J&J Music

Choklate at Jazz Alley

J&J Music's own Josh Rawlings recently performed at Jazz Alley, backing up Seattle Soul singer Choklate. It was an amazing night of music, and a real coup for all involved. Choklate is the first local Soul artist that Jazz Alley has allowed to grace their hallowed stage, and it couldn't have happened to a nicer and more talented artist. This was also Josh's debut on the stage at the Alley, and a momentous night for him as well. Joining Josh on the band was the rest of my rhythm section in the Jason Parker Quartet - Evan Flory-Barnes on bass and D'Vonne Lewis on drums.

When I heard that Chok had hired the boys to back her, I knew I had to be there. You see, Choklate normally plays electric bass-heavy, thumpin' soul and R&B music. But these boys can do anything, and took Choklate to places she never thought she could go. That's what these cats do - they make everyone who plays with them rise up and give more of themselves than previously thought possible.

The more restrained, jazzy arrangements of Choklate's original tunes were glorious, and a testament to just how good the songs are. Not all music can live up to the harsh light that a stripped-down arrangement can bring, but her songs positively blossomed with the weight lifted off of them. Her voice floated effortlessly above the pulsing rhythms Evan was picking out, the splashes of color and occasional bombs from D'Vonne, and the masterful jazz harmonies from the piano and Fender Rhodes of Josh. Any preconceived ideas I had about missing the bigger sound and horns and such vanished immediately when the band kicked in. This was a tight unit delivering supremely polished music to an enthusiastic audience...what more could you want?

The room was packed with Chok's fans, and she was her ever-charming self, thanking her family and friends by name, calling out her producers and collaborators mid-song, making up an entirely new verse to the Peggy Lee hit "Fever" (which was done as a stunning vocal/bass duet) when she couldn't remember the words. All the things that make Choklate so endearing were in plain sight on this night, and the crowd ate it up. Whether she was singing her songs, songs by Prince or Sade, or just talking to the room, she had us all in the palm of her hand. And even though those of us who know her could tell she was nervous, she rose up and positively killed all night long.

If you get a chance to see this woman sing, take it! She's not going to be contained by Seattle for long, so see her now while she's still playing more intimate rooms.

I hope there will be more nights with this band, as it's too good to come and go so quickly. Stay tuned and we'll keep you posted on further developments.

Trumpeter Thomas Marriott was at his best when he was spitting out flowing blues lines on tunes like “Blues for PJ” and “Animalian”, his clarion tone jumping from the bell of his horn. He also displayed his buttery flugelhorn tone, particularly stirring on his feature “Reticence.” It is clear when listening to Tom play that he is among the top trumpeters not only in Seattle, but on the Jazz scene today. Tenorman Steve Treseler, who I had not heard before, really impressed me with his big, Dexter Gordon-like tone and ability to make clear and interesting statements on the horn. His solos were always well thought out and story like, never going on too long or meandering aimlessly. On “Sparkling McLean” (written in tribute to Jackie McLean) the lines poured from his soul as if he was channeling the late, great sax player. And while his sound reminded me of players from the 40’s and 50’s, his harmonic conception is decidedly modern. John Hansen, fresh back from a tour of Istanbul, was playing at his usual high level, pushing the soloists when comping and flying over the keys and through the changes when it was time for his solos. Phil Sparks held down the low-end all night, playing a couple of tasty solos and providing the rock-solid support to the soloists for which he is well known. He got a chance to shine on the intro to “Blues for PJ,” which he and Jeremy started as a duet before settling into the groove.

The band was joined by two special guests for the song “Awaken to Life” – Evan Flory-Barnes on bass and Michelle Khazak on vocals. Evan and Jeremy play together in The Teaching, and have an almost telepathic rapport. The two locked in from beat one and never let go of each other. And Khazak breathed amazing life into the lyrics, sung on the record by Jeremy himself. She took a vocalized solo on the tune that was haunting and beautiful.

After the band played the last notes of “Blues for PJ,” there was a slight pause before Jeremy punctuated the evening with a huge bomb, quite the fitting end to the set. It was like an exclamation point at the end of a sentence that you know was the climax of the story, but were thankful for the reminder nonetheless. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the touching and heart-felt explanation Jeremy gave for the title of the CD. He talked about his own awakening to the present moment, his yoga studies, and his wish that his music, both live and on CD, can act as an entry-point for his listeners to find, as Eckhart Tolle puts it, the “power of now”. He was also quick to mention that that part of the evening (the explanation) was optional!

Like Jeremy himself, the evening felt warm, passionate and full of life. I’m sure all who were in attendance left feeling filled with the beautiful spirit that resides inside of Jeremy and in us all.

