Well it's been awhile since I've had time to write a proper blog post. Things have been quite busy here over these past two months. Being a new father will do that to you but all is good ! Here's a few things on the go here at Four on the Floor:
- I had the pleasure of hearing the Jeff McGregor Quintet on Saturday evening at the Beatniq Jazz & Social Club in a band that featured Jeff on alto saxophone, Brent Mah on tenor saxophone, Steve Fletcher on piano, Kodi Hutchinson on bass and Calgary-turned-Montrealer Andrew Dyrda on drums. The band featured Jeff's original compositions that brought together a myriad of influences and you can learn more about him here from a previous edition of the "Calgary Scene".
Andrew's drumming was exceptionally musical and demonstrated a real maturity and development towards creating an original identity since I last heard him (Andrew was an occasional student of mine about six years ago before he moved away). Dyrda is certainly a young drummer you'll want to keep an eye on in the years to come as his dedication and hard work ethic is certainly paying off. You can learn more about Andrew in another upcoming edition of the "Calgary Scene".
- What am I listening to these days?
Between a productive trip to Calgary's premier used record shop Recordland and a shopping spree on iTunes, I've been listening to a lot of great music lately. Here's some that have caught my attention and I've been enjoying lately:
Milt Jackson "Milt Jackson and the Thelonious Monk Quintet" Milt Jackson - vibraphone, Kenny Clarke - drums
Sonny Rollins "Way Out West" Shelly Manne - drums
Joe Locke Trio "Very Early" Joe Locke - vibraphone, Adam Nussbaum - drums
Louis Bellson Big Band "Explosion" Louis Bellson - drums
Benny Green Trio "Source" Kenny Washington - drums
The Modern Jazz Quartet "European Concert" Milt Jackson - vibraphone, Connie Kay - drums (thanks Jesse!)
Mike LeDonne Trio "Common Ground" Kenny Washington - drums
Bobby Hutcherson & McCoy Tyner "Manhattan Moods" Bobby Hutcherson - vibraphone
Kevin Dean Quintet "Since 1954" Dave Laing - drums
Herbie Hancock "Trio 77" Tony Williams - drums
Kenny Drew "Tough Trio" Philly Joe Jones - drums
Russell Gunn "Gunn Fu" Ali Jackson Jr. - drums
Andre White "Code White" Andre White -drums
- I've known Montreal drummer Rich Irwin since my McGill days and he's doing great things touring with Nikki Yanofsky's band these days. Here's Rich showing off his nice new Sonor drums:
- Check out this amazing Tony Williams drum clinic that has been making the rounds lately:
- This is not a terribly long clip but I enjoyed the brief up close footage here of drummer Adam Nussbaum:
You can really sense the incredible energy and deep sense of swing that he plays with even in this short one !
- Speaking of swing, this is the first footage of Thelonious Monk I ever saw when I was a teenager (from a 1950s CBS television program entitled "The Sound of Jazz" and if you haven't seen this in its entirety then check it out!):
Dig the ever swinging and tasteful drumming of Osie Johnson on that one (and an attentive Count Basie hanging out next to the piano as well!)
- Please come check out this exciting upcoming gig of mine this coming Thursday:
The Vaughn Ambrose Trio
Appearing at the
Beatniq Jazz & Social Club
811 - 1st Street SW
Calgary, Alberta
Thursday, August 11th 9pm
Featuring:
Vaughn Ambrose - Tenor Saxophone
Rubim DeToledo - Bass
Jon McCaslin - Drums