February 2008 Editor: Tim Coakley WEBSITE: DAILY Looking Back
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A P A PLACE FOR JAZZ O R February 2008 Editor: Tim Coakley WEBSITE: HTTP://WWW.APLACEFORJAZZ.ORG—UPDATED DAILY Looking Back ... and Ahead By Tim Coakley The 2007 season of A Community College. As always, a great share Place for Jazz was one of Baritone saxophonist of our success is due to our most successful, both Gary Smulyan and trom- the contributions of our musically and in terms of bonist Wycliffe Gordon members, who have sup- attendance. The size and made October a memora- ported us through the VOLUNTEER HELP enthusiasm of the years. Your contributions WANTED ble month; Gary with his crowds made it clear that vigorous, swinging quartet played a major part in there is a vigorous and exploring bebop and be- enabling us to mount the dedicated audience for kind of series we had in We need help: yond, and Wycliffe with his jazz in the Capital Region. inimitable playing and 2007, and will be needed With publicity: distributing fliers and It was a season that would singing music from the again this year. posters have pleased our founder, whole spectrum of jazz ... Please take a moment Writing music reviews for the newsletter Butch Conn, who sought and on a borrowed trom- to check out the member- to build just such an audi- bone, yet! ship form on Page 10, and Greeting people and handing out pro- ence over the years. We grams at the concerts find a membership level hope to continue to please that is comfortable for you. and attract those listeners Wrapping it all up on With your support, we feel in the year ahead. If you can help, please call Nov. 9 was the Keith Pray confident we can present Tim Coakley at Big Soul Ensemble, which another season of great Remember these? gave us a varied and ab- jazz in 2008. sorbing concert of stan- Among the highlights of 518-393-4011, dards and originals. It was the season was the amaz- a chance for 17 of the Or e-mail him at ing vocalizing of Mark best musicians in our re- [email protected] Murphy, who, in addition gion to show what they to singing up a storm and could do, and they made bringing along some very the most of it. They also talented young musicians, showed that the Great gave an informative and Hall of the First Unitarian helpful clinic for three Society can play host to a of the region's top vocal- Check out our updated- big band, and give it the monthly calendar on our ists: Nancy Donnelly, Per- acoustic presence that I ley Rousseau and Jody website at Shayne. Focus on the future www.aplaceforjazz.org. or www.timesunion.com/ The dynamic pianistics of As we move into 2008, communities/jazz Jeb Patton made many our board of directors and take notice of this rising our advisory committee The calendar is updated star, who had many infor- are beginning to plan the frequently and includes mative and helpful things next season of A Place for Photo by Andrzej Pilarczyk Andrzej by Photo links to say to Nat Phipps' im- Jazz, and we will try to to Jazz Festivals, clubs make it as varied and en- provisation class at and concert series Gary Smulyan from our last concert Schenectady County tertaining as the last. series Page 2 A P l a c e f o r J a z z BIG SOUL ENSEMBLE A Place For Jazz By J. Hunter The following article is reprinted by neling his Inner Maceo Parker - and if and humor to the outstanding moment. permission of albanyjazz.com you're like me, you eat it up with the A Place For Jazz emcee Tim Coakley biggest spoon you can find. With that Trombonist Brian Kaplin's bouncing wasn't kidding in his introduction when in mind, you'd figure a band called “Big “Buck the Schmuck” was a smart, pow- he said, “We like to showcase local Soul Ensemble” would be an extension erful ending to the regular set; the talent… and tonight, we have all of it!” of that musical bent. You'd also look at trombones served up several gifts on Of the 17 players that make up Keith this unit's musical throw weight and this night, including a great C&A ses- Pray's Big Soul Ensemble - and there think that the Whisperdome was going sion from Ken Olsen and Rick Rosoff isn't a time-waster in the bunch - 6 of to be an open-air theatre at the end of to close “Conga Mulence.” Scott Hall's them are leaders in their own right, the night. You'd have been wrong on baritone sax (sporting a patina that well established in the community with both counts. Those who weren't