Birthing a band....

A yearning for some seldom seen snow back home and a free place to stay has brought me out to Boulder, CO for a week with Miss Em who's lived in this tantalizing town at the feet of the Flatirons for six months now. It's a place focused on the outdoor experiences that only dramatic mountain scenery can inspire, and then the cultural and culinary offerings to savor the rest of the time...think Laudisio Ristorante last night for elegant Italian fare and an upcoming late night at Boulder Draft House to catch the highly-recommended Unknown Americans featuring local legend Danny Shafer.


Yesterday afternoon afforded the chance to hang with great new band in rehearsal for an upcoming gig at the Argyle Bluegrass Festival in Fort Worth next weekend. Thanks to their well-seasoned banjo player Pete Wernick, I headed over to fiddler Justin Hoffenberg's place after lunch to meet the rest of this talented bunch comprised of three young players in their twenties being grounded and inspired by two veterans including Dr. Banjo himself and former NBB bassman Gene Libbea. Justin is an accomplished violinist with great taste and tone who's about to join fellow prodigy Alex Hargreaves in Cremona, Italy for a prestigious festival that also lists Itzhak Perlman on its roster in late April. But meantime, it's bluegrass with his peers Martin Gilmore, a long tall lead singer/songwriter and last year's Rocky Grass
mandolin champ Jordan Ramsey, who has mastered the Jesse McReynolds brand of cross picking. It had been so long since I'd seen Gene or heard him play, I'd forgotten what a monster of timing and energy his is on the upright bass. You couldn't ask for a stronger rhythm anchor and the guys are blessed to have him...he brings a mean tenor line as well. It was a real treat hearing them hammer out arrangements for a wide ranging repertoire...standards like Jim & Jesse's "Sweet Little Miss Blue Eyes," successful stretches like Tom Waits' "Two Nineteen," and a Gilmore original, "Hard Times and Lonesome Memories." All these and more portend hot prospects for Long Road Home, a potent mix of fresh and well-leavened (thanks to a dash of Hot Rize). Keep an eye out for them at a festival near you this spring and summer. And pick up a copy of Steve Martin's new banjo album The Crow...lots of tasty stuff and guest artists...Pete Wernick's all over it. Thanks again Pete.

Back home, don't miss the Bill Lohmann/Bob Brown piece on our JAMincIYE concert series in this Sunday's T-D Flair section and don't forget to reserve your seats (at JAMinc.org) for Friday's Tony Furtado concert which is well on its way to sold out.

All aboard the Ski Train!

TT

Triple Header...

What a full plate we devoured this past Friday, Saturday and Sunday, reinforcing the notion that Richmond has arrived as great place to enjoy a wide-ranging menu of music.

Friday's sold-out reunion concert featuring the  Neighborliness Jazz Quartet at In Your Ear (co-sponsored by JAMinc and WCVE-FM) was a sweet treat for players and audience alike and although I missed most of it because of a prior commitment, what I heard was solid verification that these guys are world class...look out Vladivostok!  Some new tunes included the John Winn/Daniel Clarke composition "Center Ring", a picture-filled metaphorical trip to the circus.  Better than being there.  And wait 'til you hear John's vocal take on Hoagy Carmichael's "The Nearness of You"...just elegant.  The boys have a new CD out, just in time for their ten-day trek back to Russia.  It's called Let Be The Realists, and I'd watch the Winn Website for details on how you can get one.  Travel safe young Americans...and don't miss our next IYE show on March 5th with Tony Furtado...tickets are selling fast. 

Saturday we were enthralled with the life stories and reflections on fifty years of Motown from musical pioneer William "Smokey" Robinson at the Richmond Forum.  Daphne Reid was the perfect choice to conduct the two-hour conversation which revealed his immeasurable contributions as singer, songwriter and producer.  Huge talent with a heart and humility to match.  And who's on Smokey's iPod?  Mantovani, Muddy Waters, Nat King Cole, Nelly and Justin Timberlake, to name five.  Deep thanks to Ken & Dianne for an inspiring evening.

