Evan Cobb Jazz » Upcoming Gig Notice

Laugh laugh giggle giggle SPLAT!

evan — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 14:47:52 +0000

While the weather and my mind tell me it’s still summertime, my teaching schedule is telling me that we are most definitely in September, as hard as it may be to believe. I’ve got some fun gigs on the horizon, notably joining the amazing vocalist Dara Tucker for her set at the Franklin Jazz Festival. I’ll also be traveling with Nashville’s finest funk band The Dynamites for shows in Brooklyn and near Boston.

Since it is September, I also wanted to tell you about the next featured guest at the Nashville Jazz Workshop Jam Session. But first a joke.

How do you make a euphonium player’s car more aerodynamic?

Take off the Domino’s Pizza sign.

Okay back to reality. Our next featured guest is a man who routinely makes his audiences smile and laugh with his affable personality and tremendous sense of humor. But that’s only a small piece of the package, because his trombone playing and musicality are second to none. I hope you’ll join us on September 19th as we feature Roy Agee!

- evan

Heavy Brass

evan — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 16:51:22 +0000

What’s heavier, a pound of brass instruments or a pound of woodwinds? Okay okay, stupid question. I was thinking about heavy brass though because I wanted to tell you about the next featured guest at the Nashville Jazz Workshop Jam Session. This coming Sunday August 15th, we’ll be featuring trumpeter Matt White at the jam. Matt holds a DMA in jazz from U Miami, teaches at Belmont University, and completely shreds changes. I’ve gotten to hear a lot of him with the Nashville Jazz Orchestra (including tonight, if you feel like coming down to the French Quarter Cafe) and in Cobb’s Mob, and I’m sure you’re going to dig what he plays and what he shares this weekend. So come on out!

Sunday, August 15th 4pm to 6pm at the NJW. FREE!

Next Jam July 18th 2010

evan — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 14:58:45 +0000

Well after a month away from Nashville for some much needed R & R, Nashville Jazz Workshop Jam Session ready. This month our featured guest will be the very talented vocalist Christina Watson. She’s one of my favorite singers and also teaches classes at the Jazz Workshop, including one starting in August titled “Introduction to Vocal Literature.” I’m looking forward to learning from her and playing with a hip rhythm section, I hope you are too!

NJW Jam Session

Sunday, July 18th from 4 to 6 pm.

FREE!

-evan

Nashville Jazz Workshop May Jam Session

evan — Wed, 12 May 2010 16:42:26 +0000

This coming Sunday, May 16th, is the 3rd installment of the reworked Nashville Jazz Workshop Jam Session. We’ll be continuing with a constructive format, including speaking about learning tunes, using our ears, and jam sessions in general. The featured guest for this month is none other than the director of the Nashville Jazz Orchestra, Jim Williamson. Rounding out the ensemble will be Joe Davidian, Mike Rinne, and Ted Tretiak. Hope you can make it down – it’s from 4 – 6 and it’s FREE. Oh yeah, it’s BYOB too.

Jam Session This Sunday

evan — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 16:00:23 +0000

The second installment of the revamped Nashville Jazz Workshop Jam Session is this Sunday, April 18th from 4 – 6 pm with featured guest Mason Embry. Mason is a terrific pianist and arranger who will be sharing his talents and experience with jazz standards with us. Be sure to arrive early to get your name on the sign-up list and hear Mason stretch out with a very fine rhythm section. Did I mention this event is completely free?

Oh and here is a sneak preview of this month’s tune that all attendees will be playing:

Download audio file (April-18-Mystery.mp3)

- evan

Nashville Jazz Workshop Jam

evan — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 17:12:56 +0000

The Return of the Nashville Jazz Workshop Jam Session

with special guest Joe Davidian

hosted by the Evan Cobb Quartet

On Sunday, March 21st the Nashville Jazz Workshop Jam Session returns with featured guest Joe Davidian. The jam session will take place from 4 – 6, is free, and participation is designed for musicians of all ability levels. The return of the Workshop Jam Session is a bit reformatted. Besides playing (or singing) a few choice selections, the featured guest artist will be speaking about the songs they selected, learning tunes in general, and their personal experiences with jam sessions. The host band will also provide the guest artist with a new tune (with copies for everyone in attendance) so that the audience can hear how a professional dissects a chart on the fly while on the bandstand! All in attendance at the jam will also receive a copy of a tune (most likely a blues) for them to try in just the same manner as the featured guest. The focus of the workshop jazz jam will be to learn about playing, listening critically, and the process of jam sessions altogether.