regu- suggested its first owner played on the CDs that have received national or lar attendees of the aforementioned Titanic) brought serious heft to the pro- international airplay. These guys didn't Lark Tavern gigs got their education ceedings, particularly on “Faubus” and need to show up once a month at early as Pray counted the band into on the Coltrane/Mingus mashup. Lou Tess' Lark Tavern, where Pray had Machito's “Congo Mulence”, a mid- Smaldone was the subject of “Walkin' gotten the BSE a “regular” gig; these tempo, multi-layered samba that had the Dog” (a Pray original, not the Rufus guys had plenty of other fish to fry. the four-piece trombone section laying Thomas classic), and Smaldone re- down the melody. Pray's Inner Maceo sponded with bridge-cable-thick bass And yet, there they were at the per- lines. He and Cohen teamed with the former's end of the Whisperdome: , always-amazing Joe Barna - the drum- Brian Patneaude, hunched over his mer in Pray's Soul-Jazz Revival - to tenor sax in the first chair on the front create a rhythm section that was a line, smiling at the sound of his compo- creative voice all on its own. sition “Change” translated into Big Band; Adrian Cohen, making the Whis- The anchor leg of a series like A Place perdome's grand piano dance to a Photo byAndrzej Pilarczyk For Jazz is normally reserved for lovely take on Rodgers & Hart's “Have heavy national artists guaranteed to You Met Miss Jones”; Lee Russo, Parker had the night off; his Inner Gil give a great performance. Keith Pray's blowing sweet tenor on John Dworkin's Evans was driving the bus here. Big Soul Ensemble may not be known outside the Capital Region, but they “Renée” and on the standard “I Got It have home-run power many “big” acts Bad”; Terry Gordon and Steve Lam- The Big Soul Ensemble's stock-in- would envy, as well as a dedication to bert, pairing their powerful trumpets on trade is nuance: The depth and color deliver a rich, exciting sound that a wild first-set-ending mashup of Col- this group is capable of can bring an showcases both the talent and the trane's “Syeeda's Song Flute” and Min- audience to its feet, and it has the or- spirit that lies at the heart of the local gus' “Moanin'”; and, of course, Pray, chestral ability to successfully tackle scene. If this is the result of a Keith sitting in the middle of the front row, Pray's multi-part suite “The Gate: A Pray dream, let's hope nobody wakes alternating between fiery alto and hyp- Portrait of the Mohawk.” Pray used the him up. notic soprano. band's wide palate to simulate the J HUNTER is a former announcer/ sounds and colors of a Hammond B3 The graduate of SUNY Potsdam was producer for radio stations in the Capi- on Dr. Lonnie Smith's “And The World living his dream and loving the shape it tal Region and the Bay Area, including Weeps”, and then flew us all to the was taking, as this phenomenal collec- KSJS/San Jose (where he was Assis- Great Wall for Kenny Garrett's frac- tion of Capital Region talent put an tant Music Director/Jazz program- tured “Ching Wen.” exclamation point on a sensational ming), Q104 WQBK/Albany, and APFJ season. Patneaude bent into his ripping solo on WSSV/Saratoga. He has also written the beautifully chaotic encore “Fables music and theatre reviews for the If you've seen Pray play around town, of Faubus” as Pray and Russo vocal- Glens Falls Chronicle. He currently you've grown accustomed to him chan- ized the support parts, adding color resides in Clifton Park. A P l a c e f o r J a z z Page 3 Jazz Venues Listed Alphabetically 9 Maple Ave, Saratoga Springs, ter (across from Proctor's), 584-6882 518-587-7759 Schenectady, 518-372-5656 Park 54 Restaurant, 54 Clifton The Bar at 74 State, 74 State St, (summer only) Country Rd, Clifton Park, 518-688- Albany, 518-434-7410 Justin’s, 301 Lark St, Albany, 518- 1548 The Basement, 21 Center St, 436-7008 Parker Inn, 434 State St, Northampton, MA, 413-586-9030 Lark Tavern, 453 Madison Ave. Schenectady, 518-688-1001 Brandon's, 1725 Van Vranken Albany, 518-463-9779 Prime 677, 677 Broadway Albany, Ave, Schenectady, 518-347-1329 Linda Norris Aud., WAMC, 339 518-427-7463 Blue Plate, 1 Kinderhook St, Central Ave., Albany, 518-465-5233 Proctor's, 432 State St, Chatham, NY, 518-392-7711 Mo' Jazz Café , 7 South Main St Schenectady, 518-382-3884 Cabernet Café, 1814 Western Wilmington, VT 802-464-2280 Provence Restaurant, Stuyvesant Ave, Albany, 518-452-5670 Moon & River Café, 115 S.