Bowlive IV Night 5 Recap w/ Marco Benevento, David Hidalgo & The Shady Horns : John Medeski, Bill Evans & The Shady Horns
Soulive’s Brooklyn Bowl residency, Bowlive IV, reached it’s fifth night last night. In past years, this would signify the middle of the run and the end of the residency’s first week. However, Soulive has chosen to pack more talent into eight days this year and continue to impress upon us just how talented they truly are. As if we didn’t know already.
The equally impressive power trio and Bowlive alumi, The London Souls, opened with a fury that paralleled Bowlive IV’s previous night openers. Eric Krasno made a point to remind the audience that this is one of his “favorite bands!” That was a powerful statement from a powerful guitarist who sees and appreciates the talent in his peers and a clear invitation to Soulive fans to pay attention. The London Souls are a classic rock band consisting of shredding guitarist Tash O’Neal, drummer Chris St. Hilaire and bassist Stu Mahan. Tash’s sound is reminiscent of Jimi Hendrix; the comparisons are just inevitable. However, as a group, they seamlessly flow from multiple styles while improvising styles all with undertones of pure Rock ‘n Roll! Their wickedly expansive sound, something every power trio hopes to accomplish, shone through vibrantly in their performance of originals “Old Country Road,” “Easier Said Than Done,” and the old-timey tune “Bobby James.” The audience rocked out to AC/DC’s “Long Way To The Top” and The Souls closed their set with a rousing cover of Frank Zappa’s “Apostrophe.” So much to say, so little time.
The London Souls Set List:
Lucille Cover
Under Control
All Tied Down
Old Country Road
Honey → Long Way To The Top (AC/DC)
Bobby James
Some Day
Easier Said Than Done
I Think I Like It
Apostrophe (Frank Zappa)
Many times, the relationship between Soulive and their guests is one that has been cultivated in New York City, in front of Soulive fans who get to witness local musical guest sit-ins during local shows. Last night’s first guest, avant-garde pianist and organist Marco Benevento, a long-time NYC resident now living in Woodstock, is a Bowlive alum that fit this category. Benevento adds an element of improvisational psychedelia and locks right into the groove of every tune he touches with a specific experimental jazzy sound that defines his music. Soulive, with the help of the Shady Horns, churned out “El Ron” and teased Bob Marley’s “WAR” before a crushing “Reverb.” Saxophonist James Casey, Baritone saxophonist Ryan Zoidis and trumpeter Eric Bloom went into a hot, circular jam session, just the three of them, before Benevento joined the stage for another Soulive original “Upright.” Benevento made his presence known with an extended face-melting solo of his own. He remained on stage for the rest of the set, seamlessly layering his sound amongst the trio’s for “Swamp E” and The Beatles cover, “Revolution.” As much as Benevento is known for his own amazing techniques and stand alone performances, he is also part of a wonderful Led Zeppelin tribute band, Bustle In Your Hedgerow, which New York jam band music fans fawn over. So, when Zeppelin’s “The Ocean” began, Benevento fans and beyond went ballistic and everyone’s musical taste buds were satisfied.
Set I:
El Ron
Reverb
Upright (w/ Marco)
Swamp E (w/ Marco)
Revolution (Beatles cover w/ Marco)
The Ocean (Led Zeppelin cover w/ Marco)
The second set came quick as the excitement of the next guest was something that could hardly be contained by the members of Soulive. Los Lobos guitarist David Hildalgo came out on stage and became the newest musician to join the Bowlive roster. Granted, he snuck into a few tunes the previous night but now was his time to shine. For those of you who don’t know, Hildalgo is a world renowned guitarist who has played on albums of Buckwheat Zydeco, Elvis Costello, Paul Simon, Gov’t Mule, and even G. Love and Special Sauce. The list of collaborations goes on as does Hildalgo’s ability to play multiple instruments and styles. However, tonight, his vocals and guitar skills would be the highlight of the second set. Soulive performed “Shaheed” alone before Hildalgo picked up his guitar and walked out to a screaming audience. He veered completely off the setlist and performed a fantastic version of Traffic’s “Who Knows What Tomorrow Will Bring.” The energy on stage was magnetic and the foursome pushed the boundaries of memorable Bowlive collaborations to the limit with Hendrix’s “3rd Stone From the Sun,” and Los Lobo’s tunes, “Dream in Blue” and “Chains of Love.” The Shady Horns threw out killer solos amongst the jams and a highlight of the evening was watching Hildalgo and Krasno trade licks off each other for Jerry Garcia’s “West LA Fade Away.” The tie between Garcia comes from Hildalgo writing “Evangeline,” which the Jerry Garcia Band covered regularly. Hildalgo and Jerry played together on numerous occasions and had a huge respect for one another’s playing. The musicianship on stage was outstanding and the set was pure fire. It’s impossible to replay into words sometimes and for those who were present, they know what I am talking about!
