Amazing Weekend of Music

The last weekend in September was an amazing series of concerts by SF Jazz.  Friday the 28th was the Brecker Brothers reunion (sadly of course without Michael).  Randy, his wife Ada Rovatti on tenor, George Whitty on keys, Neil Jason on bass, Dave Weckl on drums, AND Mike Stern on guitar.  Weckl and Mike soared up to heaven!  Fond memories of listening to the Brecker Brothers and many others at their club Seventh Avenue South in the late seventies and early eighties.

The next night was Miles Smiles with Wallace Roney, Bill Evans, Joey DeFrancesco, Omar Hakim, Victor Bailey fortuitously filling in for Daryl Jones, AND Robben Ford!  I always knew that the great electric period of Miles (and Ornette) would one day be recognized and celebrated.  And with the ascent of Christian Scott, incorporated into a new generation of improvisors.  As with the night before, the interplay between drums and guitar was amazing.  Omar was the premier drummer in the world in the early 80's, and he's just as spectacular.  And Robben, well , he's my favorite guitar player.  At the end of one solo he quoted Some Enchanted Evening. They say Miles cried when he left.  I had the privilege of seeing them quite a few times for the short time Robben was in the band.

And Sunday night was Sonny Rollins at Davies Hall.  A collosus, indeed.  In his eighties, white haired and his huge frame starting to hunch over, he is every bit as powerful and inventive as he was 40 years ago. My dear friend Baron Shul has said that Sonny's universal appeal is that he either plays standards (Once in a While) or blues, or calypso.  And about 80% of his soloing is inside, but about 20% is outside - 12 tone- so he always sounds fresh, and adventurous.  With:
Clifton Anderson trombone
Saul Rubin guitar
Bob Cranshaw bass
Kobie Watkins drums
Sammy Figueroa percussion

Amazing!

Number 44 May 28, 2010

Last Sunday I went to a memorial benefit at the Spreckles Center in Rohnert Park for the great luthier Taku Sakashta, who was tragically murdered a couple of months ago.  Many of my luthier friends were there, including Al Milburn and John Mello.  I had approached Taku through mutual friends, Al and Yukimasa Kasuya about ordering a guitar last year, but Taku was very booked up.  The benefit had performances by The Black Market Blues Band, which featured my friend Joe Mloganoski, who co-owns Two-Rock Amplification, and Eric Gales, not to be confused with the late, great Eric Gale.  Tuck and Patti, who live in the area, and who I haven't seen in years, moved my friend Krisztina Lazar to tears.  The headliner was Robben Ford, with special guest Boz Skaggs, both of whom were playing Taku's guitars.  It was a very beautiful and fitting tribute.  Our time on this planet is very short, and I realized some years ago that whether we live to be very old, or die young, it is how we live, and that we live, that is important.