Downbeast - music blog

If Anyone is Still Out There...

Mon, 17 Jan 2011 08:30:50 -0800

My long-promised new blog STOMPBEAST is now up and running. Actually, it's been up and running for a few months, but I wanted some time "in the dark" to develop some sort of voice and focus. Since THAT wound up being a washout, we're offering up five months of random introverted excavations for your dining and dancing pleasure: a 13-part deep reading of the Brat Pack flick St. Elmo's Fire, coverage of the 2010 Angel City Jazz Festival,a review of Nels Cline's DIRTY BABY, an essay on Errol Morris and my latest interview with pianist/sound sculpturist Motoko Honda.

Adios, Amigos (UPDATED)

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 07:09:44 -0800

Well, pards, it's been three exciting years here at the Beast, but we must be movin' on. We had an awesome time attempting to turn this blog from a de rigueur attempt at self-promotion to something. . .uh, a little bit more than that. Have we succeeded? We have no idea. Oftentimes, it feels like manning a Morse Code substation in the Arctic Circle: ".. ... - .... . .-. . .- -. -.-- -... --- -.. -.-- --- ..- - - .... . .-. . ..--..? .- -. -.-- -... --- -.. -.-- .- - .- .-.. .-.. ..--.. ..--.. ..--..?!?" At any rate, yours truly is now walking out the door into a scary and frightening world of freelance chaos. I am in the process of (natch) starting my own blog which we be a continuation of my obsessions -- musical, medicinal and otherwise -- that have taken shape over my tenure here at Downbeast. Anyhoo, we'll let you know when that starts up. In the meantime, much love, respect, and thanks to Cryptogramophone's Fearless Leader JEFF GAUTHIER for letting me go on (and on and on and on) with this lil' bloggy-wog. By far, he's the best boss I've never drawn obscene caricatures of on the bathroom wall. Another shout-out to all of the great musicians who have rolled through the Crypto Head Office and were quite gracious in answering all of my pestering questions. And thanks to y'all for reading! (POSTSCRIPT: Our friend and L.A. jazz sage Steven L. Isoardi, has just published "The Return of Henry Grimes" his long-awaited account of the remarkable rehabilitation of the former Albert Ayler/Cecil Taylor bassist at the hands of two teeenage jazz enthusiasts. It's a terrific story, and one that has not been told in its entirety -- much less by someone who was actually there to witness it. Congrats, Steve!)