Having missed his first appearance at The National last year, I was jazzed in anticipation of Sunday's return of c.g.p. Tommy Emmanuel.  Tommy's star is ascending rapidly in this country, and it's about time.  It's so much fun to hear the astonishment in the voices of those who've heard him for the first time.  In a quick pre-show visit, Tommy showed me his new "baby"...a 1934 Kalamazoo sunburst guitar that someone had just given him...it was light as a feather with rich tone and beautiful action that he played acoustically without pickups or internal mikes like his other Australian Matons...a timeless new friend.  Fellow Aussie Rick Price won some new fans as a great opener and later duet partner with Tommy, who also had a ringer in the house:  late in his generous set, Tommy welcomed Django disciple Frank Vignola to the stage for an incredible swap meet.  Good news is they're recording together in Yorktown as we speak...now that will be something to behold!  (thanks to Charlie Reilly for the Tommy shots)

It's good to see Kay & Co. at Ashland Coffee and Tea still filling the calendar with folks we like to see, like Gypsy Roots this Friday, Page Wilson with Reckless Abandon this Saturday, and an evening with George Turman & Billy Lux on March 13.  Our beloved bearded balladeer also opens for longtime friend and inspiration David Mallett at the Shady Grove Coffee House in Glen Allen this coming Friday. (Charles Dunton photo)

Before any of that...tomorrow (Wednesday) night at Capital Ale House downtown, the River City Blues Society will pay tribute to Piedmont blues legend John Cephas with help from John's longtime partner Phil Wiggins and Rick Franklin, Mike Baytop, and Gregg Kimball. Cephas is being honored as part of the Library of Virginia's 2009 African-American Trailblazers in Virginia History.  Should be a heart-rending evening. 

I'm off in search of snow...enjoy the rest of the short month.

TT

An Upstaging...

Before forging ahead to mention a few upcoming opportunities, I want to acknowledge a couple of memorable evenings I've spent over the past week or so. I'll start with what served as a powerful reminder of what a singer/songwriter ought to be...someone who can conjure up the right words to put you in a compelling place, who can speak those same words musically giving them added weight and then set the whole aural motion picture to music. Darrell Scott did all that, all by himself, at The National last Friday night as the opener for an impressive but far less soulful guitarist/vocalist Monte Montgomery. The prologue produced the most engaged audience by far as Mr. Scott's casual pajama bottoms betrayed the conviction and focus he gave to his songs. There are few in this broad genre of acoustic folk who can write, play and sing at the level of Darrell Scott. A true triple threat. His crowd offered up a range of requests that made clear a long-time familiarity with his hits and his deep tracks as well. Music in its purest form...songs brought to life by the guy who made them up...with an intensity that only he can bring. We renewed our respect for this prolific artist who now comes with a solid new collection of covers entitled Modern Hymns. Classics including Paul Simon's "An American Tune," Joni Mitchell's "Urge For Going," and even a great take on Pat Metheny's instrumental, "James." He's leaves it all on the stage. Consider his ban on fans recording live shows:

NOTE TO TAPERS
i have no higher gift to offer than to leave my home & family & friends & kitchen & cats
and bring the music to the people
that is why the music i play live is not the property of a taper or even the property of the promoter who brought me
or the sound company whose mixing board & mics i am playing through the audience pays money to see & hear music & they get music the promoter pays to have musicians come to a venue & gets an audience for it & we play the musician plays & gets paid for it; the sound crew, the caterer...
the ones who are “missing” in this agreement are my kids at home -and having been in a quandary about "whose music is it, anyways" after mucho consideration, i now know that in the above scenario it is my kids’music
THAT IS WHY I DO NOT ALLOW TAPING OF MY MUSIC IN SHOWS it ain’t yours to tape- ‘tis my kids’ (from the Darrell Scott Website) Makes perfect sense to me....

• Sunday night was Grammy night and was I the only one who found the last-hour replacement act for alleged abuser Chris Brown...Al Green with Justin Timberlake and Keith Urban doing everGreen "Let's Stay Together" the best live performance of the whole night? The Robert Plant/Alison Krauss medley from the night's big winner Raising Sand, producers apparently saving the best for last, saw Alison put her trophy count even further out of reach of any mortal woman...now at 26. And best of all it was a career-validating triumph for Ken Irwin and his fellow visionaries from Massachusetts who started independent Rounder Records up in Cambridge almost 40 years ago. They've never sold out, they've underwritten the careers of countless artists we consider essential to this music, and now they hold the one most coveted award in the industry, the Grammy for Album of the Year. This is a very good sign.

This is a little out of the box for this blog but I'm moved to offer up three or more cheers for a warm and wonderful musical D and I saw last night at Stage I.