-evan

Bob Marley Tribute This Friday

evan — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 20:52:18 +0000

Local production group Kid Electric Concerts puts on a couple of stellar tribute concerts each year, augmented only by the fact that they put them together for charity. Their mission is “to raise funds and awareness for local non-profit and community based organizations who aim to change not only our great city but the world. We celebrate these organizations by putting on creatively themed benefit concerts that showcase Nashville’s best artists and pay tribute to great and timeless music. It is our hope and passion that these concerts motivate our community to get out there and get involved.”

This Friday night it’s a Bob Marley tribute act raising money for HESP, benefitting children in Haiti. It’s going be to a really fun night for a great cause, so I hope you can make it down to 2nd Avenue Live for the show!

- evan

Successful First Jazz Jam Night

evan — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 15:53:00 +0000

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.

JC, JW, & EC wail on a new tune

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

Nashville Jazz Jam Sessions Return

evan — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 18:09:15 +0000

Our favorite musical art form, jazz, has a great history of jam sessions. Traditionally, the language of jazz has been developed and passed down through generations of musicians aurally. Jam sessions provide a chance for musicians of all ability levels to learn – musically, personally, and professionally.

Recently Nashville has lost many of the regular learning opportunities provided by jam sessions. Despite having a large pool of fantastic jazz musicians, there are currently no regular jam sessions for them to listen, play, and network together. In a city where the majority of professional musicians have their hands involved with dozens of recording and touring projects ranging the entire musical gamete, how can we ensure that the Nashville jazz scene receives the local and national attention that it deserves? Where can students of one of Nashville’s many university music departments go to cut their teeth on a bandstand?

I would like to reintroduce you to two new regularly occurring jazz jam sessions in the heart of Nashville. Beginning Wednesday February 10^th, Edgehill Studios Café will be hosting a monthly jazz jam session, and on Sunday March 21^st the Nashville Jazz Workshop will begin hosting a separate monthly jazz jam session. A bit of information about each of the jam session’s goals:

The Edgehill Studios Café Jazz Jam Session, from 7 – 9:30, is designed for professionals and semi-professionals who need an outlet to play and try new tunes. Musicians are both encouraged and expected to bring original music, arrangements, and transcriptions to try with the host band. Just be sure to bring charts for each band member: tenor sax (or alto sax or flute), keys, bass, and drums. Also make sure to put your name down on the sign-up sheet so that the band knows to call you up. Again, the emphasis here will be on original music, arrangements, and underutilized jazz standards.

The Nashville Jazz Workshop Jazz Jam Session will take place from 4 – 6 on Sunday afternoons, and participation is designed for musicians of all ability levels. Each month the Workshop will have a featured guest at the jazz jam session. I’ll provide you with more details about this jam as the date approaches, but for now the focus of the workshop jazz jam will be to learn about playing, listening critically, and the process of jam sessions altogether.

There is one key rule for the Nashville Jazz Jam Sessions – “If you don’t KNOW the tune, don’t PLAY the tune.” People participating are highly discouraged from using Real Books or other charts for standards they play with the host quartet (charts will be allowed for original tunes and arrangements). Requesting to play a tune that usually swings in a “samba-fusion-country groove” is not considered an original arrangement. All tunes chosen by participants must be learned by heart. Please don’t be put off by this rule, it’s for the good of YOU the musician, as well as the host band and the listeners.

So, for those of you ever wondering any of the following…

- How will I ever get a band together to rehearse this new song of mine?

- When am I going to get a chance to try this Clifford Jordan tune?

- Where can I play a rhythm changes without first hearing Jamey Aebersold’s voice?

- Can I hold my own with professional players?

- How does a jazz jam session work?

- How can I invest in the success of jazz and in particular, new music in Nashville?

…Come out and attend one of Nashville’s regular jazz jam sessions!

Cobb’s Mob! Coming Right Up

evan — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 18:35:24 +0000

Friends,

I hope that you’ll be able to join me for great fun this Thursday night at the 12 South Taproom. Cobb’s Mob! will be performing an array of my material and a couple of standards. I’ve also got a special surprise arrangement for those of you who watched cartoons in the late 1980′s.

So please come support – great music and it’s FREE!

Cobb’s Mob! 9 pm at the 12 South Taproom featuring:

Matthew White, trumpet

Adam Agati, guitar

Michael Rinne, bass

Bob Mater, drums

Hope to see you there.

-evan