CD REVIEW: The Matt Ritvo Group

Thu, 03 Jun 2010 08:26:09 -0800

We here at the Beast don't usually do CD reviews (we overdosed on them in the Nineties and simply ran out of 10-cent adjectives) but we met guitarist/pianist Matt Ritvo at the old Pasadena Jazz Institute space and Mimi Melnick’s Jazz Salon (which, by the way, was just referenced in Rex Butter’s new AAJ profile of another gee-tar guy). Quite honestly, he was so soft-spoken we never would have guessed the guy had assembled a powerhouse L.A. sextet of elder statesmen for his debut CD: Rahmlee Michael Davis (trumpet), Bobby English (tenor sax), Michael Session (tenor sax), Roberto Miguel Miranda (bass) and Woodrow "Sonship" Theus (drums). The opener, “Dirty Murray,” sets the scene for this understated disc that's ocassionally spiked with spirited intensity. Ritvo's solo piano intro takes its time before unfolding a slo-drag blues shuffle with simple sax harmony. Ritvo’s busy piano runs meld melody and dissonance, spurred by the Coltranisms of Session’s tenor sax -- soon joined by English as their voices intertwine like a pair of morning glory vines. “Blues for Sonship," the CD’s centerpiece, is named after the gloriously eccentric percussionist, who at live shows would often break into possessed and riveting holy pronouncements from his drum seat that could go on for twenty minutes (the Beast actually witnessed this). The tune launches with Ritvo on crystalline guitar -- firmly ensconced in the Joe Pass-Wes Montgomery pantheon -- and features a “snapping” bass solo by Roberto Miranda. Davis’ trumpet recalls muted Miles, although quicker and more acrobatic, like an ornery hornet. There's some furious vamping by Session and English before Mr. Theus himself -- who's been playing deceptive possum throughout the tune -- explodes in a thunderous drum break that enables one to understand why, back in the day, people like Alex Cline argued over who would carry his traps. Matt Ritvo leads studio rehearsal with Roberto Miranda With the exception of "Blues for Sonship," most of these tunes are bite-sized snippets (both "Queensberry Street" and its reprise clock in at barely more than a minute). "The Path" breathes like a funky film-noir soundtrack before ending in a horrified peal of dissonance. “396 Bellevue” carries an off-kilter melody that seems to backs up on itself, creating an aural illusion that almost sounds like you’re listening to it in reverse. Ritvo’s halting barrelhouse-inflected piano interlude brings the song down to concert-hall quiet softness before the tune fades out like smoke from a departing train. The Matt Ritvo Group: "The Path" All in all, a wonderfully under-the-radar release that will prove essential to any salt-worthy L.A. jazz snerd. You can pick up the CD here. Matt Ritvo interviewed by Richard Blackwell REST IN TEMPO Francisco Aguabella Fred Anderson Stuart Cable Roy Carrier Larry Dale Ronnie James Dio Bill Dixon Ernest Fleischmann Paul Gray Dennis Hopper Lena Horne Marvin Isley Hank Jones Jackson Kaujeua Yvonne Loriod Rammellzee Rob McConnell Kazuo Ohno Pete Quaife Rosa Rio Anneliese Rothenberger David Sanger Gary Shider Ali-Ollie Woodson

THE NELS CLINE SINGERS: An Oral History (4 of 4)

Tue, 20 Apr 2010 08:59:58 -0800

PART LAST: “WE WILL ENDEAVOR TO SWING” (2007-Now) February 2007: Nels Cline is voted the #4 “New Guitar God” by Jann Wenner’s struggling indie ‘zine Rolling Stone: THE AVANT-ROMANTIC For many rock-guitar fiends, the oldest guitarist on this list is actually the newest. Before joining Wilco in 2004, in time to tour behind A Ghost is Born, Cline -- born in Los Angeles in 1956 -- was a highly regarded figure in jazz and avant-rock circles, a sonically aggressive guitarist who played with Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore, the art-country band the Geraldine Fibbers and his own searing instrumental groups. Now Cline agitates the bent-pop designs in Wilco's recent music with strafing feedback, zigzagging distortion and, when you least expect it, a striking, scarred romanticism. (David Fricke, Rolling Stone, 2/22/07) Nels immediately begins concocting self-effacing and embarrassed responses. “The guitar (god) thing…whatever.” (Nels, Cincinatti Citybeat, 6/10/09) [Photo by Beth Herzhaft] …A guitar “demon” is more like it. (Blogcritics.com, 7/16/07)

Initial Initiate Intel In!

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 07:20:03 -0800

Indubitably... 'INTENSELY FUNKY": All About Jazz "SANDINISTA!": All About Jazz "YIN AND YANG": Audiophile Audition "INHIBITION AT THE DOOR": Boston Globe "WON'T INDUCE SLEEP": The Daily Athenaeum "INTRICATE CONTRAPUNTAL MANEUVERS": Dusted "IN TRUE NELS FASHION": Greenleaf Music "INTERIOR MONOLOGUES AT A FRANTIC PACE": Jambands "UNPREDICTABLE SHIFTS IN VOLUME": JazzTimes "INSISTENT MELODY": L.A. Times Pop & Hiss "WINGIN' IT": MetalJazz "INNOVATING": Music and More "MULTIFARIOUSNESS OF INTERESTS": The National "INSPIRING": NPR’s First Listen "PURE, UNFETTERED INSANITY": Paste "INTUITIVE INTERPLAY": Pitchfork Media "INADVERTENTLY CREATING A BLACK HOLE": Pop Matters "AN INTIMATE GLIMPSE": Prefix "IN ANOTHER UNIVERSE ENTIRELY": Seattle Post-Intelligencer "MORE SUNLIGHT IN IT": Spinner Check back with us tommorrow, when we'll conclude our 4-part oral history of the Nels Cline Singers -- including informative info on the making of Initiate! REST IN TEMPO James Brody Devin Clifford Keith "Guru" Elam Charlie Gillett Franz Kamin Gene Lees Malcolm McLaren Graciela Grillo-Perez Steve Reid Alan Rich Peter Steele Luigi Waites William Walker