Finally, last evening’s encore could easily rank high in Bowlive History as one of the best. It wasn’t just an encore…It was a “Neil-Core”: Soulive ended the night with a Neil Young medley for the ages, touching on three distinctly different parts of Neil Young’s career. There could not have had a better supporting cast of guitarists to bring the screeching Neil Young chords to life with David Hidalgo (Los Lobos) and Tash Neil (The London Souls) on stage alongside Eric Kranso. The first song in the Neil medley was “Ohio,” a political song written by Neil Young about the 1970 Kent State shootings and the protest movement that it helped shape. “Ohio” was followed up by a spirited version of “Down by the River,” a tune Neil Young and Crazy Horse played on the album Everybody Knows This is Nowhere. Alan Evans, who was lending his drum kit to The London Souls’ Chris St. Hilaire, shared the vocals on that tune with Tash O’Neal. Seeing Alan in the middle of the stage with a microphone in his hand was new and fun. He seemed to be having a blast. Soulive went even deeper into the Neil Young catalog by playing “For What It’s Worth,” another powerful protest song written by Neil’s band mate in the Buffalo Springfield, Stephen Stills. These three songs forced those remaining at the Brooklyn Bowl into a dancing frenzy of happiness.
Set II:
Shaheed
Who Knows What Tomorrow Will Bring (Traffic cover)
Dream of Love (Los Lobos Cover) >
3rd Stone From the Sun (Jimi Hendrix cover)
Chains of Love (Los Lobos cover)
Revolution (The Beatles cover)
West LA Fade Away (Grateful Dead cover)
Stone Free (Jimi Hendrix cover)
-Encore-
Ohio (CSNY)
Down By the River (Neil Young and Crazy Horse)
For What it’s Worth (Buffalo Springfield)
Sure, it was Wednesday night and the audience was weary from dancing their legs off the previous nights, but true music fans love hearing famous covers performed by their favorite bands. Soulive has been consistently banging out tight versions of their own originals but it’s the rousing covers of popular classic rock songs that brought the jam band crowd of the Brooklyn Bowl to their Nirvana last night. These collaborations also feed the members of Soulive. Marco Benevento and David Hildalgo expanded the consciousness of Soulive last night and the audience was just in awe.
Tonight’s guests will include organ wizard (and possibly a regular wizard as well) John Medeski and saxophonist Bill Evans along w/The Shady Horns. Because Brooklyn Bowl is hosting a fundraiser for The Brooklyn Nets this afternoon, so there isn’t an opener tonight. Doors will open at 8p with Soulive on close to 9p. On to the next one……
I got my first CD player during Christmas 1995. I was 13. Up until this time, music to me had been limited to whatever I could find on the radio (which I couldn’t rewind), Disney princess movies, other fluffy movie and show soundtracks.
My grandmother had season tickets to Broadway musicals and Classical Series and so I drowned in those, willingly. That music also made up the majority of my tape collection. On the way to school I was able to hear the radio but my mother preferred country against our “harder” choices. We would bond over many of the bands from her time but I still never had what I considered true musical freedom until Christmas 1993 with the arrival of my first CD player.
