My latest credit is somewhat high profile. The late Hal Willner was making a tribute album to T.Rex and asked me to write and contract the horn section for the track. It’s the single from the record. It’s also the great T.Rex number, Bang A Gong. I see it’s now available on iTunes and elsewhere so I thought I’d throw the post up. Hit the link and check it out.
I got some of my favorite fellows from New Orleans to play on it-
Ashlin Parker-tpt Charlie Halloran & Jeff Albert&Trombone Shorty-tb Brad Walker/Ray Moore-sax
Jeff Albert runs an intriguing podcast. He also recently ditched Facebook because he is better at being decisive about the losing direction than many. Jeff is a hell of a musician, educator, and music event conspirer. This series is worth listening to. But why not start with me as an induction.
The Naked Orchestra will play again at the site of the band's recent return to action. Another very solid lineup of some of the finest in New Orleans. "Not to be missed!" exclaimed a previous audience before loosening it all up and heading out into the streets.
So far the lineup is as follows:
James Walsh-conductor Janna Saslaw-Flute Chris Kohl-Clarinet Steve Bertram-Bassoon Martin Krusche-soprano sax Ray Moore-Alto sax Brad Walker- Tenor sax Jason Mingeldorff-Baritone sax Scott Frock-trumpet Jeff Albert-trombone/ electronics Devon Taylor-tuba Carl LeBlanc-guitar Jonathan Freilich-guitar/director Robin Sherman-bass Marcello Bennetti-drums
Dave Capello, Helen Gillet, my Chip Wilson seven string at open ears
I'll be playing with the Dave Capello Trio this Tuesday the 14th of October at 10pm upstairs at The Blue Nileat 532 Frenchmen St. New Orleans. COME OUT AND CHECK IT OUT!
Dave Capello is one of the most unusual drummers in town. There is a reason; a background of very interesting radical theater and music situations in New York and Kansas City before his move to New Orleans 20 years ago. I interviewed Dave a few years ago. Surprising stuff. If you are interested in music ideas and where they come from and whether your ears are as open as you hoped you can check out the interview here...
Jeff Albert's Open Ears series has really become an event, over the years, for those still driven by music and sound. The fact that it goes on amidst the grotesque and never ending cheapening of Frenchmen St. makes it even more of a diamond in the rough.
This show will feature songs from the bassist, Cecile and Dave is trying to get me to do the same. She has a wild and varied background on the Chicago music scene including long stints with Fred Anderson and Famodou Don Moye (Legends everybody- google it- get involved in what goes in your ears! Ditch the complacent attitude!)) She sings really nice.
Oh yes- improvisation will occur for those of you enraptured by this central of all music language developments. There will be also elements of some other lines in music thinking.
This week is the last chance to catch me locally for quite a long stretch. Luckily it is a great week of shows for a send off. You are assured to see some of the city's finest up to some unusual and interesting musical escapades and explorations in some unusual local haunts.
Here is the run:
Sunday Aug. 18th at Snug Harbor- The Jonathan Freilich Quartet
Rick Trolsen- Trombone Jeff Albert- Bass Trombone Tim Green- Tenor Sax James Singleton-Bass Jonathan Freilich Guitar Paul Thibodeaux- drums
New arrangements, compositions, and band personnel.
Support for this great varietal of improvised, sociable music is critical and your presence is the provider. The playing will be spiked with musical titillation to show our gratitude for your attention.
You also get to be helping, by default, a great club that is showcasing many more varieties of worthy, novel , soulful expression.
This Sunday at 8pm, there will be a very interesting lineup for improvisational delight at Cafe Istanbul in the Healing Center in New Orleans. The show is scheduled for 8 pm.
I foresee a sonic physick for renewed vigor brewing!
Jonathan Freilich, Sam Rivers, Jeff Albert, Zeitgeist theater, New Orleans The great Sam Rivers has passed and what a big loss, what a human being, what an improvisor. And really...what do I know? I only got to see him a handful of times but each was better than a delight; it was actually transformative.
The first couple of times that I saw him in person was when he came out to a couple of New Orleans Klezmer All-Stars shows in Orlando, FL. At one of them he was dancing wildly and he made sure to come over and tell us how much he liked it. He was one of my heroes and I felt like i'd been given a fresh, strong, backbone.
When we would go down to Orlando, we were sometimes lucky to see his Rivbea orchestra; a great band- check out some of those hot clips on youtube.
The most important memory of Sam for me, and a number of my comrades in New Orleans, was when he came down to play with the Naked Orchestra. He had some music prepared but there had been a mixup with his management who had incorrectly communicated the Naked Orchestra's instrumentation to him. He felt badly about it and said that he had lots of music for such a project if he'd been told what kind of band it was. He dissolved the rehearsal and said he would have new music for us right before the gig and he did just that; the following evening he had worked up a complete piece for the orchestra. It was a very ear opening piece of music and I wish I had a recording of that evening.
Every time you saw Sam Rivers he exuded a shocking amount of energy and his multi instrumental trio of recent years was also something else to see.
My old friend, David Kunian wrote a poem inspired by the show that night with the Naked Orchestra . Here it is...
SAM RIVERS AND THE NAKED ORCHESTRA 3/8/02 ZEITGEIST THEATRE
Michael Ray is his own delay.
If he were going the speed of light,
Would he hear his instrument in the mirror?
Yeah, Einstein, I’m hearing things, All Right!
Tim Green’s blowing breath through the bass sax
Powering the band like a B-2 bomber.
Sounds like Operation Anaconda creeping
Through the mountains and then a big BOOM
As Eric Lucero’s trumpet and Rob Wagner’s horn
Drop the furious atonal BOMB. Sam the Man Rivers
Writing a new piece like a snake
Sousaphone in the hills, saxophones in the grass.
Mikiel Williams fingering like a snake charmer.
Sam has Hart McKnee adding flute
And interpretive dance stomps.
“Ooops, I brought music for an orchestra,
but not this kind of Orchestra.”
Maybe an Arkestra? A Dressed Orchestra?
Michael Skinkus is the tomato conga.
Matt Perrine on sousaphone is definitely pickles.
Doug Miller no offense slathers on tenor mayo.
Jonathan Froelich’s sharp guitar tones and crazy clusters
Strange!... auspicious and perhaps a little suspicious. I have made it to Rising Star in the guitar category in the Downbeat Critics Poll. Getting the attention is, as Jeff Albert says in his blog, probably a good thing. Jeff's article puts it well and points out that Aurora Nealand also made it. Congratulations to Aurora, Jeff, and... Me!
Jeff Albert is more than just a trombonist. In starting the Open Ears music series he provided a new local forum for improvisational music, as well as for other forms of music that do not have any easy time getting on the stages of New Orleans venues. Many groups and associations of musicians have found each other, temporarily or over the long term, from playing in the series and this has changed the face of the creative music scene in New Orleans.
How did he do it? What has he done? Why has he dunnit? What might he do? Listen to him remove some veils.
Parts 1-5 of an audio interview with Jeff Albert are up now here...
All interviews are also available as a podcast through itunes here...
or by clicking on the RSS link further down on this page (right side.)
