Articles by Patricia Myers
Paris Jazz Scene: Summer 2016
by Patricia Myers
F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote: “The American in Paris is the best American. It is more fun for an intelligent person to live in an intelligent country. France has only two things toward which we drift as we grow older--intelligence and good manners." And I would add great jazz! Although many think that much of jny: Paris shuts down in mid-to late-summer, that's not true for most of the 30-some regular jazz clubs, although a few close for two ...
read moreBenny Golson Quartet at Duc des Lombards
by Patricia Myers
Benny Golson Quartet Duc des Lombards Nous N'Irons Pas a New York (We're Not Going to New York) Festival Paris, France August 10, 2016 Tenor saxophonist Benny Golson showed no negative effects of his 87 years during the opening set of two nights at Duc des Lombards in Paris. His breathy style purred like the engine of a vintage Rolls Royce, his vibrato-edged style poured out as enticing as a gently cellared French Bordeaux. ...
read moreCyrus Chestnut Trio at Duc des Lombards
by Patricia Myers
Cyrus Chestnut Trio Duc des Lombards Nous N'Irons Pas a New York Festival Paris, France August 2, 2016 Pianist Cyrus Chestnut dazzled a rapt audience during the opening concert of his two nights at the sixth annual Nous N'Irons Pas a New York (We're Not Going to New York) festival that presents American stars. From the first to the final note, he was a man of few words and of much melodic magic.
read moreMichele Hendricks at Sunset Jazz Club
by Patricia Myers
Michele Hendricks Quintet Sunset Jazz Club American Jazz Festiv' Halles Paris, France July 29, 2016 Jazz singer Michele Hendricks showcased a stunning combination of genetics and decades of performance experience, her energized sounds replicating horn solos via inventive vocalese and hip scat segments. She led a European-based quartet during two nights of the 25th annual summer “American Jazz Festiv' Halles" in the narrow low-ceilinged Sunset Jazz Club that has presented live jazz ...
read moreCraig Handy Quartet at Sunset Jazz Club
by Patricia Myers
Craig Handy Quartet Hommage a Dexter Gordon Sunset Jazz Club Paris, France July 8, 2016 Tributes to noted jazz musicians are frequent throughout Europe, especially in Paris. Each “hommage" centers on the hits and compositions of a star, performed by a musician with a high skill-level for the instrument identified with the honored one. For this two-night booking, it was a salute by New York tenor saxophonist Craig Handy to Dexter ...
read moreCount Basie Orchestra at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
by Patricia Myers
Count Basie Orchestra Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts Scottsdale, Arizona December 19, 2015 The Count Basie Orchestra solidified its 80-year reputation for strong swingability, inventive solo segments and supreme section cohesion during two back-to-back concerts on a tour in support of the band's first-ever Christmas-theme album. But those seasonal charts didn't dominate the program, instead were scattered like raisins in a melodic holiday pudding. Several soloists cleverly injected Christmas-song snippets into the band's expected ...
read moreThelonious Monk Institute of Performance Jazz Ensemble
by Patricia Myers
Thelonious Monk Institute of Performance Jazz Ensemble The Nash Third Anniversary Concert Phoenix, Arizona November 18, 2015 An international jazz ensemble performed two polished concerts, including cameo sit-ins by New York drummer Lewis Nash, during the third anniversary weekend of The Nash concert venue that is named in his honor. High-octane energy and invention were delivered in sophisticated evergreens and original compositions by seven post-graduate fellows of the Thelonious Monk Institute ...
read moreKenny Barron’s Platinum Trio with George Mraz and Lewis Nash
by Patricia Myers
Kenny Barron's Platinum Trio with George Mraz and Lewis Nash The Nash Third Anniversary Concert Phoenix, Arizona November 17, 2015 Pianist Kenny Barron brought his Platinum Trio with bassist George Mraz and drummer Lewis Nash to perform two classy concerts as part of the third anniversary celebration of The Nash, a jazz venue named for the Phoenix-born musician. This trio, formed in 2013 at the North Sea Jazz Festival in The Netherlands, ...
read moreJazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis at the Mesa Arts Center
by Patricia Myers
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis Mesa Arts Center Mesa, Arizona September 25, 2015 A sophisticated and engaging performance by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis was a meld of the trumpeter-leader's ongoing homage to jazz history plus the spark of original compositions from his current colleagues. Dizzy Gillespie's “Things to Come" from 1946 was the opening chart, Marsalis delivering an extended solo at super-speed that exhibited his ...
read moreParis Jazz Diary 2015: Saxophonists Branford Marsalis, Azar Lawrence
by Patricia Myers
Paris Jazz Diary 2015: Saxophonists Branford Marsalis, Azar Lawrence New Morning, Sunside jazz clubs Paris, France July 21-22, 2015 Back-to-back jazz nights featured dynamic saxophonists Branford Marsalis and Azar Lawrence performing in two of the top music clubs of Paris, both leading quartets. Marsalis was on the big stage in the 200-seat New Morning and Lawrence played in the more intimate Sunside jazz club. Both delivered with fire and ferocity, playing tenor and soprano saxophones ...
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