Get your copy of Awakening to Life today from www.brokentime.com. For more information about Jeremy and the Xtet, visit www.jeremyjonesmusic.com.

Jeremy Jones Xtet CD Release Concert (Part 1)

It was an evening of passion, energy and beautiful music last night at The Triple Door in Seattle. More than 200 music lovers gathered to celebrate the release of Awakening to Life, the new CD by The Jeremy Jones Xtet on Broken Time Records. J&J Music, Broken Time and Jeremy have been planning this show for months now, and when the night finally arrived everyone was ready to celebrate and lay down the positive vibes.

After a wonderful opening set from fellow BrokenTime group Josh Rawlings Trio came the Jeremy Jones Xtet, starting with Jeremy alone on stage, laying down the beat to his composition “Flowin’.” Jeremy was joined one at a time by his killin’ band: Phil Sparks on bass, John Hansen on piano, Steve Treseler on tenor and Thomas Marriott on trumpet and flugelhorn. By the time the whole band was finally assembled and blowing, the energy flowin’ from the stage was palpable, and while the horns were out front and each member of the band was playing at an extremely high level, it was clear that this band belonged to the drummer.

Jeremy led the group through eight of his original tunes from the new CD with smiles, swing and some well placed bombs, switching all the while from sticks to brushes to mallets to bells and back again. He played every part of his kit; rims, heads, cymbals and stands. He marked the sections of his tunes with press-rolls, tom hits and stop-time. As the night wore on, Jeremy’s shining spirit emanated from the stage, filling the room with joy and washing over everyone in attendance with a contagious warmth.

Jazz Bombs at Tula's

I went to our ‘Earshot Hall of Fame’ jazz venue, Tula’s, on a brisk Thursday night to see the Dave Anderson Quartet play. This was Dave’s debut performance at the club and surprisingly his 2nd performance with the personnel in his group. As Dave warmed up the first set with his band, the music seemed to transport me out of Tula’s into a club that felt more New York’ish. The music propelled me into a swirl of modern jazz luminaries such as Wayne Shorter, Kenny Garrett, Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock. Many of the tunes were originals and arrangements composed by the bandleader himself. I list the other jazz luminaries because the music certainly felt on par stylistically and dynamically.

The group itself had a light sensitive touch interspersed with some cold Seattle “Bombs” dropped by drummer Adam Kessler. There was nice interplay and a kind of improvisation that goes along well with other groups like Wayne Shorter’s Footprints band. The music was open, angular, yet sweet and not so modern that it would go over an average Joe that could stumble in to take a listen. The group is definitely pushing the boundaries of Seattle with other groups like the Thomas Marriott Quartet, Jason Parker Quartet and the Victor Noriega Trio to name just a few.

That evening, Dave played exquisite lines that felt like stairways to M. C. Escher’s ‘Relativity.’ Out of his saxophone came melodic and swooping lines, executed with care and a relaxed precision. I was equally impressed with pianist John Hansen’s well-crafted chordal bombs and Chuck Kistler’s straight-up bass lines. The rhythm section backed up Dave as he whisked the audience around with his colorful and rich Soprano & Tenor Sax tone. The trio had such sensitivity to Dave’s playing I would have guessed had been developed from playing together for several years. To my surprise Adam told me they had literally come together for the last few gigs about a month ago - Jazz at its finest! It takes skilled players to play such modern sounding tunes, but it takes real maturity, listening and trust to come together as a group with such caliber.

I’ll look forward to hearing these guys in the future and think they will be pulling happy audiences into a new perspective of Seattle Jazz. Watch out – Cold bombs may be dropped!

-Josh Rawlings, Local pianist and partner of J&J Music

For more information on Dave Anderson and where he will be performing next please visit: http://www.daveandersonjazz.com/

See these guys!

What can I say about Rik and Tony? Well first Rik is not only a slinging and slamming jazz guitarist, he's also a huge supporter of our local jazz scene. It's not very often you find both of those things in 1 guy. He is a fine guitarist and his jazz music is energetic and very enjoyable. Tony the 'T' man Trumpeter - well let's put it simply - he has more fire in his horn than Mt Vesuvius had lava. Tony is a master songwriter and the spirit in which he plays his trumpet has the power of bringing you all the way to New Orleans. I dig playing with guy, but I really dig listening to his ideas, phrasing and tone. This is an excellent line up of great players (many of whom I know personally or have worked with on the bandstand). One thing is certain...you don't find jazz bands like this everyday...see these guys - they really PLAY!