set we played involved shorter pieces, created from nothing, using sounds, diffused rhythms, cymbal melodies, and refracted bebop, and we ended with a two drum set version of Monk's 'We See', if you can imagine that. Afterward Devin mentioned that we should have recorded it. I agree! More of this duo should be forthcoming soon.

Jim Howe

2007-11-18T13:15:00.000-08:00

Jim Howe, the bassist whose residency at The Press Room in Portsmouth, NH lasted over 25 years, passed away a few weeks ago at 61. His energy and love of jazz seemed to grow stronger with each passing year. A recent Memorial Concert at Philips Exeter Acedemy was a well-programmed musical event that featured the cream of the New Hampshire/Maine/Massachusetts scenes. All of the performers had long lasting musical relationships with Jim and everyone played well.

Jim was an honest, down-to-earth guy and a talented, swinging musician who played for years alongside the great drummer Les Harris, Sr. in the trio of pianist Tommy Gallant. After starting at The Horse of A Different Color in the late '70s, they moved to The Press Room a few years later, where they continued every Sunday- with just one personnel change when Les, Sr. passed his gig along to his son Les, Jr.- until Tommy passed away in the '90s. Over the last ten years or so, Jim kept the music going with a trio that included Chris Neville and then Ryan Parker on piano, and Les Harris, Jr. on drums.

Highlights of the concert last Sunday for me were Tracey Maclean's heartfelt vocal turn on 'They Can't Take That Away From Me', and the wonderful drum duet feature 'And Howe' for Les Harris, Sr and Jr. The older Les proved that he hasn't lost a step and stays pretty competitive in the company of his young master son. There were also excellent performances by pianists Ryan Parker and Gerry Wright; saxophonists Charlie Jennison and Fred Haas; and a tricky, reharmonized I Remember You by the trumpeter/arranger Greg Hopkins provided the most modern treatment of the afternoon. Also, Chris Humphrey sang a beautiful 'This Is All I Ask', Jim Howe's favorite tune, with the pianist Mark Shilansky, the ever-melodic Marty Ballou on bass, and Les, Jr. There were many other players and performances. The church was packed, which exemplifies the spiritual connection that Jim had with so many people over the years through his life and music.

On a personal note, I played with Jim a few times over the years and we always hit it off. He was an easy guy to talk to, and if he liked you then it was even easier. Jim was originally from Old Town and had strong roots in Maine. The last few years he lived in Hanover, outside Bethel, where he had a funky cabin. He would make the trek down to the Portsmouth area for a few days each week to teach and play at The Press Room, and then make his way back. A few years ago I played a concert with Jim in Greenville, ME in a group with Trent Austin. The nice people at The Blair Hill Inn put us up after the gig on Moosehead Lake, and then the next day Jim and I had breakfast in Kakadjo, which is about 20 miles north of where we were, kind of the end of the road as you permeate the north woods. We had a great conversation, almost philosophical in scope. Just last fall we played a school thing in Lincoln, which was the last time I played with him. Earlier this year I visited The Press Room to see Ted Casher play with Jim's trio, and that was the last time I saw him. We corresponded by e-mail just a few days before he died. I'm sure a lot of people are saying the same thing, that they just spoke or communicated with him: he was that kind of person. Although isolated geographically, he was well-connected to his family and the extended jazz family that Jim was so proud to be a part of.

The tradition at The Press Room continues: Ryan and Les will be forging ahead with another bassist at The Press Room with a full slate of special guests, with occasional appearances by other jazz groups. Jim would be extremely pleased with this development.

Upcoming Events

2007-10-08T18:37:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the 8 people who showed up at The Organic Jazz All-Stars concert Friday night. Your loyalty shall be its own reward.

Should the rest of you be so inclined, here is a rundown of the busy upcoming week:

Tuesday October 9

The Garden Above Trio w/ Steve Grover, drums; David Wells, tenor; Tony Gaboury, guitar

Our open-ended jazz trio will be interpreting the music of Ravi Shankar, Ornette Coleman, Neil Young, Jack Bruce, Stevie Wonder, David Wells, Steve Grover, and traditional folk and blues. Believe it or not, it's a jazz thing. Those of you who have our CD or caught us at the old Meritage Wine Bar back in the day know how we sound. See us at:

One Longfellow Square, corner of State and Congress in Portland ME
8PM 'till 11PM $5 cover CHEAP ( goes toward our band).

Here is a quote from a CD review of 'The Garden Above', our CD on Invisible Music Records:

"This music is where their hearts are...The Garden Above is an album of real depth...[an] adventurous release by three veteran musicians who have reached a new level of individual and collective freedom."- Up Beat 10/06

Wednesday October 10

The Rick Marsters/Willie Johnson Quintet w/ Rick Marsters, trumpet; Willie Johnson, trombone; Kenny Gaspar, piano; Fitz Jenkins, bass; Steve Grover, drums

Rick's group is a nice straightahead band with musicians sitting in on the second set. Come and check it out:

Holiday Inn, Exit 48 off the Maine Turnpike (Westbrook), Portland, ME
7 - 10PM no cover

Friday October 12

Steve Grover, piano

I will attempt to interpret some standards with some different changes and play some of my originals. Rick Marsters may help bail me out by showing up to play trumpet. The food is pretty happening so I'm told.