THE NELS CLINE SINGERS: An Oral History (3 of 4)

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 05:45:38 -0800

PART III: “INTO IT” (2004-2007) In early 2004, the Singers add a new word to their already-expansive vocabulary: wil•co \ˈwil-(ˌ)kō\ interj [will comply] (ca. 1938) – used especially in radio and signaling to indicate that a message received will be complied with (Merriam-Webster Dictionary) Wilco lineup circa 2003. From Left: Leroy Bach, Glenn Kotche, The Tweedman, John Stirratt NELS CLINE: I met Jeff Tweedy in 1996 when The Geraldine Fibbers opened for Golden Smog (a "fun" side project made up of members of The Jayhawks, Soul Asylum, Run Westy Run, et al). The Fibbers really cottoned to Mr. Tweedy, seeming to single him out as "special". I'm rather chagrined to say that I didn't really notice him any more than the other fellows… (nelscline.com) PAT SANSONE (Wilco guitarist/keyboardist): "Ah, Nels. I first met Nels about twelve years ago at South By Southwest when he was playing with the Geraldine Fibbers...We had a long, intense and deep conversation that really touched me -- and he has no recollection of it whatsoever." (from Wilco: Ashes of American Flags DVD) Cline has been making records since Wilco's leader Jeff Tweedy was in grade school. (Bill Moyer, Chicago Tribune, 11/09/04) “I just joined Wilco!” (Nels Cline to this blogger, 3/04) Holy crap, dudes. Nels Cline is going to be playing live with Wilco "for the foreseeable future." Are you excited as me? You should be. (post on Done Waiting bulletin board, 3/04/04) NELS: Carla Bozulich – (Fibbers leader) stayed in touch with Jeff, and when we would play Chicago, Jeff would come to the gigs and/or lend me gear…What a generous and friendly sort he seemed! Little did I realize that he was kind of keeping tabs on me. (nelscline.com)

THE NELS CLINE SINGERS: An Oral History (2 of 4)

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 06:30:21 -0800

PART II: “I CHANGED MY STRINGS IN SHAME” (2001-2004) NELS CLINE: “I knew I wanted an upright bassist in the new trio.” (Interview, 3/05/10) DEVIN HOFF: “I’m an anarchist, so my motto would be: ‘Everything for Everyone.’” (Interview, 3/11/10) SCOTT AMENDOLA: “Actually, I knew Devin before I knew Nels.” (Interview, 3/12/10) Devin! Hoff! [photo via Downtown Music] DEVIN: “I grew up in Fort Collins, Colorado, which was a farm town before it became a college town. It’s smack dab between Boulder and Cheyenne [Wyoming], and kind of culturally reflects that geography: A lotta rednecks and a lotta hippies! So as a kid you kind of grow up in that mix. There’s some urban influence and some rural influence, but it’s not quite either. It’s kind of confusing.” (Interview, 3/11/10) DEVIN: “My dad [guitarist Bard Hoff] is a musician and my mom’s father was a farmer and a semi-professional country-western musician. My mom is a rocker, so I probably absorbed Led Zeppelin and the Small Faces in utero…so it was almost a no-brainer what I would end up doing for a living: the family business!...My dad knew a lot of musicians from the Denver scene…like Hugh Regan, who’s worked with Roscoe Mitchell, and David Murray. They would come over to my house a couple times a week when I was little…and play Charlie Parker and Anthony Braxton and Albert Ayler. It fucks with your ears at an early age. I grew up hearing that stuff as normal.” (Interview, 3/11/10)

