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Tag: Philadelphia

One Night In The Midwest: Stein/Smith/Shead Meet The Moment

The improvising trio of bass clarinetist Jason Stein, double bassist Damon Smith and drummer Adam Shead released a three-CD set last Friday of recordings from a December tour recorded at venues in Milwaukee, Indianapolis, Lafayette, Indiana, St. Louis and Bloomington, Illinois entitled Five Nights in the Midwest (Irritable Mystic Records). Sharp-eyed readers might notice the absence of a Midwestern city close to our hearts. But fear not. The trio rolls into Waterloo Arts Sunday for a New Ghosts concert that comes at the two-third point of an 18-concert tour.

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Nathan-Paul’s Age of Aquarius Dawns At Edwin’s

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

Nathan-Paul Davis makes this statement at the top of his Linktree page:

"I play energy, not notes!" Nathan-Paul calls his music SOUND MEDICINE.

Anyone who has heard Davis play will recognize that he is simply stating facts. No cap. No flex. The energy in a typical Nathan-Paul performance could power a dozen AI server farms for a month.

Thursday night finds the saxophonist in an unusual setting: playing a birthday gig, in this case, his own. The setting, Edwin’s Leadership & Restaurant Institute, is at once familiar, but different.

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O-verjoyed! Orrin Evans Blows Out 50 Candles at BOP STOP

When you’re Orrin Evans, Grammy-nominated pianist, composer, bandleader, label executive, teacher, husband and dad, there’s only one thing that can slow you down, as I found out when I asked him how much time he had for our phone interview: tires.  “I’m literally sitting here waiting for my tires,” he told me as air wrenches shuddered in the background. “So I got at least 30 to 40 minutes.” It wasn’t enough, such is the man’s skill as a raconteur.

Evans will turn 50 on Friday, and new tires notwithstanding, he’s not coasting into middle age. He’s doing what he loves most: making music, on a tour he calls “50 Shades of O” that motors into BOP STOP Wednesday night.

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Countdown: What To Do, Where To Go & Who To Hear, Oct. 19-25

Orrin Evans

As the weather turns chillier and recreation shifts to indoor locations, the NEO scene is responding with a clambake of compelling offerings this week. Touring artists and local luminaries are throwing down. That’s a challenge for those who like to map out their musical itinerary, but what a nice problem to have, right? Supporting live music is always the right choice, but for a little advice, scroll down. You’re sure to find something interesting.

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Imaginative, Interactive and Intensely Committed: Drummer Ari Hoenig’s Trio Comes To Bop Stop

Ari Hoenig Trio
Ben Tiberio, Ari Hoenig, Gadi Lehavi

At Ari Hoenig’s website, you’ll find several items of apparel for sale. One of them is a t-shirt, black, of course, with a photo of Hoenig at the drum kit and the legend, “I’m not angry. That’s just my face!”

Intensity has been a hallmark of Hoenig’s career. For the New York Times in 2009, Ben Ratliff wrote, “Ari Hoenig has a slightly compulsive relationship with his drum set.” If you’ve seen him play, you’ll know what Ratliff meant, and if you haven’t, Hoenig’s weekend appearance at Bop Stop offers a fine introduction to his imaginative, highly interactive and yes, intensely committed style.

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