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I was lucky enough to catch the Zach Hash Group playing live at the Revolution Cafe in the Mission. The jazz quartet was headed up by Zach Hash on drums, with Mitch Marcus playing tenor, Mike Abraham on guitar, and Eugene Warren laying down the bass lines. They played two great sets of live jazz that spanned old standards as well as original compositions. They each brought their own style to the mix, and I was just loving how Zach got so much out of the minimalist drum kit he played all night.
The Revolution was going off as usual. People were partying good and hard all night, and even random passers-by got a little taste of the fantastic live music emanating from inside. Although it’s obviously not the best place to record, LOL, the vibe and atmosphere made up for that in spades. I mean, you’ve got to love the Revolution just because there’s live music performed there every night of the week. Thank you Revolution for supporting local live music like that! It was definitely a fun night, and considering I almost didn’t go, I’m really glad I did!
The band will be playing there again on April 7th, and then Zach will be playing weekly with various musicians including Mitch Marcus, Mike Abraham, Eugene Warren, George Ban-Weiss, and Jarrett Cherner at Blondie’s Bar & No Grill. Those gigs start on April 12th, and will run every Thursday featuring a slightly different version of the lineup each week. Sounds like good times, so make sure to check them out in the upcoming weeks!
Sorry, no photographs this time, but here’s a 15-minute audio sample of Zach’s Live Oak Memory. Enjoy!
I just made my first visit to Anna’s Jazz Island in Berkeley to make what turned out to be a fantastic audience recording of the Ben Adams Quintet playing live on January 15, 2007. The group is led by Ben Adams on vibes and he’s joined by a suite of local talents including Mitch Marcus on sax, Erik Jekabson on trumpet and flugelhorn, and the rocking rhythm section of Sameer Gupta on drums and Eugene Warren on double-bass. The band played three sets that included songs from their new studio album Old Thoughts for a New Day and older tracks from Ben’s collection of original compositions. The audience was also treated to two songs that were played with special guest and local sax legend Vince Wallace. After seeing these guys in action, I really think Ben’s quintet exemplifies the collaborative jazz scene that’s happening in the Bay Area right now, especially considering Mitch and Sameer were both recently featured in the SF Chronicle for being part of jazz bands to watch out for in the coming year (Mitch for his Mitch Marcus Quintet, and Sameer for Vidya). So please enjoy the new recordings and make sure to check out the Ben Adams Quintet live the next chance you get. It’s also worth reminding folks that Mitch, Erik, and Sameer have all been featured on thiswebsitebefore.