THE NELS CLINE SINGERS: An Oral History (1 of 4)

Thu, 01 Apr 2010 06:57:59 -0800

Having just celebrated our 10th anniversary here at the Crypto Nerve Center, we have another milestone upon us: The Nels Cline Singers are also reaching their first decade (and four albums’ worth) of delicate lyricism, groove-laden fuzz-funk workouts and face-melting sonic deviance – all without any discernible singing. Since joining the critically lauded rock group Wilco in 2004, Nels Cline has emerged in recent years as one of the most respected, argued-over and unclassifiable musicians active today – memorably described by Jazz Times as “the world’s most dangerous guitarist” and by bestselling author David Carr (Night of the Gun) as "one of the best in any genre.” Ironically, Cline formed the Singers in 2001 not entirely on his own accord but at the urging of versatile percussionist Scott Amendola, a New Jersey-born Black Sabbath and Ornette Coleman acolyte who had gained prominence in San Francisco's heady, dot com-era music scene of the early 90s though his collaborations with guitarist Charlie Hunter and saxophonist Phillip Greenlief. Buy these...you will buuuuuy these... It was Greenlief who introduced Cline to Amendola, who then brought in Colorado native Devin Hoff, a young contrabassist equally at ease with Norwegian Black Metal as he was with improvised skronkitude. What emerged was a impeccably pedigreed and potently eclectic band of three successive generations of vanguard virtuosos whose buzz has only grown with each subsequent release – Instrumentals (2002), The Giant Pin (2004), Draw Breath (2007) and their new world music-influenced double-CD Initiate (2010), which Tim Niland of Music and More recently called “a fascinating and thrilling journey.” With the release of Initiate on APRIL 13, we at the Beast thought we’d forgo the usual promo interviews (although don’t get us wrong -- we did those, too) and instead pay homage to all the dogged and loyal scribes -- famous, infamous and anonymous – who have provided us with ten years of solid and devoted journalism, opinions, rants, interviews, whining and live reviews on the NCS. Coupled with brand spankin’ new interviews with Nels, Scott and Devin, we have fashioned a musical journey of three accomplished and twisted April fools using the “found voices” of the past decade. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday, Shrimper

Mon, 29 Mar 2010 11:44:01 -0800

Be it Fabian or Pat Boone serving as a clean cut kid’s introduction to the real rock & roll music of Little Richard & Charlie Feathers, or ‘The Boss’ inadvertently turning young kids onto the fury of Suicide & Albert Ayler, it doesn’t really matter as long as the road winds though the same valleys & vistas and offers an exit to the less-trampled venues. Dennis Callaci, The Village Idiot (1999) We at Crypto were elated/amazed when we hit the ten-year mark as an indie alt-jazz concern, but we must pause to give props to the abovequoted Mr. Callaci, who since 1990 has headed the mystically resilient lo-fi mail-order label Shrimper Records. Callaci founded Shrimper (unrelated to the slang term for "toe-sucking," as well as another fetish so disgusting that decorum forbids mentioning it here) with his wife Catherine Guffey in the sleepy bedroom-community of Upland, California. Shrimper is a truly indie operation, from its home office (Jazz-Age, red-brick bungalow behind white picket fence) and recording "techniques" (Shrimper helped make tape hiss hip), mom 'n' pop distribution (starting with $3 cassette tapes dubbed one-by-one and mailed from a P.O. Box in San Berdoo), slackerish promotional attitude (press kit: Ralph's grocery sack stuffed with cassettes, CDs and vinyl--often with a handwritten note in Callaci's apologetic scrawl). Although the Shrimper came to encompass acts from Boston and The Netherlands, Shrimper’s specialty was freakish folk, mellow hip hop, noisy experimentation and bash-pop from the tract-home anomie of SoCal's "Inland Empire." No doubt this aesthetic influenced L.A. junkyard-music hermits like Beck and Ariel Pink. Dennis Callaci punches out Matt Damon

