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Photos from the Darren Johnston Quintet performing as part of Friday Nights at the DeYoung on July 13, 2007.

Darren Johnston, Trumpet
Sheldon Brown, Tenor Sax & Bass Clarinet
Smith Dobson, Drums
Ben Goldberg, Clarinet
Devin Hoff, Bass

Here’s a 17-minute audio clip and a few photos from a recent live performance by Scott Amendola, Wil Blades, Jeff Cressman, and Ben Goldberg at Intersection for the Arts on May 1, 2007.

 MP3 Audio Sample [16:50m]: Play Now | Download

I was psyched to receive an invite to record and photograph the Darren Johnston Quintet playing at one of my favorite jazz venues in San Francisco, the Red Poppy Art House, on February 16, 2007. On this night, the group featured a suite of new original compositions by trumpeter and band leader Darren Johnston. Darren was joined by the amazing Sheldon Brown on bass clarinet and tenor sax and the rippin’ Ben Goldberg on clarinet, and they were backed by the rhythm section of Smith Dobson. on drums and Devin Hoff on bass. These guys are always playing gigs around town in one form or another, and it was great to hear them play this new material live before they head off to immortalize it in an upcoming CD release. So, I highly recommend you to preview these sample audio tracks and photos from this outstanding performance at the Red Poppy.

 The 25th Hour [14:23m]: Play Now | Download
 Broken [15:37m]: Play Now | Download

I archived an inspiring performance by Plays Monk live at Intersection for the Arts on November 14, 2006. The band features a wealth of talent that focuses intensely on interpreting the work of Thelonious Monk, and includes Ben Goldberg on clarinet, Devin Hoff on contra bass, and Scott Amendola playing drums. And because of their generous willingness to let me share the recording I made, you’ll find MP3 audio files of all twelve songs they played as well as a seven-minute web video of Track 11: Evidence at the links below. Experiencing music like this live is so hard to describe sometimes, but I think these quotes from the musicians themselves provide the best insights into what Plays Monk is all about. So, please enjoy the recordings, and make sure to support these guys and Intersection for the Arts the next chance you get!

 QuickTime Video [11:30m]: Play Now | Download
 Windows Media Video [11:30m]: Play Now | Download
 Reflections [8:51m]: Play Now | Download
 Eronel [8:04m]: Play Now | Download
 Nutty [9:03m]: Play Now | Download
 Skippy [6:07m]: Play Now | Download
 Ask Me Now [7:32m]: Play Now | Download
 Teo [4:43m]: Play Now | Download
 Four in One [7:48m]: Play Now | Download
 Shuffle Boil [6:01m]: Play Now | Download
 Epistrophy [9:33m]: Play Now | Download
 Ugly Beauty [8:12m]: Play Now | Download
 Evidence [12:27m]: Play Now | Download
 Light Blue [7:10m]: Play Now | Download