Here is our show from last week’s Norfolk stop on the Budget Tour. We brought back the Warren Oates Suite, and got into some really cool territory in I Crudeli. Enjoy…
6.19.08 The Boot, Norfolk, VA
Set 1
1) Up and Down
2) I Crudeli
4) The Silence
5) Winterlight
6) Nero
Set 2
Just wanted to let everyone know that on the week of our amazing “Budget” Tour ‘08, our album has shown up on iTunes, and a few other places! The one thing thats always been the main focus of this band from the beginning, is to create the PERFECT RINGTONE. I know most thought we were into this whole “jazz” or “music” thing, but really it’s all about getting that special phone call from Comcast, and hearing the beautiful sounds of Glows wash through your ear as you calmly wait to see how much you should pay to turn your wonderful internet back on.
So yeah, you can get our album/ringtone collection from the sidebar through iTunes, AmazonMP3, or Napster. Yeah…that Napster…I know.
The first installment of the Thompson/Grace Balcony Concert Series went off great and without a hitch. RVAJazz was there and took some sweet pictures here. John Lilley sat in for Jason on this gig, and despite very little rehearsal, managed to get everything together and sound great throughout. Thanks to Reggie and Larri Branch for opening up their balcony to us. And thanks to all the friends that made it out and bought CDs…and drank lemonade.
6.14.08 Thompson/Grace Balcony Concert Series, RVA
2) Winterlight
5) GTO
6) Nero
7) Up and Down
For the past week, I have been threatening to download Matana Roberts’ Chicago Project album from iTunes. After listening to all of the song samples, the exercise in futility became tougher, and then finally last night I bit the bullet and downloaded it. It really does help that the album is amazing.
The group consists of Matana on alto sax, Jeff Parker on guitar, Josh Abrams on bass, and Frank Rosaly on drums. There are also three duos between Roberts and tireless Chicago stalwart Fred Anderson (tenor) that are amazing. The songs are great, and the improvising is great, and the group dynamic is solid. It has been awhile since I’ve heard a jazz album like this. I love the interplay during the improvisations. It’s never about just one person, but the whole group shines. Even the writing brings out the individual talents of everyone involved, and the level of listening going on in the band is incredible on every track.
Roberts has a great sound that seems to be all her own, and it’s been built out of the jazz tradition. It’s great to hear that in creative/experimental jazz, there is still great new music coming out of the tradition. It’s not that the music sounds old (not at all), it’s just that you can tell Matana didn’t reject or ignore the old stuff (something awesome but unusual these days).
Also, it’s great to hear drummer Frank Rosaly. I met him on a trip to Chicago in ‘04 with my brother. We went to the legendary Jazz Record Mart, and spent a long time looking through their massive collection of jazz, avant, classical, CDs and DVDs. On our way out, he quickly introduced himself to us when he noticed our purchases. He was cool as shit, and told us (even wrote down) all the cool stuff that was going on in the city that week. He told us about Jeff Parker’s trio gig with Jason Ajemian and Nori Tanaka, Tony Malaby’s gig at the Chicago Cultural Arts Center, and a jam at Myopic Books Basement with Josh Berman that he also played in, and we saw him out at almost all the gigs he told us about. It was that friendly vibe that we really loved about Chicago, and thats the feeling I get from the Matana Roberts Chicago Project album.
Also this album makes me want to grab my Real Book and jump back into the shed!
Now we are gearing up for the CD Release show on Saturday as the first concert in the Thompson/Grace Balcony Series. This show is FREE and ALL AGES, and will feature us playing an hour of music from 2:30 to 3:30pm. It will also feature a lawn for hanging, and lemonade for the masses! The series, started by Reggie Pace and Larri Branch, is all about creating a laid back party vibe for new creative music. B.Y.O.Picnic Basket and come hang out!
Also, our debut CD Music to Listen to Glows in the Dark By will be there for $10 a pop!
We got a glowing (ouch) review that was published today on AllAboutJazz! Pretty good stuff, and we’re excited that more people will be exposed to the creative beast that is Richmond. Much thanks to RVAJazz for making it happen! I will say that for everyone checking us out, our CD can be purchased for $10 by emailing us here:
glowsinthedarkmusic@gmail.com
And that it will be on iTunes and Amazon (and more) in mid-July.
We are also working to make physical copies more available too…so don’t fret.
Our next show (on June 14) will be the official CD Release Party as part of the Thompson & Grace Balcony Concert Series—more info on the “Shows” page.
ALL DAY.
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