The Ethnic Heritage Ensemble

I had a chance to see Chicago's daunting Ethnic Heritage Ensemble last night, a band that has been going strong for 36 years but not with this exact lineup. Percussionist Kahil El'Zabar, the leader, has been there from the beginning but saxophonist Ernest Kabeer Dawkins and trumpeter Corey Wilkes haven't. Here is a 2008 taste of them from a Syracuse TV(!) show. Notice Wilkes and Dawkins both going the Rahsaan Roland Kirk route with two horns at once.

Wayne Shorter

A bonadife Living Legend, Mr. Wayne Shorter with his quartet doing "Joy Rider".

Keith Jarrett

He's demanding and tempermental but he's also a brilliant musician. Keith Jarrett was also once the mainstream poster boy for Jazz and in retrospect he was a darn sight better one than Wynton Marsalis. Here he is with his Standards Trio.

Pat Metheny

Here is Pat Metheny jamming out on Herbie Hancock's "Cantaloupe Island" in the august company of Steve Swallow and Bob Moses. Notice at one point that the Bravo logo appears in the corner. That's right. The network that now makes its money with reality shows about chefs, real estate agents, fashion designers and chunky rich housewives once used to show music like this. Sad.

Annie Whitehead Live

This is more of trombonist Annie Whitehead, this time with one of her own groups live at London's Vortex club in July 2007. I don't recognize any of the musicians except the tenor player who I think is Larry Stabbins but Whitehead herself takes the best solo anyway. This piece demonstrates how much African rhythms have seeped into the soul of British players by this point in time.

Robert Wyatt - Sea Song

There are a bunch of very iconoclastic British gentlemen among my musical heroes. They include Vano Morrison, John Martyn (R.I.P.), Ian Dury (R.I.P.) and one guy who is thankfully still with us, the brilliant Robert Wyatt. The quizzical, earnest music he's made sounds like no one else's. Here, from a BBC documentary, is one of his most beautiful pieces, "Sea Song". The trombonist beside him is Annie Whitehead.

Rava & Fresu

"Round Midnight" as performed by two great Italian trumpet players, Enrico Rava and Paolo Fresu.

Patricia Barber

Continuing with female vocalists, here is the sultry voiced Patricia Barber with "Winter".

The Amazing Sheila Jordan

Someone wrote me telling me they shared my fondness for the great jazz singer Sheila Jordan and so I looked around and sure enough, there were a bunch of live clips around of her performing. This one is of her doing "Confirmation" at her 80th birthday concert last November 18th with a band including Steve Kuhn, Mark Feldman and Bill Drummond.

That's right. I said her 80th birthday.

Lovano & Jones

Back to normal finally. Here is the duet, "Kids", from two amazing old soldiers, Joe Lovano and Hank Jones. I know the tune is really "Body And Soul" but I guess they can call it whatever they want.

The Music Of John Martyn

Comcast finally got my connection back up to speed so I can at last post some clips of John Martyn.

First from 1978 the exquisite "Small Hours":




Then a 1995 duet with Kathy Mattea on "May You Never":



"Johhny Too Bad" with a full band in 2004:



And finally his masterpiece "Solid Air" with Danny Thompson:



R.I.P. Big John.