Cleveland Uncommon Sound Project - John Chacona writes

Countdown: Where To Go & What To Hear In NEO May 16-22

Published 16 May, 2024 By John Chacona

Friendly experiencers,

IMAGINE A WORLD . . . where Terence Blanchard at Severance Hall and a significant album release and anniversary are in the roundup column instead of the Tuesday feature slot.

If you heard a portentous announcer voice in your head as you read that, well, it’s that kind of Met Gala of a blockbuster week on the NEO scene. Throw in Cleveland Uncommon Sound Project’s not-jazz but jazz-adjacent Re:Sound festival and you have a week that will get your ears in shape for the peak summer music season.

Comments closed

Countdown: Where To Go & What To Hear In NEO March 14-20

Published 14 March, 2024 By John Chacona

*Jonah Parzen-Johnson, photocredit: Lisa Hagen Glynn*

Friendly experiencers,

Have the hints of summer earlier this week stirred you to come out of hibernation? If so, you’ve picked a good week to do so with a variety of musical styles to choose from. Your sense of tradition will be sated by a reappraisal of a beloved musical chestnut while a sense of adventure will rewarded by a paint-peeling excursion to the outer reaches by a young saxophone sensation. Get ready for the ride and remember to tip your servers.

Comments closed

Tim Daisy Returns To Cleveland for the World Premiere of New Ensemble Vox 4

Published 8 August, 2023 By John Chacona

Vox 4

There are many reasons to pursue the life of a professional musician, but doing a van tour of the Great Lakes in January is not one of them. Yet Chicago percussionist Tim Daisy could barely conceal his delight at piling in the van and driving across I-90 for a concert with his longtime pal Ken Vandermark at Convivium 33 (I previewed it here).

“t was the first time I started driving around the country since the—quote/unquote–end of the pandemic,” Daisy said by phone from Virginia where he was vacationing. “We show up, there’s a nice audience, the music goes well, there’s a beautiful vibe, and I kind of had the sense of like, “Ha! We’re back to touring. We’re back.”

The experience was so positive that on Friday, Daisy will be back at Convivium 33 for another concert presented by the Cleveland Uncommon Sound Project, this time with his exploratory chamber ensemble Vox 4.

Comments closed

Solo Or In Ensemble, Brandon Lopez’s Bass Is An Uncommon Sound

Published 30 May, 2023 By John Chacona

Brandon Lopez-TAK Ensemble — Brandon Lopez and TAK Ensemble

Despite the increasing numbers of creative improvising musicians who play it, the double bass in a solo context—on record or in performance–remains a comparatively uncommon sound.

Yet Brandon Lopez, with a new recording and a showcase at this weekend’s Re:Sound festival presented by the Cleveland Uncommon Sound Project, is the exception that proves the rule.

For CUSP’s ‘Torch Songs,’ Where There’s Fire, There’s No Smoke

Published 10 May, 2023 By John Chacona

In the popular imagination, an evening of torch songs inevitably takes place in a smoky basement club where a singer in a velvet gown purrs songbook standards while perched on a stool as her cigarette smolders in a nearby ashtray. A half-filled rocks glass is not far away.

It’s an appealingly nostalgic image, but don’t expect anything like that Friday at Cleveland Uncommon Sound Project‘s (CUSP) Torch Songs program.

Tag: Cleveland Uncommon Sound Project

Countdown: Where To Go & What To Hear In NEO May 16-22

Countdown: Where To Go & What To Hear In NEO March 14-20

Tim Daisy Returns To Cleveland for the World Premiere of New Ensemble Vox 4

Solo Or In Ensemble, Brandon Lopez’s Bass Is An Uncommon Sound

For CUSP’s ‘Torch Songs,’ Where There’s Fire, There’s No Smoke