Evan Cobb Jazz
Nashville Saxophonist and Oboist, Composer, Instructor

The jam session this past Wednesday night at Edgehill Studios Cafe was a rousing success.  We had a good turnout, many original works played, and plenty of learning experiences all around.

Happily, the jam session is forging ahead!   So mark your calendars for the next installment on Monday, March 1st again at 7pm at Edgehill.  We’ll be keeping the same format, so be sure to put your name down on the sign-up sheet along with what you want to play.  Original tunes and arrangements will continue to get preference.

-evan

Tags: Nashville, pictures

Good times were had at Cafe CoCo this past Sunday night.  The band played well and had a ball, as did the audience.  If you didn’t make it out and would like to hear some of it, I’ve put most of the show up for a free download . The password is ‘coco’, but act fast as the mp3s will only be available for one week.  I’ve also posted a solo clip in the setlist below, as well as links to the fine players’ personal projects.

Setlist:

1. Skeeter ‘Da - EC

2. Red Cross – Charlie Parker, arr by EC

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3. A Love That Lasts – EC

4. Marie Antoinette – Wayne Shorter

5. Crescent City Ditty – EC

6. Autumn Leaves w/ Denis Solee – Joseph Kosma, Johnny Mercer

7. Triste w/ Denis Solee – Antonio Carlos Jobim

8. Catch 22.5 – Jonathan Epley

9. Caravan – Duke Ellington, Juan Tizol arr. by Freddie Hubbard

Oscar Utterstrom

Jonathan Epley

Michael Rinne

John Alvey

Matt White

Next show for the band is Thursday September 10th at the Vanderbilt Commons, also for free!  Be sure to come say hello.

- evan

Tags: cafe coco, Jazz, music, Nashville

Saxophonist Dexter Gordon is one of the first names I mention to young students looking to get hip to the sounds of jazz.  Unmistakable for his saxophone sound and rhythmic feel, Dexter’s playing remains easily identifiable among legions of followers and imitators.  I learned a number of standards from his recorded renditions, including It’s You Or No One, Love For Sale, The Shadow of Your Smile, You Stepped Out of a Dream, and Star Eyes.

While Dexter became known to a mainstream audience late in his career due to his leading role in the movie ‘Round Midnight for which he was nominated as best actor for the 1986 Oscars, he has always been known to jazz fans for his use of riffs and quotes in his solos.  Wanting to find a better understanding of where that vocabulary came from, I’ve started listening to some of his older tracks, mainly from the disc ‘Dexter Rides Again‘, his first album as bandleader.

Once Dexter got a recording contract from Blue Note Records, he recorded very few original tunes.  On ‘Dexter Rides Again’ however, ten of the eleven tracks were penned by Gordon himself.  Listening to the heads of a few of these tunes gives the listener an idea of how his compositions reflected his riff-based playing.

Settin’ the Pace, Pts. 1 & 2 -  similar to a rhythm changes (Leo Parker on bari)

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Blow Mr. Dexter - an unfortunately titled blues

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Dexter Rides Again – an original tune and the title track

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It’s also worth noting how much you can hear Lester Young’s direct influence on Dexter’s playing in 1945.  In fact, if you check out the Verve album ‘Lester Young Trio‘ released in 1994, you’ll find four Dexter Gordon tracks recorded in 1943 at the end of the disc.

At the Cobb’s Mob! gig last weekend here in Nashville, we played a Dexter Gordon tune penned in similar fashion.  Here’s our version and my solo:

The Chase – recorded 6.7.09 at Cafe CoCo

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How has Dexter Gordon influenced you?

- evan

Tags: Cobb's Mob, Dexter Gordon, media, Saxophone