Solo Bistro, Front Street, Bath ME

Saturday October 13

Don Doane, trombone; Ralph Norris, tenor; Muriel Havenstein, piano; Al Doane, bass; Steve Grover, drums (subbing for Dick Demers)

Benefit Auction and Maine Jazz Masters Tribute Concert

The concert is at once a fundraiser for jazz education and a tribute to all of the musicians playing the concert. I'm subbing for Dick Demers, my teacher and friend, as he is happily recovering from successful back surgery. Hopefully he'll show up, as I am reading a tribute to him. The music starts at 6:30 PM with a student ensemble. Then we play, followed by another student ensemble, I think. Meanwhile, there is an auction. Tix are $17 and $15.

Maine Sound Stage Fort Andross building, Brunswick, ME
For more info, contact:

Tracey MacLean, Maine Jazz Alliance
207 833-7757 mja@mainejazzalliance.org
As always, you can check my web site for sound clips, CD info, and a calendar, which is reasonably updated about once a month or so:
www.stevegrover.com

Upcoming Events

2007-10-02T06:16:00.000-07:00

This Friday October 5 I will be performing in concert with my colleagues Matt Fogg and David Wells as part of a collective called The Organic Jazz All-Stars, which performs in the jazz organ trio tradition. We are at the following venue:

Starbird Performance Hall
Forest Avenue
Portland ME

8PM

Tix $10, $5 for seniors and students

David Wells, tenor saxophone
Matt Fogg, organ
Steve Grover, drums

Next Tuesday I begin a series of Tuesday gigs once a month at the club One Longfellow Square in Portland. I will be joined by David Wells, tenor and Tony Gaboury, guitar. Our repertoire is eclectic in the extreme: Ornette Coleman, Neil Young, folk songs, Italian movie songs, Irish drinking songs, originals, all filtered through our own sensibility as an open-ended jazz trio. We may also play some things from our CD "The Garden Above", available at CD Baby and Bull Moose record stores.

Tuesday Oct 9: The Garden Above Trio w/ David Wells, tenor saxophone; Tony Gaboury, guitar; Steve Grover, drums

@ One Longfellow Square, 8PM
Portland ME

Cover $5

It's John Lennon's birthday, so we may play a couple of his songs, too.

Joe Zawinul RIP

2007-09-23T05:57:00.000-07:00

The keyboardist and composer Joe Zawinul passed away recently at age 75 from cancer. Some of my first jazz listening was Joe Zawinul: One of my first jazz purchases was a Cannonball Adderley album called ‘The Price You Gotta Pay To Be Free’, which was JZ's last record with Cannon. His tune ‘Rumplestiltskin’ was my favorite tune on that record and contained the elements so intrinsic to his music – harmonic mystery, melody, and personality.

In recent years I have more closely checked out his early '60s work with Cannonball. Joe sounds great, a forward thinking jazz pianist among many during that time. He was very loyal to Cannon, who apparently was a great bandleader and appreciated Joe's talent. Zawinul was an imposing pianist technically, but there is no virtuosity for its own sake in his jazz playing- he was all about the music.

Joe was one of the last jazz musicians to create a new genre. Innovators of this kind are relatively few. The whole jazz-rock movement was more subtle in its ‘67-‘73 transformative period than many claim, and Joe's creativity and vision during this time was one of such subtlety. He popularized the Fender Rhodes electric piano, and approached it by playing fewer notes and letting the sound permeate the rhythm section. Subsequently, Miles Davis became infatuated with the Rhodes and asked his pianists to play it. As a result, the music took on different dimensions- the introduction of funkier rhythms, electric bass or amplified acoustic bass, and more open improvisation. Although he was never a member of Miles's band, Joe played on and contributed compositions to the In A Silent Way and Bitches Brew albums. He gave a lot of his talent to Miles, who took a lot of the credit, much of it deserved. But Joe took the opportunity of a lifetime to accelerate his own creative vision.

In 1970 Joe formed Weather Report with Wayne Shorter in the musical image of the style created for Miles, but the band grew over time into a larger, more arena rock ensemble that attracted a fairly large rock audience (particularly with the addition of Jaco Pastorius on electric bass). In the '70s Joe helped to popularize keyboard synthesizers. He was extremely creative with them, and used his knowledge of orchestration to create interesting music. His ability to manipulate several keyboard synths simultaneously, shifting sounds, textures and voicings, constituted a veritable one-man band. In fact, he often composed by recording his improvisations and transcribing the results.

WR also introduced musicians from the Afro-Carribean basin and Brazil. Later, African and other international musicians became part of Zawinul’s own group, The Zawinul Syndicate. His music since WR became a kind of global polyglot that was difficult to categorize, but uniquely personal.

The influence of Joe Zawinul is also felt by the number of musicians who grew up influenced by Weather Report and later became high level instrumentalists in the pop field. For example, at one time in the early '90s Madonna's rhythm section was made up of the same rhythm section WR had in the mid '80s. There is no question that WR, even 20 years after Joe and Wayne Shorter officially called it quits, is a huge presence today.

