Branford Marsalis Quartet with Kurt Elling. Kuumbwa 2/6/17. A unique pairing of Branford Marsalis’ fiery quartet and Chicago
vocalist Kurt Elling was a rare treat, particularly in the friendly confines of
Santa Cruz’ cozy Kuumbwa Jazz Center. Touring in support of Marsalis’ album,
Upward Spiral (also a collaboration with Elling) the ensemble brought their
A-game to a concert that featured classics like “There’s a Boat That’s Leaving
Soon for New York” alongside more contemporary fare like Sting’s “Practical
Arrangement” and the album’s title tune co-written by Reavis and Elling.
Elling’s vocals packed a hearty punch, and Calderazzo’s and Marsalis’ instrumental
excursions were dazzling but always in service of the material.
Still Dreaming with Joshua Redman, Ron Miles, Scott Colley
and Brian Blade. Kuumbwa 3/27/17, 2017. I wasn’t sure what to expect from
Still Dreaming, a project that Joshua Redman organized in tribute to his
father’s remarkable jazz ensemble Old and New Dreams, itself an ensemble formed
by former Ornette Coleman sidemen that featured Coleman material alongside new
compositions. The quartet, rounded out by pianist Miles, bassist Colley, and drummer
Blade, did not sound derivative in the least as they breathed new life into the
adventurous, open ended Old and New Dreams repertoire.
Dave Holland Trio with Chris Potter. Kuumbwa 4/6/17. I’ve never seen bassist Dave Holland deliver a
bad performance, but this gig, featuring guitarist Kevin Eubanks, drummer Eric
Harland, and a guest slot by Holland’s old bandmate Chris Potter was
exceptional.
Nels Cline. SF Jazz April 9, 2017. In 2016, guitarist Nels
Cline released an ambitious double CD of orchestral arrangements of romantic
ballads from a variety of sources. For this one-time-only performance,
Cline flexed his muscles as conductor, arranger, and instrumentalist as he
performed the album live featuring the entire cast of 22 musicians who played
on the studio sessions.
Chris Robinson solo. Kuumbwa Jazz Center June 20, 2017. For
what was billed as his first ever solo concert, Robinson seemed completely at
ease, performing a tasty blend of Chris Robinson Brotherhood tunes, Black
Crowes songs, and covers, interspersed with some wild and wooly monologues. Los
Angeles acoustic guitar duo Mapache played a very impressive opening set of
finely crafted originals and gorgeous harmonies.
Chris Robinson and the Green Leaf Rustlers. Terrapin
Crossroads 6/9/17. Between lengthy tours with the Chris Robinson Brotherhood,
Marin County transplant Robinson found time to do three shows at Terrapin
Crossroads with different lineups, playing a different genre of covers each night.
For this show, Robinson was joined by electric and pedal steel guitarist Barry
Sless, bassist Pete Sears, and drummer John Molo for a sublime mix of
California country rock deep cuts from the Byrds, Burritos, New Riders and
others. Apparently the band had as much fun as the audience, so they are doing
another week of shows in January, augmented by Mother Hips guitarist Greg Loricano.
Brothers Comatose Shastice Park, Mount Shasta, CA. 7/17/17.
On the way back from a road trip to Portland, we stopped for the night in Mount
Shasta, only to discover that bluegrass quintet the Brothers Comatose were
doing a free show in the town park. The group, which deviates from a
traditional bluegrass format by introducing some judicious electric
instrumentation, drew a couple of thousand revelers that matched the Brothers’
foot stomping, high-octane originals.
Country Joe McDonald. Freight and Salvage, Berkeley. 7/27/17.
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the release of the first
Country Joe and the Fish album, Electric
Music for the Mind and Body, record producer and bassist Alec Palao put
together a band of talented generation-X musicians to recreate the psychedelic
weirdness of that album, performed in its entirety with Country Joe McDonald
providing vocals, acoustic guitar, and summer of love reminiscences. McDonald
is apparently retiring from performing after a few December reprises of this
show, so it was wonderful to hear him wind up a long and remarkable career in
such grand fashion.
Bob Weir, Phil Lesh
and the Terrapin Family Band. Terrapin Crossroads 8/11/17. Although Bob Weir is
raking in big bucks and playing stadiums with Dead and Company, he found time
on several occasions to play more intimate shows with Phil Lesh, along with a
couple of mainstage gigs at the Lock’n Fest and Sound Summit. This gig in the
Grate Room at Terrapin Crossroads featured Weir guesting with Lesh’s Terrapin
Family Band, and consisted of one long set that blended classic Dead tunes with
material from Weir’s recent solo outing Blue Mountain. Weir and Lesh maintain a
remarkable chemistry, which they will explore in more depth in a short tour of
large theatres this coming spring.
Phil and Stu do Europe 72. Terrapin Crossroads 9/14-15/17.
Phil Lesh has focused most of his attention to working with the
Terrapin Family Band this year, but he has also maintained a strong musical connection with guitarist Stu Allen. For these two
September shows, Lesh, Allen, Alex Koford, Grahame Lesh, and keyboardist Holly
Bowling took on the daunting task of covering the two albums that compiled
material from the Dead’s memorable tour of Europe in 1972. Given this
ensemble’s tendency to extend material relative to the originally expansive
Grateful Dead versions, these were two very long and enjoyable shows.
Crosscurrents. SF Jazz Center 10/22/17. Both tabla master
Zakir Hussain and bassist Dave Holland are serving as Artists in Residence for
the current SF Jazz season, so it was fitting that their joint ensemble, Cross
Currents, was slated for a weekend run in the Center’s Miner Auditorium. The
group, which was rounded out by Chris Potter and some of India’s best young
jazz musicians, played a thrilling, eclectic set of east-west fusion music that
defied easy categorization.
David Nelson Band. Terrapin Crossroads. 12/10/17. Veteran
Bay Area guitarist David Nelson was out of action for over a year recovering
from a fractured shoulder and colon cancer. In late 2017, Nelson started making
a few guest appearances with his bandmates Pete Sears, John Molo, and Barry
Sless with their newest band, California Kind (also featuring Katie Skaene and
Rob Baracco). This show was the first official full show by Nelson’s wonderful
band (rounded out by keyboardist Mookie Segal), and it was a triumphant return
to form for the group, which has become one of the most talented and beloved
groups in the North Bay.