26-year-old Chase Kniffen started this impressively professional theater company up near Atlee Road on Rt. 301 at the end of last year to be a vehicle for contemporary plays. Five remarkably poised and capable young actors (think second through eighth grade) sang, danced and delivered zingers for two delightful acts of Children's Letters to God. Witnessing a local production with such a thought-provoking script, creative lighting and artistic staging, held together by director Kniffen and his quintet of kids was an unexpected pleasure. The show runs one more week, and they've offered a free pair of tickets to the first respondent who can tell me who wrote the 1966 best-seller on which the play was based. Answers to: mail@timtimberlake.com. If you're looking for something uplifting in challenging times, Letters could be comfortingly warm and fuzzy. Hearing kids this young sing (and I mean sing parts) this well together is a rare treat. And prepare to fall in love with 8-year-old Cooper Timberline, who steals scenes and hearts as the adorable Kicker Brown. (thanks to Beth Sinnenberg for the photos)

After a sweet Saturday we hope spent in romantic pursuit, our favorite swamp-denizen Page Wilson hosts a major musical happening this Sunday at the Canal Club...another Out O' The Blue Stage Revue with a full roster of Richmond's favorite players doing what they do best. It's a way for all these good folks to offer up their formidable talents for a host of good causes. Here's the lineup:

2:30 - Page Wilson with Reckless Abandon (Billy Lux, Charles Arthur, Jim Skelding, Jay Gillespie)

3:20 - Kip Williams Quartet featuring James "Saxsmo" Gates & Anthony Dowd

4:10 - Susan Greenbaum

5:00 - Terry Garland with Bruce Courson

5:50 - Janet Martin Band

6:40 - Brad Spivey & the Honky Tonk Experience

7:30 - Gary Gerloff Band

8:20 - L'il Ronnie & the Grand Dukes

9:05 - Bruce Olsen & the Offenders
Something for everybody plus some great grub and a serious silent auction. Positively THE place to be, especially since Monday's a holiday.

Friday, February 20th finds us at In Your Ear's Studio A for yet another sold out JAMinc concert, this time featuring Kennedy Center Jazz Ambassadors Neighborliness aka/The John Winntet. John, Daniel Clarke, Curtis Fye and Robby Sinclair are preparing for their third big trip to Russia where they're almost rock stars. If you have your tickets, you're entitled to smile smugly...it's gonna be a stone cold gas. Look for a cool cover story in the Times-Dispatch Weekend section this coming Thursday about JAMinc's studio concert series. And thanks to our media sponsors, 88.9 WCVE-FM.

Saturday, thanks to generously good friends, we head to the Landmark for Motown legend Smokey Robinson's appearance at the Richmond Forum. Berry Gordy and his inspired creation were at the center of my musical tastes through most of my high-school and college years and I'm really jacked about gaining some insight into his considerable contributions to pop and r&b. Maybe I'll even get to shake his hand. In prep for Saturday, I'm planning to re-watch the heart-rending DVD Standing In The Shadows Of Motown, a documentary tribute to the nearly forgotten sidemen who supported all the Motown hits for all those wonderful years collectively known as The Funk Brothers. If you've never seen it, and you love the Detroit sound, trust me, Netflix can provide you with one warm winter night.

Then the weekend trifecta resolves with the incomparable Tommy Emmanuel with his return to The National Sunday night, the 22nd. Here's one case where hyperbole must fall short. Tommy leaves his audiences breathless with dazzling technique, sublime musicality and a dynamic stage presence. This Australian powerhouse is as good as it gets. If you've never seen him live, don't miss him this time. You can thank me later. Oh, and there are only a few more days to win two free tickets to the show. I'm drawing Monday from all correct answers to the following: In what American city is "Timberlake Road" for which the tune is named on Tommy's CD Only? Even if you don't know, come on, take a guess.

After the Neighborliness show, our next JAMinc/In Your Ear Studio A Concert features banjo/slide guitar virtuoso Tony Furtado on March 5th. If memory serves, our last five shows have sold out. If you want to join us for a magical night with maestro Furtado, don't think you can let it slide...I'm just sayin'.

And a "save the date": Friday, May 8th at the West End Assembly of God...JAMinc proudly presents The Isaacs!

We'll let you know when tickets are available.

We're also planning a special night along the Crooked Road this fall with Wayne Henderson, Helen White and the Dixie Beeliners. Rugby comes to Richmond. Details coming later.

• Have a loving Valentine's Day...TT