Tribute to Miles Davis at Flushing Town Hall

 

It is nice to have a concert venue in the neighborhood.  Last night we walked over to see a tribute to the late Miles Davis.  Led by trumpeter and 2012 NEA Jazz Master Jimmy Owens, the FTH stage welcomed pianist and 2010 NEA Jazz Master Kenny Barron, drummer and 2021 NEA Jazz Master Terri Lyne Carrington, bassist Kenny Davis, saxophonist and 2022 NEA Jazz Master Donald Harrison, and guitarist Michael Howell. This suite of brilliant, acclaimed musicians championed Davis and his contributions to the field.

I have his CD Bitch's Brew in my collection.  His works are heard on WBGO.  From 1988 to 2007, his recordings were also played on CD101.9.  WFAN is now heard on that frequency,

Another Evening at Flushing Town Hall: Global Mashup: Middle Eastern Rock Meets Western Swing.

 

Since Flushing Town Hall is within walking distance of home, I have attended several events documented in this journal. Last night's program was titled Global Mashup: Middle Eastern Rock Meets Western Swing. After two dance workshops, each band played a set, and then the two met and jammed for the third and final "Mashup" set.

The first group was Chogan, a Middle Eastern rock band founded by Mehrnam Rastegari, a master kamancheh player, composer, and singer. With her original compositions, she celebrates the rich cultural heritage of the Middle East while blending it seamlessly with the universal energy of rock music, delivering a sound that is both deeply rooted and refreshingly.

Queen Esther fronted the second group.  She was raised in Atlanta and rooted in Charleston’s Lowcountry traditions; her work fuses Black Southern heritage with Americana, blues, jazz, and alt-country, creating a rich, reclamation-driven soundscape.

It is nice to do something different on a Saturday night.  On  early Sunday afternoon, I am listening to the recording of Cousin Brucie's radio show.

Saturday Afternoon at Flushing Town Hall

 

Over the years I have posted my visits to Flushing Town Hall several times.  It is nice to have a concert venue within walking distance of home that features several genres of music.  Today's performance was described as a mini-global mashup featuring:

• DoYeon Kim, a virtuoso of the gayageum, the traditional Korean zither.
• Cooper-Moore, a visionary multi-instrumentalist renowned for his mastery of the diddley-bow, a one-stringed instrument rooted in African-American blues heritage. 
• Satoshi Takeishi, a drummer, percussionist, and arranger

It was an enjoyable afternoon.

Two Sundays in a Row at Flushing Town Hall -Mini-Global Mashup: Daniel Devātman Marcellus Givens, Gongs & Bowls Meets Kaethe Hostetter, Violin

This performance featured Givens’ mesmerizing fusion of jazz, electronic, and world music, combined with Hostetter’s innovative blend of Ethiopian traditional sounds and modern experimentalism, which promises an unforgettable evening of cross-cultural musical exploration.

 

Mini-Global Mashup: Brazil Meets Trinidad/Tobago at Flushing Town Hall

 

I have documented several visits to Flushing Town Hall in this journal. It is nice to have a concert venue within walking distance of home.  Since it was raining today, seeing another concert there was a good idea.  Today's show was titled Mini-Global Mashup: Brazil Meets Trinidad/Tobago.

The show featured Everton Isidoro, the high-energy Brazilian steel percussionist, Marcus Kreiger and Roshni Samlal, her tabla, and accompanist Camila Celin.

It is a good experience to listen to a different genre of music.

Chuck Berry Tribute Show at Flushing Town Hall

 

Lee and I ventured out in the cold last night to see a Chuck Berry Tribute show at nearby Flushing Town Hall.  This event was part of their Black History Trilogy.  Keith "The Captain" Gamble was the group leader who covered many of Chuck Berry's hits in the concert's first half.  He had a very impressive backup band.  In the second half, they covered several soul music hits.

Keith Gamble

Jimi Hendrix Tribute Band at Flushing Town Hall

 

Jimy Bleu as Jimi Hendrix

We certainly can't see a concert by a deceased recording artist, but there are always tribute bands.  It is hard to believe that Jimi passed away over 50 years ago.   Last night Lee and I went to Flushing Town Hall to see Jimy Bleu, Moby Medina, and Ted Edwards emulate the Jimi Hendrix Experience.  They played many of his well-known songs including:

• Purple Haze
• Are Your Experienced
• Foxy Lady
• Are You Experienced?
• Stone Free

They did an excellent job at playing those songs. Most of the members of the audience were baby boomers like myself who listened to Jimi while he was still living. 