Tribeology

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 08:19:46 -0800

Ah, those pholkes at Soul Jazz Records have done it again. Mere months after their fascinating (and long overdue) study of indie jazz cover art of the 1970s, they've re-released 2004's A Message from the Tribe, a lovingly restored anthology of the underground Detroit jazz-funk label Tribe Records. The specially-packaged box set contains early performances by trombone madman Phil Ranelin [pictured below] before he moved out to LA-LA Land and became an integral part of our local "scene" -- if one can call it that. We recommend seeking out Ranelin's Nixon-era lost classics like The Time is Now (1974) and Vibes from the Tribe (1976). Check out this review of the comp from Pitchfork Media's Mark Richardson below:

Jazz Bakery to Return?

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 10:00:01 -0800

Reportage from All About Jazz: After nearly 20 years of bringing world class jazz to the Los Angeles area, the non-profit jewel of a music venue, the Jazz Bakery, had to close its doors at the end of May 2009. The inexorable forces of the real estate market had determined that another furniture store would displace this vital cultural institution. Ruth Price [photo via Peak] But have no fear jazz lovers. The irrepressible, indomitable and indefatigable director of the Jazz Bakery, Ruth Price, has committed her considerable energy and skills to the Bakery's rebirth somewhere on L.A.'s Westside. In pursuit of this lofty goal, Ms. Price, over the last few months has held several successful fundraisers at different locations in the city. These events, part of the Bakery's Movable Feast series, have recently featured flute legend Hubert Laws and vocalist extraordinaire, Tierney Sutton, piano playin' wit and wordsmith, Mose Allison, and the inimitable saxophone master, Pharoah Sanders. This month's benefit performances include Japan's dynamic piano virtuoso, Hiromi, at the Japan America Theater this Thursday March 11th at 8pm. On Sunday March 14th, at Largo at the Coronet Theater, electric guitar wizard, Larry Coryell, will perform two shows, a matinee at 4pm and an 8pm evening performance. Finally, on March 27th, the Antonio Sanchez Quartet will perform 8pm and 9:30pm shows at the Musicians Institute in Hollywood. Jazz lovers, come out and support the non-profit Jazz Bakery and help bring back affordable, world class jazz to Los Angeles. Greg Burk's Live Picks of the Week (March 12-18) Don Heckman's Live Picks of the Week (March 8-14) Brick Wahl's Live Picks of the Week (March 11-17) Los Angeles New Music Schedule (March 11-June 3)