Mariah Carey's Music Box Album Cover
I see this as a definitive moment in my musical development and the start of a major addiction. I was 15, had allowance and I needed things to spend my money on. I would eventually join Columbia House, BMG Music (both no longer in existence as CD selling companies)and all the other companies that gave me music on the cheap. I would scam them using multiple names, ending up with tons of CDs and not enough time to devour them all. It was the start of my searching; searching for music that filled a hole.
I was given two CDs with my new CD player. My parents, knowing my love for singing and pop culture, gave me Mariah Carey‘s Music Box. My Uncle John (unsure of his motivation) gave me Simon and Garfunkel‘s Bridge Over Troubled Water.
Simon and Garfunkel's Bridge Over Troubled Water
Simon & Garfunkel
I would come to memorize every one of the songs on both CDs within days. I fell IN LOVE with Simon and Garfunkel while Mariah Carey disappeared in the back of my CD case after a few months and eventually from my memory.
I was immediately turned on emotionally and spiritually by Bridge Over Troubled Waters. I was 13. I struggled with anger and teenage angst and this CD connected with me on so many levels. The voices, the lyrics, the music. A simply stunning CD. More importantly, it opened me up to a time period in music that I had missed…the 70’s. A few months later, I would find Jerry and the musical hole within me would be filled.
There is so much to say about it but I won’t bore you with my run-on stories. My point is that my connection with Simon and Garfunkel runs deep. Paul Simon is sort of my Bob Dylan. I can hear you all screaming now but it’s true. He may not win in your books for the highest award of lyrical and/or song construction but in my book, he is #1.
The Auditorium Stravinsky stage, described in full in my Overview of Montreux Jazz Festival Post, was littered with musicians. I noticed an accordion, a xylophone, a piano, three guitars, a percussion section, one bass, two drummers, a piano and keyboard, horns, and a violin (I think).
Paul Simon’s desire to incorporate multiple multi-cultural instruments is a huge selling point for me being someone who likes to see change and diversity in her musicians. Simon ranks up there with Bela Fleck for going out in to the world to be the hungry learner, the constant musical hunter. I find so much beauty in musicians like that. We need more musicians like that.
Paul Simon @ Montreux Jazz Festival
This would be my first time seeing Paul Simon live. This was an epic moment for me. I felt giddy, like a school girl (pun intended) going to see her first musical crush. I imagined seeing Paul Simon many times in my life but I never thought the first time would be in this amazing auditorium in Switzerland. I had to cross the world to make it happen and I couldn’t be happier.
The show was in The Auditorium Stravinsky and we were in the #3 box seats instead of #4 from the night previous. I wondered if any stars would surround me again. Esperanza Spalding and Paul Simon had been my box neighbors just a night earlier as I watched The Miles Davis Tribute.
Tonight’s show would consist of multiples titles off Simon’s latest CD, So Beautiful or So What. The CD is built around his acoustic guitar and as the title suggests, the songs consist of views on extremes. However, his projections find themselves somewhere in the middle. His songs lie between the worlds of love and indifference, good and evil, hope and heartbreak. He speaks on everything from Christmas shopping to suicide bombers to Global warming. It speaks of his nephew, who has been on multiple tours of duty to Iraq to Jay-Z and Jesus.
The Making of So Beautiful, So What
Singer-songwriter Paul Simon was listening to a box set of old American recordings one day. Among the songs, he found a Christmas sermon bearing the voice of Atlanta’s Rev. J.M. Gates, a hugely popular preacher in the 1930s and ’40s. That sermon stayed with Simon, who turned it into a song.