Most great jazz musicians of the past were innovators in their youth. Joe was an excellent musician who became an innovator in early middle age. His creative restlessness caused him to constantly challenge himself well past the point when most musicians of his generation had stopped. The term genius is a cliché, but Joe Zawinul transformed himself into one. He was a larger than life personality, very sure of himself, brutally honest with others, and competitive.

RIP Joe Zawinul! May your deep Viennese soul rest well.

Here is a small, select list of favorites with Joe:

Any Cannonball Adderley record from 1961-70
Miles Davis- In A Silent Way
Bitches Brew
Zawinul- his solo album from 1971, a masterpiece
Weather Report- first album, self-titled
Mysterious Traveller
Heavy Weather

Max Roach

2007-09-16T05:31:00.002-07:00

Max Roach, the great jazz drummer, passed away last month. Max was a great American artist who transcended the jazz idiom. I only saw him play twice. The first time was in the late '70s at Sandy's in Beverly MA with a quartet- Billy Harper, Cecil Bridewater and (probably) Avery Sharpe. Max sent chills up my spine when he performed 'South Africa Goddam' as a solo piece for drum set- a compelling composition. I also remember that a 12 year old Terri Lynn Carrington sat in on 'Straight, No Chaser' while her father snapped pictures. The next time I saw him play was in 1998 with the So What Brass Quintet. Max looked thin, but dapper in a suit. Even though his chops were down, he still played musically. I loved the texture of the brass quintet plus drum set, the programming and pacing. It was a wonderful concept.

The last time I saw him was at Birdland in 2000. I went to see Lee Konitz and Max was sitting at the bar. On a break I was talking to Jeff Williams and Konitz, who was talking with Max, asked Jeff to join them for a minute. I suppose I should have insinuated myself into the proceedings, but it didn't seem appropriate. Jeff told me later that for the second set Max came and sat down at a table in front of the drums- only in New York!

Max, like all great jazz creators, was an original and didn't copy anybody. He created a level of dignity for the instrument and the art form by insisting on it. He elevated the drum set to a concert level instrument. His playing was compositional, architectural, polyrhythmic. In the '40s, he codified- after Klook- the bebop idea of creating the time on the 'ride' cymbal and playing independently with the rest of his limbs. His concept required a smaller drum set, with improved tom toms and a more integrated design. On the records with Clifford he plays a drum solo on virtually every tune, playing through the form, creating distinct compositional ideas that became his unique language. He played phrases that transcended individual licks or patterns. His improvising always had a subtext- music and form. He had a beautiful sound and used musical space as part of the fabric of his dramatic inventions. He seemed like he had total control of all of the elements of his performances, which were courageous in their artistic integrity. Max improvised solos that had the presence of a composed piece of music.

He brought odd meters into the jazz aesthetic and created original rhythms from them that became the basis for some of his drum set compositions. Try to find anything like that in the jazz composition world- Max created a new genre with these distinctive pieces. Max's percussion ensemble, MBoom, was unique in that it created music drawn from the jazz aesthetic for an ensemble comprised primarily of orchestral percussion plus drum set. Max also worked with the string quartet. The piece Survivors features music composed for string quartet by Peter Philips while Max improvises- for 20 minutes! Max also worked with his daughter's string quartet in collaboration with his jazz quartet to create a successful meld, due in no small part to the fact that all of the string players could improvise.

Max also was involved in the struggle for civil rights for African-Americans, and reflected his political ideas in his music. The best known of these efforts is The Freedom Now Suite from 1960, a suite of original music in collaboration with the lyrics of Oscar Brown, Jr. that features, among others, the enduring, compelling artistry of the vocalist Abbey Lincoln.

Max was special. His timeless, eternally modern music will always be part of the soundtrack of jazz for me and synonymous with creativity in this music. Here is a list of some of my favorite Max albums under his leadership, most of which are in print or available at ITunes:

The Many Sides of Max Roach
Any Clifford Brown/Max Roach album
Jazz In 3/4 Time
The Freedom Now Suite
The Long March (with Archie Shepp)
Survivors

I will post more later about some of the essential attributes of Max's long career, which began before bebop, a music he helped to invent through his contributions to the music of Charlie Parker, Bud Powell, Mingus, Sonny Rollins and so many others.

Herb Pomeroy

2007-09-15T13:07:00.000-07:00

The great trumpeter and educator Herb Pomeroy passed away this past summer. I didn't know Herb well, but I played with him a few times over the years. He never forgot a name, or so it seemed. Whenever I saw him- which was infrequently- he remembered me and spoke about a couple of the people we both knew. What a special person. I loved his playing, which was so musical- compositional without sounding too intellectual or consciously organized. He had a beautiful individual sound that was timeless; you could never date it. One of the last times I saw him play was at The Regattabar a few years ago with a kind of Boston All-Star group. It was Charlie Mariano's gig, and he had Herb and Ray Santisi with him, plus John Lockwood and Bob Gullotti. It was an interesting night and Herb sounded great as usual, on all kinds of different material.