REST IN TEMPO: Requiem for a Happy Man

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 08:34:45 -0800

Another grey, shitty day in Los Angeles, and The Beast is mourning the just-reported death of composer/bandleader Mark Linkous, who led the lo-fi surrealist rock band Sparklehorse from 1995 to, uh, Saturday, when he took his own life at age 47. If anyone still refers to Downbeast as strictly a “jazz blog” then they haven’t been paying attention. Quoth the sage Greg Burk: “There are no styles anymore, only music.” Linkous himself was a musical omnivore who joined a distinguished line of hermetic, depressive indie “outsiders” (Jeff Magnum, Jeff Lytle, Vic Chestnut) who retreated Big Pink-style to the woods of rural America – in Linkous’ case, a farmhouse in Bremo Bluff, Virgnia – to make strange and decayed sounds with moss-dripped gothic lyrics. One can arguably draw a line of influence from Sparklehorse’s kreep-in-the-kudzu debut Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot to Radiohead’s Amnesiac and Wilco’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Lately, isolation has been rather hep. Think Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon in his father’s hunting lodge in the musical mecca of Northern Wisconsin, or Owl City’s Adam Young in the basement of a 113-year-old farmhouse in Owatonna, Minnesota. Linkous’ own music reflected this glorious (and somewhat claustrophobic) solitude, conjuring up images of a yard full of paint-chipped hobby-horses, weathered farm machinery and mice-filled refrigerators overgrown with crabgrass, electrical cables running across a chicken-feathered dirt floor to a jerryrigged recording studio amongst rusted tools, ancient spiderwebs and the scent of wood rot. Linkous’ music sounded like blurry ham radio dispatches from such a place, especially on Sparklehorse’s 1998 masterpiece Good Morning Spider: “Pig” is a terrifying blast of Pixies-ish fury; “Painbirds” grows in intensity like a tumor (reflecting Linkous’ quasi-accidental death in 1996); “Sick of Goodbyes” is pure fun; “Happy Man,” especially the live version off the Distorted Ghost EP, is a jacked-up wonder of positivity (“all I want is to be your happy man!”) that made me cry when I listened to it – even though it’s an intense, upbeat rocker. And talk about that live EP: “Gasoline Horseys,” a duet with Sofie Michalitsianos recorded in Bristol, England, is so quiet and delicate it risks being blown away by a stiff breeze. Linkous sang (and spoke) in kind of a strangled, tremulous creak – like Bobby Goldsboro trapped under a combine. I recall an awkward NPR interview with Linkous that was more silence than speaking: far from being a petulant hipster who was too cool for the room, the man seemed physically unable to even speak of his own music or what it meant. No matter. Good Morning Spider got this Humble Blogger out of one of the darkest and doom-laden periods of my life, when I became a virtual self-medicated, bathrobed hermit in my own apartment, afraid to leave and afraid to write, the floor threatening to open up beneath my feet. Even Linkous’ interesting fashion sense – he toured with the ‘horse wearing a glittering Vegas suit, welding goggles, and a ten-gallon cowboy hat – helped me in some strange way. (It inspired me to write a story, dedicated to Linkous, entitled “Big Neon Cowboy,” about a dustblown primitive awash in the digitized city.) I heard a testimonial at a funeral last summer where the speaker was recalling being depressed, and how having the deceased comfort her was both a blessing and a curse: “What do you do when the one who told you ‘everything will be okay’ is now gone?” Indeed. What really sucks, of course, is the announcement on March 3 that Linkous’ most famous project, Dark Night of the Soul, the troubled group project with filmmaker David Lynch and pathological collaborator DJ Danger Mouse, was finally slated to be released sometime this summer. Bummer. One of the best descriptions of Linkous’ unique effect on the ears came from my friend R.J. Smith, “His songs sound like a secret transmission from the 1930s that bounced around the heaven’s for years before it was picked up by satellite. The songs sound remote, but they communicate as warmly and as richly as a natural-born artist sitting on his front porch, strumming and rocking.” Mr. Linkous, cross the river and rest under the shade of the trees. Hope to meet you there someday. Blood suckers hide beneath my bed And black fumes of skin so gently bled I slept with a cat on my breast Slowing my heart stealing my breath At sunrise the monkeys will fly And leave me with pennies in my eyes. -Sparklehorse, “Eyepennies” (2001)

Crypto Artists: Oot & Aboot in March

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 10:11:59 -0800

Decompressing from Vancouver 2010 overload (a.k.a. "Vancouverload" ), our artists are tirelessly engaging in Olympic-sized roadwork.