“It really struck me, not only because it was really an unusual way of having a Christmas sermon, because it’s very dark, it’s like a warning,” Simon tells Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep, “but also … there was a real rhythmic pulse to it … it sounded so natural. I lived with that for a while, and then I thought, ‘I could write a song called “Getting Ready for Christmas Day,” and find a way of making verses that lead up to the sermon and then follow the sermon.’ “
~ Excerpt from NPR’s interview with Paul Simon (04/12/11)
Setlist:
Boy in the Bubble
Dazzling Blue
Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover
So Beautiful or So What
Slip Sliding Away
Peace like a River
The Obvious Child
Only Living Boy in New York
Learn To Fall
Questions for the Angels
Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes
Gumboots
Sounds of Silence
Encore:
Kodachrome from 1973
Here Comes the Sun
Still Crazy After All These Years
Call Me Al
Simon started his set with “Boy In The Bubble,” the opening song on his 1986 album Graceland. Simon’s lyrics deal with the complex human consequences of modern technology. Do you recall the Boy In The Bubble from the 1980s? Ironically, this was a perfect start to a show that would continue on with songs highlighting intense issues.
“Dazzling Blue” followed and was the first song performed off Simon’s latest album. The song has a heavy African vibe; the stage was cast in a blue curtain of light with the majority of light on Simon alone. Beginning with a talking drum from India, the audience was immediately given access to the love that Simon has for different styles and texture of sound found in various cultures around the globe.
Miles apart, though the miles can’t measure distance Worlds apart on a rainy afternoon But the road gets dirty and it offers no resistance So turn your amp up and play your lonesome tune
Maybe love’s an accident, or destiny is true But you and I were born beneath a star of dazzling blue
~ Lyrics from “Dazzling Blue”
American rock drumming initiated the beginning to “Fifty Ways To Leave Your Lover,” a 1975 hit song from his album Still Crazy After All These Years. The stage was filled with green light and Simon sang about the song’s mistress and her humorous advice to a husband on ways to end a relationship.
Fun Fact: G. Love covered the song on his album Fixin’ To Die (2011) which he recorded with the folk-rock band The Avett Brothers. ~ Thanks Wikipedia
And then Paul spoke…
“Hello my friends. I am so happy to be here. This is my fourth or fifth time here.” ~ Paul Simon to his audience
The bluesy title track, “So Beautiful or So What,” off Paul Simon’s latest album, began with two wooden bars being clapped together. The song verbalizes a lesson about life being what you make of it.
Bemoaning human frailty:
Ain’t it strange the way we’re ignorant how we seek out bad advice How we jigger it and figure it mistaking value for the price And play a game with time and love like a pair of rolling dice.”~ Lyrics from “So Beautiful or So What”
I swear I heard a telephone ringing as part of the chorus. It was totally prevalent but I am not sure it was part of the song. At the time, it didn’t surprise me but it made me curious. I loved this song, with its full sound and rock sensibilities. There was a spoon on metal solo, accordion overlay, beaded shakers kept the beat and Paul showed his picking skills. One thing about Paul’s music, the sounds he conjures out of the various worldly instruments he employs in his music is what truly sets each song apart from the next.
Using his mouth in an unusual way to intro the song, Paul Simon chose another oldie, “Slip Sliding Away.” The best way I can describe these mouth sounds would be like when the drawings in the cartoons would take two coconuts to make the sound of a horse walking. It was gorgeous…until there was an equipment malfunction. Paul paused, tapping his fingers on his guitar until his other guitarist strapped in. Flutes and harpsichords were being played but I couldn’t figure out who was playing the beautiful sounds. Simon accompanied the beauty with whistles and the song ended with acoustic scaling and whistling by Simon.
“Peace like a River,” the 7th song of his 2nd studio album, highlighted the piano. Paul’s voice cut right through me. There is something so calming and soothing about his sound. The softness is romantic yet there is fierceness in his delivery that comes off as pure professionalism and eagerness to be different.
I found an eight minute video of the performance which shows nothing, but you can hear Simon on stage clearly and that is what matters:
Four drumsticks counted off as both drummers began the lead into “The Obvious Child.” This song is defined by it’s Latin-inspired rhythms and is off The Rhythm and Saints album released in 1990. Reminiscent of a Big Band feel, we started moving in our seats. Paul Simon knows what I like, he truly does. Bright red lights blew up the stage as Josh was so moved he got up to dance.
Did Paul know his favorite fans were in the audience from NYC? Did he know that the NYCers who were there loved this next song? Perhaps not! But I like to think he did as he broke into “The Only Living Boy in New York.” This song touched me deeply as it was the only song sung off Simon and Garfunkel’s 1970 release, Bridge Over Troubled Water, one of the greatest albums to ever grace this planet.