I remember playing a weekend of gigs with Herb about twenty years ago. The trombonist Tim Sessions hooked it up. We played a weekend at a hotel that was featuring jazz in those days, and played a Sunday concert. In addition to Herb, Tim and myself, the musicians included Tony Gaboury and Ben Street. I recall that Herb wanted to play UMMG by Billy Strayhorn, and it was the first time I had heard that beautiful tune. Herb was very gracious and interested in the musicians playing with him, and not just interested in himself. He was a musician who was looking for the pure expression of each player, unconcerned with finding fault.

I read somewhere that Sam Rivers had said that without Herb there would probably be no Berklee. It certainly would not have been the same. His name was synonymous with Berklee, along with John LaPorta and a handful of others. Herb was an innovator in jazz education, a very important American figure.

Such a Long Time

2007-08-13T10:23:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been months- What's the point of having a blog if you never post? I have no real excuse, but I am looking forward to catching up.

First of all, toward the end of May I did a wonderful residency with the trumpeter Trent Austin in Brunswick (ME) with a group of about forty junior high musicians. Most of them made up the jazz band, and the rest were part of a combo. We played a concert on the evening of the second day, augmenting the two student groups with a short quartet set of our own. I have to thank Heidi Anderson , the band director, for doing such a great job of organizing the event. It was obvious to both Trent and myself that she is a dedicated educator.

Most of the first part of the summer was taken with teaching my summer course, which went well and provides me with an opportunity to revisit some great music in the American canon, while checking out some things I wasn't familiar with. So May and June found me listening to the likes of Charlie Patton and lots of other early blues performers. What I have begun to hear in these seminal musicians is an expression beyond the cliches of the historical explanation: Patton's music is the blues for sure, but his inventions and declarations are a fantastic example of something that goes beyond the category game. Call it the musical truth- not a false or insincere note.

Later in the summer I visited The Maine Jazz Camp a few times. I caught sets by several of the performers, including one by Frank Carlberg, who provided some new music (to my ears) set to texts by Hollo, Creeley and others. The level of musicianship on the MJC faculty was outstanding as usual.

I also played a few gigs, some quite satisfying like the concert with pianist Tom Snow at The Deertrees at the end of July that felt very swinging in the classic sense. The tenorist Ralph Norris and the bassist Tim Webb- whose luxurious time feel is super easy to play with- completed the quartet.

I will write next time about the passing of Herb Pomeroy.

Tom Rowe Part 2

2007-05-11T05:19:00.000-07:00

In the late summer of 1971 I received a phone call from Tom Rowe. We had a gig that weekend coming up, and so he asked rhetorically, "Guess who you're playing with this weekend?" Who, I asked. "Lenny Breau!" I was incredulous. I had just recently been listening to Dick Demers' copy of "The Velvet Touch of Lenny Breau Live!", one of the greatest jazz guitar records ever. At first I thought he meant Denny, Lenny's younger brother and close friend of Tom, but, no, it was in fact Lenny. Moreover, Tom invited me to meet him that week at Lenny's mother's house.

So I called my friend Rich Keene, who had a driver's license (and was also on the gig), and a couple of days later we drove to Eighth Street in New Auburn and filed into the basement, where Lenny was reclining in the darkness on a bed, listening to Bill Evans. Denny introduced us. "Lenny, I want you to meet some friends of mine," he announced. A hand with long fingernails appeared from the darkness. "Like, pleased to meet you," Lenny volunteered in a friendly voice. His hair descended past his shoulders and he sported a Fu Manchu. After a few pleasantries, Rich and I made our way home, prepared to pick Lenny up for the gig that Saturday.

We arrived and found Lenny ready to go. As we left I remember he bantered in French with his mother and some relatives. Then we settled into Rich's mother's '66 Impala, three-abreast in the front seat, Lenny in the middle. I had rather awkwardly affected a smoking habit and had a box of Tiparillos in my pocket. Lenny asked for one and so we smoked cigars together as we rode toward Murray Hall in Jay, which is about an hour drive from Auburn. At a certain point I told him how much I liked "The Velvet Touch". Already nervous, I began to wonder how to respond as he detailed some of the experience of playing at Shelly's Manne Hole the week they recorded The Velvet Touch.

We arrived at the gig and after setting up, Tom and the trumpeter Paul Lapointe called the first tune, 'By The Time I Get To Phoenix'. Lenny didn't know it, so they placed the sheet music in front of him, and we began to play. Suddenly all of this incredible music emerged and I was taken aback by its power. It was all there, the lush voicings, the sound, harmonics, the time. It made me feel intimidated, but in a good way. Lenny couldn't have been nicer. We talked on a break and he praised his brother Denny's guitar playing. Later Lenny entertained the wedding crowd with some solo guitar things, including playing 'Yankee Doodle' and 'Dixie' at the same time.

Lenny got a ride back to Auburn with Tom, but we encountered each other again in the fall on a few gigs. Many years later I ended up playing with Lenny in a trio on and off for a few years. But I have Tom Rowe to thank for introducing us and giving me the opportunity to play with him for the first time 36 years ago this summer.

