Despite the fact that today is (likely) Nashville’s coldest day of the year – we won’t hit 30 degrees – I’m feeling charged up about a lot of things happening in our jazz scene. This weekend was a blast. The quartet had a great show at F Scotts – we played a large mix of new charts, original tunes, and a few standards. Sometimes there’s a tendency to overlook the “band” aspect in jazz and focus on soloists ability, but that’s nearly impossible when playing with Bruce, Jonathan, and Josh. Prior to the show I had given a lesson to a student alto player. We had had such a good time that I brought my alto to the gig (as pictured above) and ended up …
The White Brothers of Kitty Hawk
Orville and Wilbur Wright were brothers credited with the first successful airplane flight on the coast of North Carolina. As a child I was always thrilled by flight – my two favorite parts of trips with my parents would be the takeoffs of commercial airliners to and from the destination. Sadly that’s no longer the case for me on jet planes, but the sensations that I remember from takeoffs are still thrilling. Luckily I do still experience them, and most typically through music. You’ve no doubt heard trumpeter Matt White – he’s featured prominently on Falling Up – but you likely haven’t had the pleasure of listening to his original material. Just prior to moving to the coast of South Carolina to begin a trumpet …
Nashville’s Jazz Party of the Year
This coming Sunday is the big day for the Nashville Jazz Workshop’s Annual Fundraiser. The event kicks off at 4pm at the Limelight (right across from the Titans’ stadium) and is filled with food, a huge auction, and of course great music featuring many of Nashville’s finest musicians. More details about the musicians, auction items, and event in general are available here, including a link to buy tickets. Hope to see you there! -evan
Keeping (Nashville) Jazz Healthy
This coming Sunday afternoon, the Nashville Jazz Workshop is holding its annual fundraiser at the Limelight. It promises to be a great event featuring a number of performances and an auction that includes much local artwork. The Workshop runs a slew of classes, public performances, and special events and is a major reason why jazz is alive and well here in Nashville today. They need our continued support however, so be sure to buy a ticket or just make a donation. Here’s an interview of Nashville Jazz Workshop co-founder Roger Spencer printed in the Nashville City Paper from Wednesday. The article speaks about this Sunday’s event, the state of the Nashville jazz scene, and even provides a nice mention of yours truly. Be sure to …
An Exciting Evening of Music and Art
It is with great pleasure that I tell you about an upcoming evening of music and art which I am honored to be a part of. Gallery One of Nashville is to present a chamber music recital on the 11th of March, 2009, at 7pm. The recital will feature violinist Sean Neukom, cellist Alicia Storin, and Oboist Evan Cobb. The design of the program is to highlight employment of color and texture in music. First on the program is Sonata for Violin and Cello by Maurice Ravel. While this work utilizes the typical subtlety and contour of Ravel, it also hinges on the use of dissonance, vivacious rhythmic patterns, and Gypsy bravura found throughout the composer’s later works. Second, Mr. Neukom will parry with the …
Old Friends Coming To Nashville
One of my favorite aspects of being a musician is that the job has allowed me to travel around the country. Experiencing the local customs of new places is exciting and often quite comical. Besides trying local exotic foods (fried cheese curds dipped in blue cheese – thank you Green Bay) and learning about local stereotypes (ask a UPer what a ‘FIB’ is), I also met a lot of new people. When Buddha’s Belly was traveling almost every weekend, we were very fortunate to make acquaintances with many music lovers as well as many other music makers. While many people are quick to make friends over dark lighting and many beers, few of those encounters last beyond the sobering breakfast that follows.  That being …
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