On Friday night, 27 June 2014, the Howard Theatre was packed for Ginger Baker‘s Jazz Confusion, a quartet made up of drummer Baker (formerly of Cream and Blind Faith), saxophonist Pee Wee Ellis (James Brown, Van Morrison), bassist Alec Dankworth (Dave Brubeck, Mose Allison), and Ghanaian percussionist Abass Dodoo. And it was definitely packed– I’d never seen the Howard’s balcony open before, and it was open for this show (it’s really cool up there!). The show was part of the DC Jazz Fest, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.
The quartet played a whole bunch of tunes from Baker’s new album Why? (the same musicians played on the album), which I wrote about as part of a concert preview for the Washington Post which you can read here. Baker definitely seemed his age on stage (you can hear how weathered his voice sounds on the recordings below), even joking that certain songs could do him in (you’ll hear his comment, “This could be the one!” before “Aiko Biaye”– just before I started recording, he’d called it a “Ginger-killer”, and he’d been making comments/jokes about his own mortality all night).
Four videos from Friday night’s show are below; for more ShowlistDC concert videos and photos, subscribe to my YouTube channel or follow me on Instagram.
• Announced: Sonic Circuits has revealed its 2012 lineup, including the Glenn Branca Ensemble, Lydia Lunch, and David Thomas (from Rocket from the Tombs and Pere Ubu). Complete schedule will be posted soon.
• CD Reminder: don’t sleep on Sean Born [Washington CityPaper].
• Heavy Uber Alles gives us six heavy tunes every Tuesday. This week, three of HUA’s picks pay tribute to musicians who are no longer with us.
• Here’s some different press on the new Howard Theatre: Capital Bop Zachary Oxman, the sculptor whose statue of Duke Ellington graces the front of the newly-reopened theatre.
Shameless plug: In addition to rounding up the day’s local music news and press, we also give away concert tickets! We’re running a contest now to give away tickets to Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds at the Hamilton next Thursday, 4/19– a great chance to check out a new band and a new venue! Toss your name in the hat here.
Yes, that was me at the Ozric Tentacles show last night at the State Theatre. They’re a psychedelic prog-rock band from England (who apparently live in California now….?) who are named after an imaginary breakfast cereal (other possibilities were Malcolm Segments, Desmond Whisps, and Gordon Lumps). I hadn’t seen them since 1995 when I reviewed their show for the Washington Post (you can read that review here). This time, they didn’t have anyone playing flute, and that was disappointing– the show was still good, but there’s only so much psychedelic keyboard/guitar noodling one can listen to before it all starts to sound like a stoner rave, and those flute melodies certainly used to add something. They played for about 2 1/2 hours, and there was a decent crowd– although not enough for them to open the balcony. I did take a photograph of the new balcony extension with my phone’s camera, and you can see that here.
On my way out, one of the State’s staff came up to me and said, “You have good taste in music!” I was a little confused by why he approached me specifically, but I guess most people don’t go to shows at the State Theatre in a full business suit.
• The Metallomusikum blog is doing a Countdown to Maryland DeathFest, with previews of every band performing. It’s a great primer (we’re a little late to catch on to it, but you can read the archives here). Recent bands: grindcore Nasum, thrashers Artillery, and noise/punk legends Unsane. There’s also an interview with Negru of Negura Bunget.
• Live video: Cathy Ponton King is joined by Jimmy Thackery for “I’m Just a Woman” at her CD Release Show at the State Theatre last Friday, 4/6.
Live Reviews
• Tons of press on the chickfactor anniversary shows this weekend at Artisphere: the Washington Post (Mark Jenkins) and Washington CityPaper. We’re betting that more press will surface in the next few days.
Last night, I went to the U Street Music Hall for the first time, for what I believe was their first metal show: old-school thrashers Onslaught (on their first US tour) and ex-Venom M:Pire of Evil, who played a ton of Venom songs including, of course, “Black Metal”. On Friday and Saturday nights, I was at Artisphere for the Chickfactor 20th anniversary shows (along with everybody else in DC). Best set: Stevie Jackson backed by Honeybunch. Most disappointing: the Lilys‘ set was just Kurt Heasley solo– not that the songs still aren’t good, but they were missing a lot without the sound of a full band. All around great weekend, with surprise sets by the Pines and Magnetic Fields guest vocalist LD Beghtol.
Articles
• The District is busting record stores and vintage shops [Washington CityPaper], citing the need for a secondhand business license. Being regulated as a pawn shop (instead of a general business) means that the business would have to undergo the onorous process of recording every purchase of secondhand goods and file it with MPD’s pawn unit– the idea, of course, being to safeguard against re-selling stolen goods.
• The Howard Theatre is reopening today, and lots of people are writing about it: Washington Post (with a nice photo gallery) and Washingtonian.
• DC writer Marcus K Dowling is quitting writing about DC musicians [2two.tumblr.com]. The internet has ruined so much of what drew me to music and so many musicians I appreciate to the point where writing about both it and them makes me feel impotent. It’s as though I’ve been made into well meaning window dressing in the local scene, a passionate critic whose ideas are thought to be substantive, but not to the point of having any heft or consequence.
If you’re wondering why the name Marcus K Dowling sounds familiar, you can read his about.me page or check out his sites moombahton and DC Mumbo Sauce. We’re unclear about the future of those sites in light of Dowling’s retirement.
• The Washington CityPaper has a huge article on the zine chickfactor. CF’s 20th anniversary shows (featuring the return of Black Tambourine) are this weekend at Artisphere in Rosslyn.
• Watch: Locals Borracho have released their first video. It’s for the song “Concentric Circles” from their debut album Splitting Sky (which I reviewed back in December for the Washington Post).
• A brief guide to Windian Records, whose showcase is Friday/Saturday at Montserrat House [Express].
• On Monday, we pointed you to an article about Bruce Springsteen‘s use of a teleprompter in live performances [Washington Post]. E Street Band member Nils Lofgren has written a letter in response. [Springsteen] would show us the sign [with the name of a song request] and then immediately “frisbee” it down the stairs to the teleprompter crew to surf the net and find the lyrics while we all talked up a quick arrangement at his microphone, knowing he’d be counting it off in 20 seconds. Many of those audibles were Bruce songs unrehearsed or played in years or decades.
• We can’t think of a more terrible supergroup than the Sons of Beatles. No, we’re not joking; apparently the sons of the Fab Four might form a band. For now, though, you’ll have to settle for the equally terrible-sounding solo show of James McCartney at the Fillmore on 6/11.
• EP Review: Marcus J Moore on Martyn‘s Hello Darkness [Washington CityPaper]. Note that there’s an audio file embedded at that link, in case you’d like to take a listen.
• Substitutions: Wayne Brady steps up to host the Radio & Television Correspondents’ Association gala in June [Washington Post] after Louis C.K. dropped the gig when Greta Van Susteren threatened to boycott it. C.K. ended up in the Fox anchor’s crosshairs because of a vulgar 2010 Twitter rant in which he called Sarah Palin a word that we not only cannot repeat here but which is widely regarded as the worst thing you can call a woman. (He told The Wrap this week that he dropped out because “I wasn’t that excited about it” and “I didn’t want to cause them problems.”) As for his replacement? “Wayne Brady is as close to safe as you can get,” said Adam Frucci, editor of Splitsider, a blog devoted to comedy. “He’s pretty squeaky-clean.”
• Listen: local band Teething Veils has recorded a song called “Cobblestone” [Washington CityPaper]. {full disclosure: I’m scheduled to be singing on Teething Veils’ upcoming album.}