Tom Rowe

2007-05-10T18:03:00.000-07:00

I'll be playing at a benefit concert with Tony Gaboury and David Wells this weekend called "Remembering Tom Rowe". It is largely a folk music concert, as Tom was heavily involved in the folk music scene. He passed away a couple of years ago from cancer, and so all the money from the concert goes to The Maine Cancer Society. Tom's son Dave-himself an excellent musician- invited me to put a group together for the show. For the concert we are playing some music associated with or in tribute to Lenny Breau, who I first met through Tom.

Tom Rowe was a marvelous human being. He inspired confidence and seemed genuinely interested in the people around him. He was positive, hopeful, enthusiastic, forward-thinking, funny, and he loved music and musicians. Tom was also very hip in many ways, at least I thought so, and I looked up to him. Although barely out of his teens himself in 1970-71, he was married, and made a living playing when he wasn't going to school at USM (then UMPG).

I played some of my first gigs with him when I was 14, 15 years old. He played alto in those days, fronting a wedding band that played standards and other wedding music. The first gig I played for money was a wedding with Tom in a band that included Denny Breau, a fine guitarist in his own write (and now a wonderful singer-songwriter and recording artist) who happens to be the brother of Lenny, generally acknowledged to be one of the greatest guitar players who ever lived. After the gig I told Denny how much I liked his playing. "If you think I'm good, " he replied, "you should hear my brother!"

Tom used to pick me up for gigs, since I didn't have a driver's license yet. He drove a VW bus. I really looked forward to playing with him. The whole experience was very exciting for me, even though I didn't want to show it. I enjoyed the rides probably just as much as the gigs. We talked a lot about music, and during these trips I learned about the musician life, as well as music. Tom was very knowledgeable and had good taste. He was an educated musician who played a variety of instruments, and he was a great singer. I barely could play the drums and didn't know one chord from another.

Tom loved jazz, and spoke about the music like a jazz musician. It was Tom who pointed out to me that the Miles Davis solo on the title track to 'Bitches Brew'- then a new release- was based on the Blood Sweat and Tears song 'Spinning Wheel'. This is an obvious connection when you listen, but I have yet to hear anybody point this fact out, including the jazz critical establishment or other musicians. Even the bass line has a tangential relationship, but I digress.

Tom also told me about John Coltrane's 'Ascension' and free jazz. I remember him trying to explain that record to me. When I finally heard it, I knew what he was talking about.

Tom was my ride to a concert in early 1971 by The Tony Williams Lifetime, one of the most significant concerts I have ever attended. Tony's drumming was astounding technically and musically. I had never conceived of music like that before; the musicians were so serious about their playing and created a dark, intense, loud mystique. Although I mostly remained quiet on the way home, trying to process the devastating music I had just experienced, I asked Tom what he might call the music played that night. "Free Rock!" he said with a laugh. This concise and off-handed response was a pretty good description.

Tom was enthusiastic about all music, but he reserved his greatest enthusiasm for musicians he knew. Tom loved Dick Demers- then his brother-in-law- and he admired Dick's drumming. I'm sure he picked up a lot of jazz from Dick. But he really loved Denny Breau and his brother Lenny. Tom was off the hook talking about Dennis, who was his friend and sometime collaborator from boyhood. He loved Denny's playing and free spirit. They both shared an interest in the same things musically- acoustic playing, vocal harmonies, and so on.

I will pick up on my memories of Tom and our encounter with Lenny Breau in my next post.

Alvin Batiste

2007-05-09T04:33:00.000-07:00

Clarinetist and educator Alvin Batiste passed away recently. He was a force in New Orleans and mentored countless musicians who went on to have notable careers in jazz. He was one of the few innovators of the clarinet in post-bop jazz. Now, of course, the instrument has currency, but Batiste was playing at the tip of the '60s jazz environment on an instrument associated with the swing era. Although there are recent CDs of his art available, including a new one on Branford Marsalis' label, Mr. Batiste is criminally underrecorded.

I first encountered him on a live Cannonball Adderley record called 'The Black Messiah', which came out in 1971. He played on one tune and I remember thinking that I really dug what he was playing, and he was playing the clarinet - Of course, that was more my problem, and I have since rectified this deficiency.

At any rate, flash forward to 1980 and I am attending a summer Artist-In-Residence conference at Duke University in preparation for a an AIR gig to commence in the fall. Every night of the conference there are jam sessions involving other AIR participants and various jazz educators and well-known players like Donald Byrd, Kenny Barron, and so forth. At one point Alvin Batiste asked me for my drumsticks and sat in. His enthusiastic performance resulted in at least one broken drumstick (as I recall). Another incident I recall: We were at the same dinner table one evening and he looked me over, finally saying, "You must be from New England." When prompted on why this was the case, he replied, "I can tell from your accent." Now I am a life-long Mainer, but my accent, if I have one, is extremely muted compared to my fellow 'New England' denizens. But Mr. Batiste picked it up and made me aware of it. The ears of a master? It seemed like that to me at the time.