Accordion Crimes

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 07:54:22 -0800

Mark your March calendar, peeps: Famed new music accordionist Guy Klucevsek will perform a solo concert of his own compositions in his first L.A. appearance in 7 years. Guy has created a unique repertoire for accordion through his own composing and by commissioning over 50 works from composers including John Zorn, Fred Frith, Lois V. Vierk, Alvin Lucier and many others. Solo performances include Serious Fun! at Lincoln Center, Bang on a Can, Spoleto Festival/USA, and children's TV show Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. Guy Klucevsek & Alan Bern: Live in Philadelphia, PA (2/22/08) He has performed at festivals throughout Europe, and has worked with such artists as Laurie Anderson, Anthony Braxton, Anthony Coleman, Bill Frisell, Fred Frith, Robin Holcomb, the Kronos Quartet, Natalie Merchant, Pauline Oliveros, Present Music, Bobby Previte, Relâche, Jubilant Sykes and John Zorn. He was an original member of Dave Douglas’s band, Charms of the Night Sky, with whom he recorded three albums and toured throughout North America and Europe. You can also hear him on John Williams's scores for the Steven Spielberg films The Terminal, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Munich. He has performed on Broadway in Fiddler on the Roof, Victor/Victoria and Piaf. Guy Klucevsek & Carl Finch: Live in Fort Worth, TX (11/08/08) The concert will take place at 8pm (doors open at 7:30pm) on Thursday, March 18, 2010 at the Royal T Cafe in Culver City. Admission is $12 at the door ($8 for students). For more info call (310) 559-6300. Greg Burk's Live Picks of the Week (Feb. 26-28) Don Heckman's Live Picks of the Week (Feb. 23-28) Los Angeles New Music Live Events (Feb. 26-June 3) Brick Wahl's Live Picks of the Week (Feb. 25-Mar. 3)

Hunters, Gatherers, Warriors All

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 06:52:39 -0800

Jesse Sharps (center, on soprano sax) leads The Gathering at the Angel City Jazz Festival (9/05/09) Anyone who has been reading Da Beast for the past couple of years is familiar with our friend Jesse Sharps, Horace Tapscott's former right-hand and current shaman in charge of The Gathering ensemble who released the critically acclaimed CD Leimert Park: The Roots and Branches of L.A. Jazz back in 2008. In honor of President Barack Obama and Black History Month, Jesse and Gathering producer Tom Paige contacted me recently to let me know they are digitally releasing two new Gathering songs: a version of Abdu Salim's "Justice" recorded live at the old Jazz Bakery space back in November '08 and featuring a spoken-word intro by J.J. Kabasa and vocals by Dwight Trible. The other song, "Warriors All," is a shout-out of sorts to Haiti. it was the final tune recorded at the original Gathering sessions back in 2005 but never released till now. Originally titled “Funeral,” it's from a musical based on the play La Tragédie du Roi Christophe by poet Aimé Césare about the life of Haitian revolutionary Henri Christophe and, according to Mimi Melnick's liner notes, "Horace [Tapscott] composed with Linda Hill and dedicated to all members of the community who struggle for civil rights and fight oppression." All proceeds from the sale of this song will go to UGMAA (Union of God's Musicians and Artists Ascension) and the Tapscott Family. The Gathering blows the roof off the mutha at the Jazz Bakery (2 parts) According to Tom, "The correct mixes are up and the best link to the music is actually www.cdbaby.com/Artist/TheGathering1 where all of the singles and albums can be viewed. We have the original Leimert Park album up there for digital download now too!" Mimi! In fact, Ms. Melnick's next installment of her gold-standard Double M Jazz Salon is this Sunday, February 21 and will be a tribute to Horace Tapscott with Jesse Sharps (woodwinds), Miguel Atwood-Ferguson (viola), Kenneth Crouch (piano), Nick Rosen (bass) and Zach Harmon (drums). Admission is $20 for two sets, and 100% of the door goes to the musicians -- now THAT'S justice! Greg Burk’s Live Picks of the Week (Feb. 12-18) Don Heckman’s Live Picks of the Week (Feb 16-21) Brick Wahl’s Live Picks of the Week (Feb. 18-24) Los Angeles New Music Schedule REST IN TEMPO Ian Burgess Larry Cassidy Gene Chenault Robert "Chilly B" Crafton Sir John Dankworth Richard Delvy Bobby Espinosa Doug Fieger Lee Freeman Jake Hanna Dale Hawkins John Mayer’s career Territory BBQ + Records Tom "T-Bone" Wolk Yabby You