Ellis Marsalis Jr., Special Guest at Jazz at the Sandbar

Finally, Jazz at the Sandbar at the UNO (University of New Orleans) is back!
The place was fully packed with professors, students and outside guests.
What better way to start by having the iconic Ellis Marsalis, Jr. as the first guest.  Ellis Marsalis is well known as a modern jazz pianist,  not only in New Orleans but internationally too.  As you may know, Ellis Marsalis Center for Music is named after him.  Mr. Marsalis is committed to preserve the New Orleans culture, especially jazz and to give opportunity to young jazz musicians to realize their dreams.  He is also a father to to six sons who are all musically gifted.

"It is a bit ironic that Ellis Marsalis had to wait for sons Wynton and Branfordto get famous before he was able to record on a regular basis, but Ellis finally received his long-overdue recognition. The father of six sons (includingWynton, Branford, Delfeayo, and Jason), Ellis Marsalis' main importance to jazz may very well be as a jazz educator; his former pupils (in addition to his sons) include Terence Blanchard, Donald Harrison, Harry Connick, Jr.,Nicholas Payton, and Kent and Marlon Jordan, among others. He started out as a tenor saxophonist, switching to piano while in high school". Marsalis was one of the few New Orleans musicians of the era who did not specialize in Dixieland or rhythm & blues. He played with fellow modernists (including Ed Blackwell) in the late '50s with AFO, recorded with Cannonball and Nat Adderley in the 1960s, played with Al Hirt (1967-1970), and was busy as a teacher. Marsalis freelanced in New Orleans during the 1970s and taught at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts. He recorded with Wynton andBranford on Father and Sons in 1982, an album that they shared with Chico and Von Freeman. After that, Marsalisrecorded for ELM, Spindletop (a duet session with Eddie Harris), Rounder, Blue Note, and Columbia, issuing Twelve's It on the latter in 1998. Duke in Blue followed a year later. Since that time, Marsalis has kept busy releasing Afternoon Session, An Open Letter to Thelonious, and Ruminations".
Source:http://www.allmusic.com/artist/ellis-marsalis-mn0000795979/biography

Ellis Marsalis played modern jazz, but his sentimentality and old world charm permeated his music.  His sound is unhurried, rich and sweet. 

Watch this:

Watch this too, with Jordan Baker on keyboard: 

                            
                            

Aside from the regular performers who are all superb and professional-sounding -- Albert Allenback-tenor sax, Jeronne Ansari-alto sax, Jordan Baker-piano, Tanarat Chaichana-bass, Glenn Hall-trumpet, and Peter Varnado-drums, Miss Amber Matthews performed with them.  Isn't she as cute as a button! She has nice melodious voice and her young innocent looks makes her an eye candy.   I guess as she matures she will be more sassy and adventurous in her renditions.   
                                                     

Amber Matthews

                                                     
We are so looking forward for next week's treat at the Jazz at the Sandbar featuring trumpeter and UNO alumnus, Master of Music 2013,  Ashlin Parker.  

UNO Jazz

Have you been to the UNO  Jazz at the Sandbar?  UNO, as in University of New Orleans, my dears.  That's one of our new favorite places for jazz.  We go regularly at the Spotted Cat, Maison, Fritzel's, Palm Court, Preservation Hall, etc.,  but there's nothing like jazz at the UNO Lakefront Campus.  For one, we are always assured of good seats; two, there is always a good table waiting for us (one of the tables in front, just below the stage. Not that they reserved it for us, but I guess students have the habit of avoiding the front tables and seats);  three,  nobody gets out of hand being drunk; four, they have reasonably-priced good food and drinks, (yes, even beer and wine!), and last but not the least, the jazz is incredibly great, albeit mostly it's modern jazz and we have preference for the traditional jazz.  Jazz at the Sandbar happens every Wednesday.  They also invite famous musicians for their events, mostly music graduates of the university.  Do you know that the likes of Mark Braud, Gregory Agid, Danielle Wilson, Jamison Ross,  and I am sure many other famous musicians who I have not known yet, come from UNO?  

The last time we went, they had  singer Ms. Kate McGarry and guitarist Keith Ganz. Ms. Kate McGarry sure is a professional singer.  Her stage presence is strong, she mesmerized the audience. I particularly admire her scat singing, she is awesome!   Mr. Keith Ganz is passionate and produced emotionally-charged sounds.  Here they are in their rendition of Charade:

      
We were also treated to two groups of artists, one under the direction of Hank McKie and the other, under the direction of Steve Masakowski.  Both of these groups wowed the audience with their guitar sounds. The drummers were awesome, especially Matt Keegan.  His timing is impeccable,  he's a genius with drums. 
 
Here's their rendition of Besame Mucho:

                                           
It was fun watching these young musicians jam with each other,  oftentimes smiling at each other, in that way approving and complimenting each other's performance. 

We are grateful that UNO Jazz Studies Program opens its doors not only to all UNO students but also to  jazz enthusiasts like us.  We certainly love our Wednesday nights spent with your prodiguous music students! 

Stephen Powers Recital at UNO

If you are a jazz enthusiasts like we are, you would not want to pass a wonderful event like this at the University of New Orleans (UNO) Department of Music - senior recital of Stephen Powers (guitar).

With our GPS in hand, we went to The University of New Orleans last Thursday, November 29, 2012.  We found the Sandbar at the Uno Cove in no time at all. 

The event is the recital of Stephen Powers,  in partial fulfillment of his BA of Arts degree with emphasis in Jazz studies, and sponsored by the university's Department of Music.

Stephen Powers performed  five music pieces for his recital.  In his program notes, he said of his pieces:

"Four In One" is one of my favorite tunes by one of my favorite composers, Thelonius Monk. Like all of his compositions, to me, "Four In One" seems to exist in its own plane in space, continually playing somewhere in the universe, as ifthe recording session hypnotized the musicians.  Monk's fearless and playful style and dedication to groove continue to inspire my musical life."

His other pieces are "Sly Sprout" and "Vacancy", a 'spacy vossa'.  Stephen Powers also presented his own compositions:  "Precipice" and "Beacon". 

He said, "Precipice is one of my first compositions.  For me, straight eight grooves have always recalled steering along an edge, so close that, if you look out your wndow, you see nothing but expanses of air and fuzzy ground somewhere far beneath.  The second solo over  a new section is meant to be soft landing."

Of  Beacon, he said, ""Beacon started out as a bass line, and counter melodies evolved like a downpour from sprinkles. More so than the rest, this tune made itself known to me, rather than requiring lots of digging.  After the initial spur, it became a whole landscape whose parts ought naught be disassembled.  Maybe the theme of constantly undulating dynamics came from Chick Corea's "Day Waves, " where layers of percussion peak and recede throughout.

                                                                   Stephen Powers

Stephen Powers and his group

Stephen Powers, Jeronne Amari Ansari, Yirmeyahu Yisrael and Sam Albright 

Sam Albright, Bass

Emilio Avila, piano

Sam Wiseman, drums

Jeronne Amari Ansari, Alto Sax

The group

Congratulations from the hubby

We did not know until they finished that the last two are Stephen Powers's original compositions. All the while we thought all that he played was Thelonius Monk's.

You see, they are music students but could pass as professional musicians. Exception of course are Yirmeyahu Yisrael and Sam Wiseman who we see performing at the Spotted Cat.

The group performed very difficult modern jazz so well, like Thelonius Monk's obtuse type of music. The group performed beyond their years of experience, young as they are.

We say, good luck to you guys, hope to see and hear more from you soon.