Rest in peace, Alvin Batiste.

Andrew Hill

2007-05-07T03:44:00.000-07:00

Andrew Hill died a couple of weeks ago. The great pianist and composer had been suffering from lung cancer for the past couple of years. His music was knotty, dense and personal, but was rooted in the blues and bebop. On Hill's earlier Blue Notes you can hear the connections most clearly, but even into the '70s on such dates as Spiral his piano playing has much of the bebop that he must have played a lot in Chicago in the '50s. Hill was an important composer who achieved a late life recognition, beginning in the early '90s with a Blue Note reprise of a couple of albums and continuing unabated until his death. Most of his 60s Blue Notes were reissued in high profile, remastered. Their power is undiminished with age. Collectively they form a body of work that is arguably unequaled. His ability to synthesize musical concepts with musicians who were only present for his record dates is pretty staggering.

Late in life Hill had a working group. His sextet in the late '90s and early '00s was excellent, and I had the chance to catch them twice, once in New York and again at The Longy School in Cambridge. The rhythms were diffused marvelously by Billy Drummond, and Hill's own playing was a tapestry of sounds that stood on their own. The compositions they supported contained a pure beauty within the ambiguous framework. Improvisations by the likes of Greg Osby, Ron Horton and others were thoughtful and relevant. Hill found a great bassist, John Hebert, who was constantly creative and joyful. My friend Greg Tardy was the tenor player, and I went backstage after the Longy concert to say hello. Although Hill was sitting close by with Osby, I declined to intrude on their privacy and shared a few words with Greg before leaving.

Since that time, Hill has released a number of CDs, the final one last year entitled Timelines, an album I have talked about in a previous post. With his passing, we mourn a master, but thankfully his public profile had begun to catch up to his musical accomplishments.

The Passing of the Masters

2007-05-06T16:26:00.000-07:00

Three underrated giants of creative jazz music passed away this year. Their influence and impact are felt in different ways but all three share the distinction of creating an influential and charismatic wake. I will post some reflections on three of these musicians over the next day or so.

The violinist and composer Leroy Jenkins, who passed away this February, is best known for his charter membership in the AACM, the Chicago based musician's organization that promoted non commercial creative music. There is no question that this association (which began in the '60s) helped Jenkins achieve some measure of notoriety, at least critically, and enabled him to record and perform world-wide. His background on violin is in classical music; his jazz background was as an alto player in the Charlie Parker mold. These early influences were reconciled when Jenkins chose the least travelled path as an improvising new music violinist in the jazz avant garde of the '60s and '70s. Jenkins is best known for his cooperative trio The Revolutionary Ensemble, whose other members included the bassist Sirone and the drummer/percussionist Jerome Cooper. Through a few '70s albums and one recent reunion CD The RE developed a singular interactive concept that enveloped jazz, open improvisation, and 'world' music influences. Through it all was the pure sound of Jenkins' violin, imbued with a certain pathos and expressing a consistent discipline musically.

My own encounter with Leroy Jenkins was at The Creative Music Studio back in 1979, where I was a student. The CMS program was a series of week-long residencies by key creators in the new jazz scene of that period. Jenkins' visit was a highlight. He brought new music and broke up the ensemble into smaller chamber-like groups to learn it over the course of a couple of rehearsals. My own contribution was small- I was actually playing piano(!) and struggled to learn the part, but did my best. His responses to the efforts of his students were honest, positive and inspiring. My favorite part of the week was when he was rehearsing Karl Berger's ensemble on one of his pieces. At the beginning of the rehearsal he was admonishing the players for playing 'noise' and not listening intently enough. During the next try, Lee Konitz sat down and assumed his part, which at one point involved him playing a short improvised duet with Ingrid Berger, the singer. "Beautiful, that was beautiful!", exclaimed Jenkins, who had his eyes closed and didn't know it was Lee Konitz who had just finished playing. Upon opening his eyes he spotted Konitz. "Oh, Hi Lee," he said with a big smile.

In the late '80s Jim Pinfold curated a series of solo performances at The Portland Museum of Art and Leroy Jenkins was one of the featured performers. In addition to the music, I recall a pleasant dinner with him (and Jim), where he talked freely about music and many other things.

Spring in Maine

2007-04-04T16:55:00.000-07:00

Spring in Maine means a snow storm or two, and we're having one tonight. So I have taken the night off and amid some music tasks- putting a few tunes into Finale- I'll check out a baseball game, which makes me feel like it really is spring.

It has been a while since I last posted and I have yet to check out the recordings from the February gigs, but that is on the agenda for the weekend, since I have both recorded nights in hand. Meanwhile, I have listened lately to some new music, including a nice Edward Simon (largely) trio CD with John Patittucci and Brian Blade; revisited a Steve Cardenas trio CD with Mark Ferber on drums, and spent some time a couple of weeks ago checking out a nice Albert Sanz live session with his drummer, R.J. Miller, which I really liked on first impression. Sanz is a Spanish pianist whose playing has deepened recently.

