Joe Henderson's 1969 album Power to the People featured a fantastic band: Herbie Hancock on keys, Ron Carter on bass, and Jack DeJohnette on drums (Mike Lawrence also joins on trumpet for several tunes, but sat out for "Black Narcissus"). They opened the album on a mellow note with "Black Narcissus". It's a catchy melody from Henderson's sax that floats nicely on Hancock's … [Read more...]
Austin Peralta Memorial Concert – “Nothing Personal” (Video)
This past November marked the second anniversary of the passing of pianist/keyboardist Austin Peralta. The young musician who was very much coming into his own with a style remembered quite fondly to this day. So to celebrate his life, a bunch of his friends had a memorial concert at Los Angeles' Blue Whale (where Peralta had his last performance before passing away in his … [Read more...]
The Stanley Clarke Band Does Jazz Right at the Carver
Stanley Clarke is able to bring out an interesting cross section of folks. I personally attended the Stanley Clarke Band's June 2 performance at the Jo Long Theater of San Antonio's Carver Community Cultural Center with my parents, aunt, and uncle in tow. My parents had pants and hair respectively pressed. My uncle in t-shirt in jeans. Such was the range of the crowd-- filled … [Read more...]