Chris Coles - John Chacona writes

Road To Nowhere: Nashville Duo Concurrence Tell A Somber History In Music

Published 24 October, 2024 By John Chacona

*Paul Horton and Greg Bryant. photocredit: John Rogers*

In 1968, Cleveland Mayor Carl Stokes took the unprecedented action of asking the Department of Housing and Urban Development to stop the construction of the so-called Clark Freeway. It was estimated that construction of the highway to connect I-271 with I-490 would sever existing neighborhoods and displace 20,000 Clevelanders, many of them Black residents of the East Side.

Stokes succeeded and the Clark Freeway was never built, but other cities were not so lucky. One of them was Nashville, where the construction of I-40 and the devastation it caused in the city’s Black neighborhoods became the inspiration for, Indivisible, a stirring musical presentation by the duo project Concurrence that will play at BOP STOP Sunday joined by Cleveland drummer Aaron Smith.

Comments closed

Jazz In The Rubber City Rolls On This Weekend

Published 3 September, 2024 By John Chacona

Nathan-Paul Davis at RCB&J — *Nathan-Paul Davis at Rubber City Jazz and Blues Festival*

With Labor Day in the rearview mirror, northeast Ohio returns to the comfortable (clambakes, sweaters) and maybe less comfortable (fretting about the Browns) routines of early autumn. Hey, traditions are traditions, and they don’t change much–unless you’re a NEO jazz fan in which case you’ll want to add the Rubber City Jazz & Blues Festival to your list.

Comments closed

Countdown: Where To Go & What To Hear In NEO June 6-13

Published 7 June, 2024 By John Chacona

Friendly experiencers,

Forget the headline of this post. The question this week is how to decide where to go & what to hear Friday night. Between an A-list Jamey Haddad quartet hit, a night of Roma jazz in beautiful CVNP and a powerhouse band led by saxophonist John Petrucelli, that’s a tall order. And that’s only if you won’t be at The Treelawn for Fred Hersch (see you there?). Still, this is a good problem to have and there is no wrong answer to this question. Whichever you choose, let me know what you heard and how you liked it. I’ll open the comments to this post, but please keep it clean and respectful.

Stephen Philip Harvey Runs On Big Nerd Energy

Published 28 May, 2024 By John Chacona

Stephen Philip Harvey is a saxophonist, educator, composer, arranger, clinician, label executive, husband and son. Though he just turned 32 last Friday, you have to wonder where he gets the energy.

“I think it’s unfortunately a symptom of high functioning anxiety,” he said with a laugh that belied the sentiment. “Realistically, and emotionally,” he added, “I just really, really love music.”

Comments closed

‘Nine Lives,’ Chris Coles’ Magnum Opus, Gets New Life

Published 15 May, 2024 By John Chacona

After my freelance music gig for a newspaper in Erie, Pennsylvania had vanished in 2020 and I had moved to Cleveland, I resolved to document the local jazz scene, one that was all but ignored by media outlets in northeast Ohio. Good people making interesting music is catnip to a culture reporter, and I found a subject right away.

This was Chris Coles whose “Nine Lives” project became the first post in my documentary project covering the local scene. That was November 2021. Now, 30 months later “Nine Lives” is back for a performance Friday at Tri-C. And just like a familiar melody that is transformed by a master improvisor, Coles’ magnum opus returns reimagined as a new work.

Comments closed

Tag: Chris Coles

Road To Nowhere: Nashville Duo Concurrence Tell A Somber History In Music

Jazz In The Rubber City Rolls On This Weekend

Countdown: Where To Go & What To Hear In NEO June 6-13

Stephen Philip Harvey Runs On Big Nerd Energy

‘Nine Lives,’ Chris Coles’ Magnum Opus, Gets New Life