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Reviews by North Sea Phil |
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The second coming of The Chronicle (Atlanta’s own legendary fusion band) at Sugar Hill club in downtown Underground Atlanta on Tuesday evenings. To read more... |
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Al Smith’s Open Mic at the Apache Café is the original Wednesday night set downtown, at the Martini Club. To read more... |
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Atlanta, let me share with you why we at AJI consider this to be one of the most diverse markets in the nation. We are out attending live music venues every week! We love great music regardless of genre but our emphasis is on jazz because of the rich culture that jazz has given the world. Atlanta has a really great jazz society which has created our annual Atlanta Jazz Festival. Regardless of who you enjoy to listen to, it’s very likely that they will be appearing in Atlanta very soon.
Back in March the legendary Roots played the Tabernacle. Jazz great Steve Coleman once told me he discovered the Roots playing on the streets. He and Cassandra Wilson are featured on the first three Roots CDs. When they entered the venue they were led by four horns, tuba, trombone, trumpet and sax on the balcony. They made their way thru the crowd like a Bourbon Street procession down the stairs and on the stage. Because of the horn section they featured a lot of tunes from the second CD with Coleman’s arrangements. In ’98 I turned a hard core jazz head into a Roots fan at North Sea Jazz Festival. To my jazz heads, please don’t sleep on the Roots! Lupe Fiasco opened the show; I think he’s a beacon on the Hip Hop landscape!
And on the Hip Hop landscape, Public Enemy closed out their tour in Atlanta at Sugarhill in Underground. Chuck and Flavor Flav brought a three piece band along with a wicked DJ and represented. I’d seen them before but this was my favorite performance by PE. A lot of love was shown to the faithful and yes Flav is a FOOL but this music will always be relevant as it marked a time in history when Hip Hop was not all about commercial dollars. Like jazz it was the voice of the African American community.
April 12th marked another Ken Batie birthday bash. We know Ken attended in spirit because we could all feel him sending his love. I attest that his legacy will be known as much for great music as it will be for the incredible sense of community that he created. How often do you go to a show and it feels like a family reunion? Uncle Roy Ayers showed out! At his age, he makes it look so easy that you don’t always realize his phenomenal talent. Roy was a pioneer artist fitting jazz rifts into funk grooves back in the seventies; the master honored Ken with a wonderful performance. Maysa Leak was the first artist that moved the Clique to the floor (ATL we danced all night long at this set!). She had some very nice things to say about Ken then proceeded to kick her shoes off and blow us away. Vinx, Mike Phillips, Ken Ford, Joey Summerville, Khat Phud and DJ Kemit all had great performances leading up to uncle Roy closing out the evening, nice job to Khari Simmons (much success down under).
And as always, we miss you Ken Batie!!
For my jazz heads, Johnny O’Neal was spotted at Churchill Grounds! Who? About sixteen years ago there was a club here called Just Jazz in Buckhead. At that time it was Atlanta’s only jazz listening room. Johnny was the house band. The expression, “Tickling the Ivories” was coined for such pianists with grace and skill as this master. To spend an evening with such a talented musician in an intimate setting as the whisper room makes for an unforgettable evening. The last time I saw Johnny he was playing for the mighty jazz saxophonist James Carter in North Sea in ’04. He is not a local celebrity, he is an international st ar of jazz music and we have the fortune to call him “one of our own”.
Back in the whisper room again checking out a local trio called “Sparrow Trio” was a real treat. This band features Ede Wright on guitar, Takana Miyamoto on organ and keys and Chris Burroughs on drums. This set featured energetic renditions of jazz classics along with stirring creations featuring the interaction between guitar and organ that was best described by the guy behind me who announced to the room, “It’s like a journey” and we all agreed. Jazz is alive in the ATL.
Lastly, my weekly set at Sugarhill on Tuesdays featured a surprise guest. John was celebrating his birthday and his friend Jill Scott sat in for two songs and a spoken word. I’d never heard her live before but I will never forget the power in her voice when she took the mic. I caught a Jill Scott performance just hanging out in Atlanta, imagine that? Imagine the following week Sleepy Brown and Big Boi on the same stage ROCKING, “I Love the Way You Move” in front of the home crowd. Some times you never know who will show up. That’s why YOU HAVE TO GO!
NSP |
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Apache, midtown Atlanta's legendary club, was very warm and cozy as all awaited to be entertained by Atlanta's own Heratio. To read more... |
