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Here’s a killin’ video clip featuring Realistic Orchestra with special guest Dublin on vocals during their recent live album recording session last Tuesday night March 4, 2008. As usual, the Jazz Mafia crew was lighting up Bruno’s just like they always do, so make sure to head down there on Tuesday nights for a good time, and definitely keep an eye on their website for updated info about when their new live album will be released.
On Tuesday, June 5th Realistic Orchestra presented it’s Second Annual Prince Birthday Tribute at Bruno’s. The orchestra was in full effect and guest vocalists like Joe Bagale, Chris McGee and Emily Schmidt ripped it up with the band as the night progressed. DJ Daymitreeus was also in the house spinning crates of rare Prince related records all night long, not to mention busting some sick Prince-themed freestyles with the band. The good news is Adam and the guys gave me permission to post my entire audio source, but the bad news is I ended up leaving before the end of the second set. Oh well, there’s still twelve tracks of Realistic goodness available for your listening pleasure! So please enjoy this eclectic mix of original compositions and unique arrangements of some classic Prince by everyone’s favorite big band. And although I didn’t bring my own camera, thankfully someone else did.
Adam Theis recently organized an early night of jazz music at Bruno’s in tribute to Miles Davis’s birthday. It was an ambitious undertaking that included some painstaking efforts in the charting department. With only a single rehearsal under their belt, a chunk of the Jazz Mafia crew, along with other talented local musicians (complete lineup below), took on the awe-inspiring 1950’s era Birth of the Cool album in full Nonet form.
The group played Boplicity, Budo, Rouge, Moon Dreams, Move, Venus de Milo, God Child, Israel, and Deception to an attentive and enthusiastic packed house. The only tracks not played from the original album were Jeru, Rocker, and Darn That Dream. You can learn more about the original groundbreaking album at Wikipedia, and please enjoy the MP3 audio and MP4 video samples of Move below.
Joe Cohen, Alto Sax
Charlie Gurke, Bari Sax
Eric Jeckabson, Trumpet & Flugelhorn
Jeff Marrs, Drums
Mike Olmos, Trumpet & Flugelhorn
Mike Rinta, Tuba
Marcus Shelby, Bass
Adam Shulman, Piano
Adam Theis, Trombone
I managed to catch one last jazz performance before the end of the year, and it made perfect sense that it was of the Erik Jekabson Quintet because they just happened to also be the subject of one of my first-ever recordings a year ago at the Condor Club. On this night, they played at Bruno’s in the Mission as part of the weekly Jazz Mafia Tuesdays series put on by Adam Theis and crew. Matt Renzi played clarinet and tenor, Jeffrey Burr was on guitar, Eric Garland was hittin’ the skins, Kurt Kotheimer was on double bass, and of course Erik was rippin’ on trumpet. There was a good crowd for a Tuesday night before the holidays, and I was quite amazed by the sheer number of musicians in attendance. The group played a fantastic set of five songs that were mostly original compositions written by Erik. These guys never fail to impress, so please support their efforts and enjoy yourself at the same time by seeing them play live and by purchasing their studio albums. I hope you can find some time to enjoy this great live recording as much as I have!
Here’s another installment from the ever-tantalizing, and now revitalized Jazz Mafia Tuesdays live at Bruno’s. It was Mike Olmos’s birthday, and the boys were goin’ off as usual. Low End Theory opened the first set, and then Brass Mafia took the stage for the second set. Here’s a slammin’ fifteen-minute audio sample from the second set for your listening pleasure. And make sure to get yourself down to Bruno’s on Tuesday nights!
The Jazz Mafia Crew are finally back playing in their old digs at Bruno’s in the Mission. After a year-long renovation, Bruno’s has reopened, and Jazz Mafia Tuesdays has returned to its original home after their temporary residency at 12 Galaxies during the past year. Jazz Mafia Tuesdays is San Francisco’s longest running weekly live music night and was voted “Best Live Music Weekly Night” by the SF Weekly in their Best of the Bay 2006 edition. I missed the first week’s show that featured the Realistic Orchestra, but I got a major dose of mafia action the very next week when the Shotgun Wedding Quintet rocked the house until last call. Although the venue was still working out some of the kinks in their new sound system, the acoustics in the new Bruno’s are excellent, and I was able to record this slammin’ five-minute video to share with you all. So take a look at the video and make sure to come down to Bruno’s on Tuesday nights — trust me, you won’t regret it!
