Archive for the ‘musician comings and goings’ Category

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Erik Truffaz, Mike Stern coming to JZ club this week

Wednesday, May 28th, 2008

They’re not coming to play together, but rather in two separate shows happening this week. Swiss trumpeter Erik Truffaz is performing Thursday (tomorrow) at JZ Club with his band, and Saturday is Mike Stern‘s show. Each of them are bringing a quartet, ostensibly touring to promote new albums. Mike Stern’s quartet consists of Bob Franceschini, Lincoln Goines, Lionel Cordew. Erik Truffaz is bringing Marcello Giuliani, Marc Erbetta, and Patrick Muller in his band. Both of these guys are pretty big names, and so the cover will be 100RMB each of the nights. As usual, the show will start at 10pm.

Also, after Mike Stern finishes his show Saturday, the “In Between Band” will play one late set. This is a group that has been playing the pre-big band set for the last few Saturdays while Flamenco guitarist Abraham Carmona is off touring for one month. The group consists mostly of members of the JZ Latin Project, but rather than playing salsa for dancing like they do on Friday nights, this show is more oriented toward original Latin jazz. Abraham’s Flamenco-jazz group will return in two weeks to take over the early Saturday set again from June 14.

For all the musicians out there

Mike Stern will also give an hour-long master class earlier on Saturday, to answer questions about music and offer advice on playing and practicing, etc. This short session should be an interesting opportunity for musicians to learn what makes him tick. My guess is that the question he gets asked the most often is “What was it like to play with Miles Davis?” He’s probably sick of that one, so we’ll see if it gets asked…and what the answer will be if so.

The master class is 50RMB and will also be at JZ Club.

UPDATE: Erik Truffaz will also give a master class the day after his concert, it will be Friday at 6:30pm at JZ club, admission is free. Here are some more details on the facebook event listing.

to recap:

Erik Truffaz – Thurs May 29, 10pm at JZ Club, 46 w. fuxing rd – 100RMB

Erik Truffaz master class – Friday May 30, 6:30-7:30pmpm at JZ Club, 46 w. fuxing rd – free!

Mike Stern master class – Saturday May 31, 5pm-6pm at JZ Club, 46 w. fuxing rd – 50RMB

Mike Stern quartet concert – Saturday May 31, 10pm at JZ Club, 46 w. fuxing rd – 100RMB

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Posted in JZ School events, JZ news, Jazz Education, Shanghai Jazz Venues, musician comings and goings, shows at JZ, upcoming events | No Comments »

New jazz venue TTing now open on Nanyang rd

Wednesday, April 30th, 2008

In fact TTing has already been open for nearly four months, but has yet to do a formal grand opening.  Like any fledgling business in Shanghai, it’s their first year so they’re still struggling, but slowly the place is building a following–not just for the jazz-pop band performing in the main room but also for the pool tables and VIP nightclub vibe happening downstairs.

In fact I went in a few weeks ago hoping to check out the band, which is led by former JZ all-star big band tenor saxophonist Tang Ying, but when I showed up I was told they had already finished for the evening.  I was incredulous, as it was barely eleven p.m. at the time, but apparently they play from 7-10 p.m. rather than trying to compete for listeners with the later-night jazz venues.  Fair enough.

So when I returned a few days ago at the appropriate hour, I was disappointed to miss the band’s show yet again–I was told the band is now only performing two nights a week due to the high musician overhead and low revenue situation the club is in.  So if you are ready to check them out, go on a Friday or Saturday night between 7 and 10 p.m.  On Fridays, the show features a female singer who has an eclectic style drawing on jazz, pop, and R&B.  On Saturdays, the show features the electro-jazz-pop-funk sounds of E-Groove, a group Tang Ying has played with for a few years already.

If you make it, let me know how it is in a comment here!  I do still intend to go hear them, I can’t go wrong the third time (hopefully).

TTing, next to Big Bamboo on Nanyang lu, near Xikang lu behind the Portman Ritz-Carlton.  Live music every Friday and Saturday from 7-10pm.

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Brubeck Braid review

Monday, April 28th, 2008

Since I didn’t make it to last night’s show at twocities, I made a special effort to go hear the Canadian piano-cello duo this afternoon at Glamour Bar, and enjoyed it.  The two players are both quite virtuosic on their respective axes, not to mention well versed in both the classical and jazz realms.  And though there were plenty of jazz and classical influences present in the music, most of it was generally unclassifiable, eclectic melanges of various world rhythms and tonalities.  Overall lots of fun…it made me think how (even more) exciting it would be to hear the two leading a larger ensemble playing the same music.

The two mainly performed pieces from their album twotet/deuxtet including Wash Away (inspired by a dream in which Chopin meets Ray Charles), Huevos Verdes Y Jamon (a springy tune with a Latin feel featuring percussive cello playing), Sniffinâ?? Around, and Spirit Dance.

One listener I interviewed felt that Matt Brubeck (who is actually American, but is now based in Toronto) had an uncanny resemblance to Samuel Beckett.  However it is unverifiable currently due to the lack of pictures online of Beckett in his youth.

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Brubeck Braid tonight at twocities, tomorrow at Glamour Bar

Saturday, April 26th, 2008

My bad for not publishing this earlier, but tonight at the twocities gallery there will be an amazing show by the piano-cello duet of David Braid and Matt Brubeck. If you can’t make it tonight, there’s still hope as they play tomorrow afternoon at the Glamour Bar. I think both rooms are going to be perfect for this duo, each usually have an intimate quiet setting focused on the music. Of course the Glamour Bar is a bar, but since they are playing at 4pm as a special concert, it should be much more music-focused than that room usually is later in the evening.

Shanghai

Saturday, April 26, 7:30pm
Twocities Gallery
M50, 50 Moganshan Rd bldg O, 2F
(021) 5252 1518
RMB50

Sunday, April 27, 4pm
Incidental Sunday at Glamour Bar
5 on the Bund, 6F – entrance at 20 Guangdong Rd
(021) 6350 9988, 6329 3751
RMB50

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