I Returned to Flushing Town Hall Last Night

 

Since 2008 I have documented in this journal numerous visits to Flushing Town Hall,  It is nice to have an entertainment venue within walking distance with very reasonable prices for admission.  For the first time since the pandemic began, the venue offered live entertainment.  We attended a concert titled “Proud Mary” - Rock & Roll Ladies, featuring powerhouse vocalist Emilie Surtees and her band.

Emily sang cover versions of hits from the 1960s, 70s, and 80s by female artists including Stevie Nicks and Tina Turner among others.  She interpreted several oldies with a very powerful voice and an effective backup band.  Instead of silence during the intermission, the band played instrumental versions of hits of that era.

I am certain that I will return.

Some Thoughts About Radio Station WBGO

I first listened to WBGO in July 1992 just before my job interview at NJIT in Newark.  I arrived a short time before my appointment and I sat in the campus center where they were playing jazz music from that station.  I liked what I heard and started to listen with some degree of regularity.  To make a very long story short, I was hired as a Technical Reference Librarian at NJIT and stayed there for 25 years until I retired.  That is a completely different story.

Over the years I have listened to many terrestrial, internet and satellite radio stations, but I always found some time to listen to WBGO.  I usually listen to Gary Walker's morning show for about 40 minutes and the rhythm and blues programming on Saturday mornings.  Listening to the station has allowed me to develop some interest in jazz music.  I have attended some concerts at nearby Flushing Town Hall over the years.

The highlights of my listening to WBGO were Gary Walker's playing of Bob Dylan covers by Ben Sidran and Bettye Lavette.  Please look at these 3 journal entries for more detail:

• Ben Sidran - January 2010
• Ben Sidran - August 2010
• Bettye Lavette - April 2018

Today I was somewhat disturbed to read this article in the New York Times about turmoil at the station.  Radio enthusiasts usually are not aware of this business and political situations at their favorite stations.   The article states the station is distancing itself from the community that built it.  The station ended exhibitions and parties and even prevented people from entering their building.  There were grievances about racial imbalances in the station's management.  The majority of jazz enthusiasts and residents of Newark are African-American while this was not reflected in the current management of WBGO.  The station's innovative yet divisive and chief executive just resigned.

Readers of Bruce's Journal can refer to the New York Times article linked above for the details.

I certainly hope that WBGO will "right the ship" and correct the inequities stated in the article.  Any company's workforce should reflect the demographics of its community.  Please continue the excellent jazz and R&B programming that has been on the station for over 40 years.

The Antonio Hart Quintet at Flushing Town Hall

It is nice to have a concert venue in the neighborhood as we can walk to Flushing Town Hall in less than 15 minutes.  Also, the events are very reasonably priced.  Antonio Hart plays the saxophone as he led his group for two long sets of traditional jazz.  I am glad that he introduced his band members several times during the concert.  He is also a tenured Professor at the Aaron Copeland School of Music at Queens College.

Mark Wade Trio and Roberta Piket Perform at Flushing Town Hall

This is a another performance at Flushing Town Hall

It is certainly nice to have a performance venue a short walk from home as last night we saw the Mark Wade Trio and Robert Piket at Flushing Town Hall.  Roberta Piket is a pianist who performed as a soloist last night.  She performed her own compositions as well as those by Theolonius Monk.

Mark Wade is a bassist who performs with a trio as seen above.  He was voted one of the top bassists of 2016 and 2018 by the prestigious readers poll of Downbeat Magazine.  Mark is the Director of New Music Horizons which is dedicated to supporting new music in the fields of contemporary jazz and classical music in the New York metropolitan area.

Cultural Activities of the Week

On Thursday I took advantage of the Culture Pass that I got by using my Queens Library card and visited the Bard Graduate Gallery on West 86th Street.  It featured an exhibit called Agents of Faith: Votive Objects in Time and Place. The exhibit provides a perspective on why humans across the globe create these material objects with the intention of being offered as acts of faith.

Yesterday we walked over to Flushing Town Hall to see a concert by New Music Horizons featuring classical music and jazz.  The classical works were composed by Yui Kitamura while Mark Wade was the jazz composer.  It is nice to have a cultural institution in the neighborhood.