Andrew Hill's classic Black Fire from 1963 reminded me of the royalty of the masters. Hill- at the time 26 years old- is joined by Joe Henderson, also 26, and youthful masters Richard Davis- 33- and 37 year old Roy Haynes, whose crisp perfection glows with swing, creativity, and unerring intuition. His personal sound, and those of the rest of the band, imbues Hill's unique, forward-thinking melodies with color and imagination. His drums sound like he still had calfskin heads, but I don't know that for sure. At any rate, these great musicians were in their prime. For Hill, this was his first recording for Blue Note and he was already demonstrating a fully-formed compositional ethic, an individual approach to the piano, and a talent for leading a balanced session from a sympatico group.

As I write this, Hill is suffering from terminal cancer and is pushing 70 years old, yet by all accounts is still making music and composing. His latest Blue Note CD Time Lines is a beautiful, open and challenging set of quintet music. Like all of his music, it never calls attention to itself, but instead draws you into a private world of gorgeous sound.

Random thoughts

2007-03-16T05:07:00.000-07:00

Good morning blogger world; sorry for the delay. I will try to be more conscious of checking in. Things have been busy, with teaching in particular. Also a big chunk of my time in February was taken up with writing for my birthday concert. We premiered "Portraits" and the response was nice. I was very gratified in the performances of all of the players who made the gig. Soon I will be checking out the live verite recordings and seeing what happened.

I check out a fair amount of new music in the jazz world and have been impressed with much of what is happening. The playing seems to be taking on another level technically, players are thoughtful and musical, and the writing goes into lots of interesting places. But sometimes I feel like the music is lacking in a spiritual center. So yesterday driving home from a long day ( and an interesting student concert) I put some Bill Evans solo playing from 1962 into my CD player and everything resolved. There is much to discuss and analyze about Bill's playing, but the musicality comes from a deep and spiritual place. My mind cleared, the psychic background conversation fell away, and the pure music enveloped my brain.

I have also been listening to Coltrane's European Tours box set again, and this powerful music is a palate cleanser, with strong playing by everyone, particularly Elvin. The concert I listened to the other day sounded like 1963 from the playing.

Tonight, weather willing, we play at Johnson Hall in Gardiner with Tony Gaboury, Rick Peckham and David Wells joining me in playing music from 'The Garden Above' and some of my tunes. Think spring-

SG

Friday February 23 and Saturday February 24

2007-02-21T16:04:00.000-08:00

Dimensions In Jazz Presents

The Steve Grover 2nd Annual Birthday Bash Featuring

The Steve Grover Septet w/ Trent Austin, trumpet; Tim O’Dell, alto saxophone; David Wells, tenor saxophone; Andrew Rathbun, tenor saxophone; Rick Peckham, guitar; Chris Van Voorst Van Beest, bass; Steve Grover, drums/composer.

Premiere of “Portraits For Septet” and other brand new original music
New CD “Between Now And After” available now

Friday February 23 and Saturday February 24 8 PM
Starbird Performance Hall, 535 Forest Avenue, Portland ME
Tickets $10 in advance and for seniors and students; $15 night of the show, available by calling 207 828-1310 or ordering through www.stevegrover.com

On hand at the concerts will be a brand new CD entitled Between Now And After, a recording of quintet music featuring Tim Sessions, trombone; David Wells, tenor saxophone; Tony Gaboury, guitar; Chris Van Voorst Van Beest, bass; and Steve Grover on drums. You can order a copy through www.stevegrover.com . The cost is $12 per CD.

2007-02-10T04:28:00.000-08:00

Wow- The days have flown by! A busy week of teaching and then gigs this weekend. The unwritten music still awaits.

I did manage to listen to a couple of things this week on my way to and from- 'Smokestack' by Andrew Hill, which may be his most adventurous Blue Note from the '60s in several ways. The two bass quartet, with Roy Haynes on drums and Hill on piano, is very textural and rhythmically translucent. Richard Davis is the improvising foil and Eddie Khan lays it down. I will be listening more today on the road.

Below is a remembrance of Jay McShann, to be published on line at The Maine Jazz Alliance. Jay died last year. I had the honor of playing a concert with him in the '90s. McShann was a key figure in Kansas City jazz of the late swing period, and he was Charlie Parker's first significant employer:

Jay McShann RIP

The great Kansas City bandleader and pianist Jay McShann died this past year, and the obituaries I have read give his birth date as 1916. I always thought he was much older. I played a concert with Jay McShann back in 1995. When Greg Tardy (who played saxophone at the concert) asked him how old he was point blank, Mr. McShann replied, "Oh, I'm in my eighties now." Not terribly specific, but an experienced opinion nonetheless.

Bau Graves, then the artistic director for the Portland Performing Arts Center and their music series, called me to play with Jay and asked me to put a band together. I got Tardy and the bassist John Lockwood in addition to myself on drums. When I arrived for the rehearsal, I thought that he would simply want to run over the tunes fairly quickly and retire to his hotel to rest before the show. Wrong. Our rehearsal consisted of what was essentially a two-hour concert, complete with solos. After each full performance of a tune, Jay would dutifully and carefully write it down on a piece of paper, adding each song to the list for the concert that night.

