Stirring Stories
By Kirk Silsbee
If you’ve caught Bennie Maupin in his role as featured saxophone soloist with Charles Owens’ Luckman Jazz Orchestra, you’ve seen a great artist in a state of grace. Maupin always tells a story when he solos. His pungent post-Coltrane contributions add immeasurably to that band’s elevated status. Maupin has a fine new CD (Early Reflections on Cryptogramophone) that he’s celebrating at Catalina’s on Friday. His band contains two of the best to be heard in SoCal: bassist Darek Oles and drummer Mike Stephans, so it should be something special. A good double bill surfaces Saturday at the Metropol. The lyrical youngblood pianist Josh Nelson leads his band; trombone wizard Mike Vlatkovich and tuba conceptualist Bill Roper make for a hilarious and stirring duo. The cooperative band that convenes Tuesday at Charlie O’s presents another flavor of John Coltrane’s legacy. Tenor saxophonist Benn Clatworthy, pianist Theo Saunders, bassist Chris Colangelo and drummer Jimmy Branly raise the bandstand and run the demons out of the place through the cleansing of modal frenzy. There’s no cruising when these guys hit. Vocalist Andy Bey moves into the Jazz Bakery on Wednesday for four nights. He’s one of the few singers who emphasizes interpretation as much as he does form. Bey gets into the deeper layers of a given song and he’s one of those performers whose visits are mandatory.
For info, see Jazz, Blues, Latin listings.
Published: 04/16/2008
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