Eric Alexander Quartet at Flushing Town Hall

Since Flushing Town Hall is within walking distance of home, we had gone to many concerts there on weekends over the years.  Very often there were good concerts on Friday nights that were reasonably priced, but I was just too tired to go after a long week at work.  Since I am now retired, I am much more refreshed on Friday nights. 

Last night we attended a jazz concert with the Eric Alexander Quartet.  The musicians were:

• Eric Alexander - saxophone
• Harold Mabern - piano
• John Webber - bass
• Joe Farnsworth  drum

The concert was very enjoyable.

Ebony Hillbillies at Flushing Town Hall

It is always nice to have a concert venue in the neighborhood as I have reported several family outings to Flushing Town Hall.  We were supposed to see the Ebony Hillbillies back in February, but a snowstorm necessitated it to be rescheduled to last night.  We were all tired after seeing the Mets in the afternoon, but this group was certainly very entertaining.

The Ebony Hillbillies are described as one of the last black string bands in the United States. This two hour concert featured songs from many musical genres.  Some of the audience members danced up a storm.  The group members are:

• Norris Bennett
• Henrique Prince
• William Salter
• Newman Taylor Baker
• Gloria Thomas Gassaway

Random Thoughts on a Summer Weekend

I signed up with Google+ .  As of now I don't see the advantage over Facebook.  To paraphase Paul Simon, I'll repeat myself at the risk of being crude "There are more important things in this world than Facebook."

We saw the last Harry Potter movie yesterday at the local multiplex.  We save $4.50 by seeing it in 2D.  As I have discussed in this journal before, I don't see the big advantage of 3D.

Today we went to Flushing Town Hall to hear the traditional music of Colombia.

I return to work tomorrow after a week of staycation.  Readers of Bruce's Journal do not have my work phone number.  I will likely delete about 300 e-mails before 11 AM

Afternoon at Flushing Town Hall

It's nice to have an entertainment venue in the neighborhood.  This afternoon we walked over to Flushing Town Hall to see a group called Soul Providerz  who covered R&B hits of  Earth, Wind & Fire; Aretha Franklin; P-Funk; Mariah Carey; Alicia Keys, Barry White; Lionel Ritchie; and others.  It was an enjoyable afternoon.  I thank the Astoria Bank, New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency and New York City Department of Cultural Affairs for supporting this event.

My Magazine Subscriptions

Here is a list of magazines that I get through the mail:

• Sports Illustrated
• Sporting News
• Chemical & Engineering News - I get this as a member of the American Chemical Society
• Scientific American
• Discover
• Smithsonian - I get this as a member of Flushing Town Hall
• Goldmine
• Rolling Stone
• AARP
• Decalcomania - a newsletter for radio enthusiasts

Doesn't it seem strange that a 62 years old would subscribe to Rolling Stone?  For 50 cents an issue it was a no brainer to subscribe.  There are many articles of interest to baby boomers.  This week's issue had a good article on Paul Simon.  Mr. Zimmerman is often featured.

Another Sunday Afternoon at Flushing Town Hall

Today Adichie and The Afro Jungle Jazz Band and Dancers was the featured artist at Flushing Town Hall . I never heard African Jazz before, so this performance was something new for me. Before the concert there were dance lessons. I was never much of a dancer so I took a pass. From there were took a drive over to Applebees in Bayside for dinner.

These are certainly bad days for the New York Mets. The just completed a road trip where they lost 9 out of 11 on the west coast. They were shut out in 4 of those games. Hopefully, the trip back home will do them some good.

Annette Aguilar and Stringbeans at Flushing Town Hall

By searching this journal I was able to determine that we hadn't been to Flushing Town Hall since last August. This afternoon we walked over to hear the Latin Brasilian jazz band Annette Aguilar and Stringbeans. It's nice to have free entertainment right in the neighborhood. The hot summer weather makes people lazy. There was no need to fight traffic or travel to Manhattan via the subway.

Another Sunday Afternoon at Flushing Town Hall

Since we ran around the past two days, it was better to stay closer to home. We enjoyed Latin jazz, a new genre of music for us at the Flushing Town Hall as we heard the Willie Martinez Ensemble.

At least we didn't stay home to watch the Met game. Oliver Perez who makes $12 million/year gave up 6 runs in 2/3 of an inning. The Mets were behind 9-7 in the 9th inning with men on first and second and no outs and hit into an unassisted triple play. Oy vey!