Back in the 1980s I became obsessed with the saxophonist David Murray and set out to collect his entire recorded oeuvre. This was a problem because the man recorded almost indiscriminately, sometimes releasing five or six records a year. I was a racing greyhound chasing the mechanical rabbit of his ever expanding discography, and I gave up at 54 items. But not before scoring a French rarity called Flowers Around Cleveland (Bleu Regard, 1995).
Looking out at Signora’s newly colorful rosebushes, that title came to mind when I checked Jim Szabo’s jazz calendar of events, which is my go-to guide in making the lets call this editorial calendar. All over northeast Ohio, the flowers are starting to pop, and on the area’s stages, so is the music scene.
So this week I bring you a spring bouquet of concerts by local and touring artists that includes a Napoleonic invasion, a throw-down at Lock 3 and a rare appearance by a notable big band. It’s a beautiful thing.
Randy Napoleon’s Waking Dream at Visible Voice Books
Last summer, guitarist Randy Napoleon released a recording showcasing music by his fellow Michigander Gregg Hill. What caught my ear wasn’t the music, which was pleasant enough, but the instrumentation: five guitars–five— and rhythm.
The recording was called Waking Dream, which seems to be the name of the unusual ensemble that Napoleon will bring to Visible Voice Books through the auspices of the Cleveland Classical Guitar Society. At press time, I don’t have personnel information for Friday’s show, but the recording featured Napoleon’s Michigan State colleagues, the mighty bassist Rodney Whitaker and drummer Quincy Davis. One can hope.
Nothing makes me happier than noting the arrival of a new venue on the scene, and while Visible Voice is a bookstore first, it’s a performance space with real personality. The building was once a theater and owner Dave Ferrante has wisely left some of the colorful, century-old paint in place on the walls flanking the small thrust stage. Raked seating provides great sight lines and the hard wood pews will keep audiences awake and alert.
It’s a charming space in a part of Ohio City where one can sense the awakening of something very cool. Jazz and bookstores have always been a great match. Fingers crossed that VV can extend that tradition
Randy Napoleon’s Waking Dream Friday, May 22, 8:30 p.m., Visible Voice, 4601 Lorain Ave., Cleveland, tickets $20 at the door
Ronell Regis/Tommy Lehman at Lock 3
Akron’s outdoor Lock 3 stage isn’t exactly a new venue on the scene, but it also isn’t the first place you might look to hear high-level improvised music. Yet that’s just what you’ll find on Saturday as the outdoor concert season begins in the Rubber City with a multiple bill featuring Apostle Jones, Marc Lee Shannon, Red Rose Panic and Smokeface.
The jazz portion of the program is in the capable hands of alto saxophonist Ronell Regis and trumpeter Tommy Lehman, two players who never fail to bring it. So despite a mid forecast for Saturday, there will be plenty of heat coming from the stage, if not the skies. And don’t let the extensive lineup scare you off. The concert is an all-day affair and our fellas are first up. You’ll get your money’s worth for sure, but with Regis and Lehman involved, you already knew that.
Ronell Regis/Tommy Lehman Saturday, May 23, 3 p.m., Lock 3, 200 S. Main St., Akron, free
Jazz Heritage Orchestra at BOP STOP
It’s fashionable among some jazz fans to regard big bands as a faintly embarrassing anachronism. And we all know a big band true believer whose recountings of his (it’s always a him) mental ledger of concerts (“My first of 23 Kenton shows was at Severance Hall in 1971”) would make a Deadhead’s eyes glaze over.
And it’s true that a lot of big bands play stock arrangements that don’t always seize the ears. But not the Jazz Heritage Orchestra–not Saturday night, at least, when the venerable aggregation plays the music of Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock at BOP STOP.
Moreover, the call sheet for the classic 17-piece outfit is stuffed with cats, top to bottom. Sadly–or perhaps inevitably given the demand for the services of these top-shelf musicians–the JHO convenes rarely these days. All of which makes Saturday’s concert a genuine occasion. If you don’t have your tickets yet, what are you waiting for?
Jazz Heritage Orchestra “A Tribute To Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock” Saturday, May 23, 8 p.m., BOP STOP, 2920 Detroit Ave., Cleveland, tickets $25 available here
For the most complete listing of jazz and jazz-adjacent events., look to Jim Szabo’s essential, weekly Northeast Ohio jazz calendar.
