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Bluenote Tour: Jazz Mandolin Project, Charlie Hunter, & Soulive |
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Trax Night Club
Charlottesville, Virginia
11.14.00 |
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live review
Jazz Mandolin Project feature\interview
Charlie Hunter feature\interview
Jazz Mandolin Project
Charlie Hunter
tourdates
Soulive
tourdates
Watch Video of the show from Trax, Charlottesville Va.(Windows Media):
Charlie Hunter:
300K|100K|56K
Jazz Mandolin Project:
300K|100K|56K
Listen to the show from Trax(Windows Media):
Soulive:
96K|56K
Charlie Hunter:
96K|56K
Jazz Mandolin Project:
96K|56K
Audio Source of Soulive:
Schoeps CMC621—Apogee AD-1000 @ slightly right of center of stage
Audio Source of Charlie Hunter:
SBD—Apogee AD 1000
Audio Source of Jazz Mandolin Project:
Schoeps MK4—KC5—CMC6—Apogee AD-1000 @ front and center of stage
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review
Blue Note Records' longstanding history of releasing quality jazz has brought reverence from the music industry and blind esteem from musicians and music lovers alike. The label's success since 1939 can be attributed to foresight and its ability to remain abreast of shifting trends and stylistic changes that happen so frequently in jazz. With the emergence of the jam band scene—brought on by the departure of the Grateful Dead and the rise of road legend Phish—jazz has found a new place in popular music, as younger generations desperately seek groove-oriented music at venues and festivals across the country. Astutely, Blue Note took notice of the jam band phenomenon and wisely signed West Coast guitar virtuoso Charlie Hunter in 1995, followed by East Coast groove experimentalists Medeski Martin & Wood in 1998. The effort ensured the label's involvement in the youthful revival of improvisational music. The two newest acts to sign on with Blue Note are sultry funk/soul trio Soulive and Jamie Masefield's Jazz Mandolin Project. The former releases its first album in 2001, while the latter released his critically acclaimed label debut, Xenoblast, in early 2000.
In an effort to introduce the best contemporary improvisational music to new ears, Blue Note kicked off a short tour of Southeastern states. The stellar bill included Soulive, whose recent outing with John Scofield and DJ Logic turned many heads; Charlie Hunter, accompanied by percussionists Stephen Chopek and Chris Lovejoy; and headliners Jazz Mandolin Project, featuring Danton Boller on bass and Greg Gonzales on drums. This tour marks an obvious bridging of generations, bringing a traditional, all-American art form—jazz—out of performance halls and theatres into clubs, where people can enjoy the groove the way it was originally intended: as dance music.
To say the performances of all three acts were phenomenal this particular night would be an understatement. Soulive created heavy funk-infused jazz without a bass player; Neal Evans assumed low-end duties on the Hammond B-3 organ with his left hand, while his right hand simultaneously added harmonic fills. The remaining members, guitarist Eric Krasno and drummer Alan Evans (who also happens to be Neal's brother), meshed flawlessly with Evans' organ playing, as the group ran through original tunes and a range of jazz classics. By the end of the trio's set, the nearly full house was almost speechless. The stage was then cleared to make way for Charlie Hunter's considerably modest set up. Hunter's incredible use of his own personalized eight-string guitar—simultaneously playing bass and guitar lines—completely engrossed the crowd. His percussionists blended Latin and funk rhythms to create such a full sound that it was hard to believe drummer Stephen Chopek played only a two-piece set. Jazz Mandolin Project took the stage last with a considerably mellower and more psychedelic set than the previous two acts. Jamie Masefield's non-traditional use of the mandolin intrigued, while the trio ran through grooves ranging from ambient to drum & bass, causing the crowd to zone out for the remainder of the evening.
musictoday.com—in conjunction with Blue Note Records, Soulive, Charlie Hunter, and Jazz Mandolin Project—is happy to present video highlights from a recent Blue Note Fall Tour stop, as well as audio streaming of the entire concert. Special thanks to all those involved with the production of this feature. Feel free to e-mail us with comments.
by Damani
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