Right before the concert, Greg asked Jay if he noticed that Charlie Parker practiced a lot. "Charlie Parker did EVERYTHING a lot," answered Mr. Parker's former employer. Then we were on stage, and Jay launched into a piano intro of what sounded like 'Dinah'; Greg turned his head back to me as if to say 'we didn't rehearse this tune', which, of course, we hadn't. Fortunately, Greg is a great musician, and played beautifully on a song he apparently didn't know. Most of the concert - but not all- was comprised of what we had so thoroughly played that afternoon.

I was honored to have this experience. Mr. McShann was a swinger, but I have never played the blues with someone who played as if he had invented it- very beautiful, almost lyrical, and very swinging and possessing a unique, Kansas City groove. And I loved his singing, too, which, like his playing, was undiminished with age. It was very moving for me to be in such close proximity to that music.

After the concert, John Lockwood remarked that the changes Jay used for ‘I Can’t Get Started’ must have been original changes or close to it. I don’t think he was simply referring to the fact that they were pre-bop, pre-Dizzy changes, but something more essential.

I think I still have that tune list someplace. I'll have to try to find it.

[Edit- I did find the tune list for the gig, and Dinah is nowhere to be found! There is the aforementioned 'I Can't Get Started', an Elington medley, and several of Jay's famous tunes. The first tune listed is 'Crazy Legs' in Ab, which is a key people play 'Dinah' in, so maybe that's what we played first. Either that or Jay ignored the list and played 'Dinah'. My recollection of the fact that we didn't rehearse that tune stands-]

2007-01-26T16:26:00.000-08:00

The coldest day of the year has found me in front of the computer wrestling with Finale most of the day, racing against time to finish some music and get some copies of some pieces in the mail.

I haven't had that much time to listen to music lately, but I have enjoyed some Kenny Wheeler (a hard to find nonet CD on Ah Um from '92) and a Vanguard Orchestra CD featuring the music of Jim McNeely. Also I've been revisiting Neil Young, whose early period songs show a balanced blend of simplicity and color.

The unexpected passing of Alice Coltrane took me to her most recent music on 'Translinear Light', and a 1970 favorite of mine 'Universal Consciousness'. Her music has a special vibe, a luminous maelstrom of sound. Lenny Breau dug her- he copped one of the scales Alice used and frequently paid reference to it when he improvised modally.

Mike Brecker by all accounts was a great guy. It is amazing how long his sound has been a part of my life- his solo on Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight on James Taylor's One Man Dog was a pop music revelation in the early '70s, and I was a fan of Dreams (I owned both albums at one time). His jazz CDs starting with the Impulses in the late '80s were exhilarating and intelligent, with great tunes by Brecker, Mike Stern, and especially Don Grolnick, whose music had a lot of heart. And of course Mike had such a penetrating, soulful presence. I suppose I should own up to my interest over the last three decades in other tenor players like Lovano and Garzone, but Mike Brecker was one of the greats in every way- his playing and humanity will be missed.

Unsung drummer #1: Roy McCurdy w/ Cannonball 'The Black Messiah', 'Inside Straight'
Unsung Drummer #2: Jeff Williams w/ Russ Lossing 'Phrase 6'

Welcome to my blog

2007-01-25T15:23:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone:

Welcome to my blog. I will be posting about most matters musical- jazz and otherwise- and a few other things on my mind. I hope you will also check out my web site www.stevegrover.com.

I'm in the process of working on a bunch of new music to play at my annual Birthday Bash weekend on Feb 23-24 at Starbird Performance Hall in Portland ME. The gig should be fun- a septet, something kind of new for me. There are some great players on the gig, and I'm hoping this music comes out right. It is a suite entitled "Portraits". The title is used more in an abstract, musical way - although you also can think of the term as referring to the players in the band being featured in the individual pieces.

The music works from an introductory 13 measure theme. Much of the supporting harmonic material is mutated in various ways. Additionally, other material is introduced and developed along the way. Most of the relationships are tangential and subtle. The effect I was looking for was of a series of pieces that have an integrated mood, with intervals, harmonic colors and melodic gestures all co-existing, like a visual art object, rather than a more obvious musical narrative. That said, the music is very melodic and is dense harmonically, like a lot of my music. I hope to have some of it up on my web site in notated form soon. Recording to follow? We shall see-

I am also proof listening to the master of a new CD recording that I hope to have available by the February gig. It is a quintet session with David Wells, tenor; Tim Sessions, trombone; Tony Gaboury, guitar; Chris Van Voorst Van Beest, bass; and myself on drums. The music is all original. This time around I will do a limited edition short run CD-R of 100 copies. I will be dealing with the art work and so forth in the next few days. I dig everybody's playing, but was particularly glad to get Tim Sessions on the date. Tim is BAD- one of the under rated artists in the music. His dexterity and non-cliched imagination are on full display on this record. What a great melodic concept, and he takes all kinds of chances. He also plays on my CD "Consideration". Currently Tim is doing The Producers on Broadway.

By the way, I have a number of CDs available and you can go to my web site or www.cdbaby.com .

Later!

Steve