In April, 2005, Bobby Hill and Transparent Productions brought another jazz legend to Takoma Park at Sangha. Byard Lancaster wove a continuous tapestry of sound from the pre-show tune-up through the enthusiastic audience reception at the end of the concert, never stopping for more than a second.  His mix of African and Caribbean folk music, traditional jazz standards and original compositions blended into one long, joyful celebration. This was an amazing opportunity to witness Byard’s energy and how it affected everyone present.

Posted on 04/29/2005 under: folk, horns, jazz, reeds

As part of a busy April schedule, I recorded Kevin Norton’s Bauhaus Quartet at Sangha. The traditional structure of drums, bass, and horns provided a reference point. Tony Malaby, saxophones, and Dave Ballou, trumpet, exchanged riffs over Kevin’s contemporary compositions, while John Lindberg, bass, provided texture and grooved during his solos. The technical challenge was balancing the mellow tenor saxophone with the strong trumpet. Overall, I’m pleased with the result.

Posted on 04/16/2005 under: bass, horns, jazz, percussion