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MyspaceLOCALVORE-GONE-GLOBALVORE JAZZ: Santa Barbara and her neighboring environs may not be a super-fertile ground for sending impactful jazz musicians out into the scene-at-large, but there are notable cases. The short list includes trumpeter Jeff Elliott, the casually virtuosic Goleta boy turned Los Angeleno who worked with Les McCann and in the group of Airto Moreira and Flora Purim, and S.B.-bred and long N.Y.C.-based drummer Tom Rainey, a poetic and respected semi-secret weapon in jazz. Ventura can boast spawning acclaimed veteran pianist Joanne Brackeen and tdwr (talent deserving wider recognition) David Binney, surely one of the boldest and finest alto saxists in jazz at this historical moment (check out his fabulous new CD, Third Occasion, on Binney’s Mythology Records).
Coming to SOhO on Monday is a potential late-breaking addition to the list, in young and impressive vibist Tyler Blanton, a Brooklynite who spent his formative years in Ojai. Blanton’s short summer tour, in its SOhO incarnation, is a trio with bassist Nick Rosen and drummer Kelly Weaver.. Blanton’s music is sophisticated, swinging, and modern in the right ways, yet gutsy.
In short, Blanton’s SOhO gig may qualify as the jazz show of the season in Santa Barbara, although ours is admittedly a town that tends to roll up the jazz sidewalks during the summer. Jazz fans grouse and grumble come this time of year, or head out of town for their live musical fixes. Pop music has its field day at the Bowl and in the clubs (especially via the programming miracle that is Club Mercy), and classical music has its bedazzling Music Academy of the West festival. But jazz takes a veritable holiday.
THEY PLAYED HERE: In this fallow atmosphere, we might ponder over jazz shows of note here, past and future. Several worthy new jazz releases feature artists who have graced Santa Barbara stages in recent years. Guitarist Bobby Broom, for instance, just flaunted his tasteful virtuosity at Campbell Hall in his high-profile role with Sonny Rollins. At the Lobero Theatre, arguably one of the riper jazz rooms in America (sez me, and many others), we’ve had the recent pleasure of hearing the quartet with vibist Gary Burton and his old friend-and former employee-Pat Metheny, as well as a brief encounter with trumpeter Dave Douglas, in the remarkable S.F. Jazz Collective.
Here, then, is a selective midsummer round-up of intriguing new music by jazz folks who have darkened Santa Barbaran portals, and would be welcome to do so again.
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Thanks again to Joe for crediting the local talent that the SB area has spawned. I would dispute, however, the idea that jazz goes on hiatus during the summer in SB-- I urge everyone to support your local musicians who are working hard, even though they might not be "famous." Jazz happens every few weeks at Alphie's diner out in Goleta, for example, and on the Double Dolphin Jazz Cruise (every Friday from 6-8). These are just two examples of jazz being performed by musicians who have worked hard to craft their skills and are dedicated to performing, even in sometimes unwelcoming and financially difficult environments. Before jazz made it to places like the Lobero, the Hollywood Bowl, Carnegie Hall, etc, it was being developed in small, unlikely spaces--wherever musicians could get gigs. Again, please consider supporting the jazz around us, as well as the big names.--Rob Wallace
robwa (anonymous profile)
August 12, 2009 at 8:02 a.m. (Suggest removal)