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Here’s two very clean audio tracks of Inditranego and Joey Rubber Special from the amazing Mitch Marcus Quintet +13 big band who performed live on October 21, 2007 at the de Young as part of the museum’s Cultural Encounters program and done in collaboration with Jazz at Intersection.
Eight bands were commissioned to create and perform eight original compositions for what turned out to be an outstanding outdoor concert series at the museum. Although the series is now complete, the whole program will culminate in a combined performance by all eight bands playing each of their commissioned works at 6:30pm on January 18, 2008 at the museum. And best of all, the final concert is completely FREE to the general public! So, please enjoy these tracks, and I hope to see you all back at the de Young in a few weeks.
Note: the photo is actually a video frame capture from the tiny pocket cam I had with me at the show. The audio was captured with one stereo pair in the middle up in front, and two additional condensers were placed off to each side of the band.
Mitch Marcus & Sheldon Brown, Tenor Saxophones
Sylvain Carton & Marcus Stephans, Alto Saxophones
Dave Scott, Henry Hung, Erik Jekabson & Darren Johnston, Trumpets
Mike Rinta, Jeff Cressman & Joel Behrman, Trombones
Marc Bolin, Bass Trombone & Tuba
George Ban-Weiss & David Ewell, Bass
Jason Slota, Vibraphone & Percussion
Cornelius Boots, Bari Saxophone
Mike Abraham, Guitar
Jeff Marrs, Drums
I’m finally getting around to posting this excellent recording I made nearly a month ago of the Mitch Marcus Quintet’s first set at this year’s Fillmore Street Jazz Festival on June 30, 2007. The band was celebrating the recent release of their new album The Special, and they played a ripping set no doubt. I totally regret not catching the second half, but there was so much going on at the festival, I couldn’t help but move along. This performance had the usual lineup of late, with Mitch and Sylvain Carton on the saxes, Mike Abraham on guitar, George Ban-Weiss on double bass, and Jeff Marrs on drums. The quintet also brought in special guest John Gove who blasted out some amazing trombone solos. So don’t hesitate to take a listen because this tape came out spectacular, and how about those reflection photographs off the bell of John’s trombone and of George off the inside lid of the piano!
Next up is an outstanding performance from the Mitch Marcus Quintet +13 playing live at the Metro Opera in Oakland on April 12, 2007. This was a seriously fun show, I mean how can you not like listening to a live big band with that many great musicians playing such a diverse set of songs? The lineup included Mitch’s standard quintet grouped together with a substantial horn section made up of lots of local talent. These guys don’t get together in this format too often, so make sure to keep an eye on Mitch’s Calendar so you can check them out the next time around. Trust me, it’ll be worth it!
Also, thanks to Mitch’s generous permission, I’m able to share this excellent recording made from a single stereo pair of mics placed dead center right in front of the action. My mics had the best seat in the house, and now you can hear the entire show from that exact same spot! Enjoy…
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.