The irony was not lost on me that on the album it is Art Garfunkel who sings the song while Simon takes a secondary position in the delivery. Not this time. Not tonight.
Bridge Over Troubled Water fun facts:
Fifth and final studio album by Simon & Garfunkel
Reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on February 28, 1970
Won 1971 Grammy Award for Album of the Year
Won 1971 Grammy award for Best Engineered Recording
Title track won the 1971 Grammy Award for Record of the Year
Title track won the 1971 Grammy Award for Song of the Year
Won Best International Album at the first Brit Awards in 1977
#51 on The Rollings Stones ‘Greatest Album of all Time’ List
The tears trickled down my cheeks freely now. It had only been a matter of time before I knew this would happen and I did think it was going to happen sooner then it did. It took eight songs to rip into my heartstrings. I was immediately transported back to being 12 and hearing his voice for the first time and I prayed that he would sing more songs from this album but it never happened.
“Learn How To Fall” was full of horns and fierceness. It was jubilant yet with a serious message of needing to “Learn How to Fall” before you can “Learn How to Fly.”
Then perhaps my favorite song of the performance was next, a song I had never heard before. A song off the new album called “Questions for the Angels.”
On “Questions For The Angels,” a middle-aged man strolls across the Brooklyn Bridge searching for heavenly help, only to be confronted with a Jay-Z billboard for a reply.
A pilgrim on a pilgrimage Walked across the Brooklyn Bridge His sneakers torn In the hour when the homeless move their cardboard blankets And the new day is born….
…..Downtown Brooklyn The pilgrim is passing a billboard That catches his eye It’s Jay-Z He’s got a kid on each knee He’s wearing clothes that he wants us to try
~ Lyrics from Questions for Angels
Can I just give props to Paul Simon for picking on Jay-Z? I don’t want to condone any negative tension but I find it hilarious, although not surprising, that Paul Simon chose these lyrics. It makes me recall the feud between NAS (who I am seeing tonight with Damien Marley) and Jay-Z. Would this bring Jay-Z down on Simon? Will there be retaliation through lyrics? Can you imagine that going down? Now, that is some musical drama that I would be interested in seeing take place…just saying.
Speaking on religious material making it’s way into the album:
“It’s not so much that it pops out in a larger way … it’s more frequent. I really had no plan to do that,” Simon says. “They begin as stories, and where they go is just a path I follow. Sometimes spiritual or religious imagery will be part of the story. It’s seldom the point of the story, but it’s a presence that lingers.”
~ Excerpt from NPR’s interview with Paul Simon (04/12/11)
It was back to the old school, this time with songs from Simon’s most famous album, Graceland. At this point I just couldn’t take notes anymore. I had to dance this out. Other members of the audience felt the same way as they were lifted out of their seats during the dueling drummers solos during “Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes.” The song is a pure classic about a short relationship Paul Simon had with a diamond mine owner’s daughter, while recording in South Africa. She was very rich and privileged, yet she acted very down to earth, like a poor girl. The drummers were amazing playing off each other and I longed for a concert of just drummers. Can you imagine? I can.
The Lady Smith Black Mombazo inspired song “Gumboots” kept the dance party going. This song reminded me String Cheese meeting Bela Fleck. There was picking on the guitars and a violin entered the mix. The piano player got up and played the inside of his piano. There was such a wonderful mixture of sound and it kept us all on our feet. It’s a beautiful song inspired by The Gumboot Dance which is an African dance that is performed by dancers wearing Wellington boots. In South Africa these boots are more commonly called gumboots.
The rest of the band joined the stage for “Kodachrome from 1973” This song left the hall so full of sound. Great sound. My friends and I were all up dancing in our box. There was no calming us down.
There you have it 🙂 The end of the set. Exiting the stage to monstrous applause, the entire band left. The entire audience began clapping in unison without letting up. Shortly after, Paul came out alone on his acoustic guitar.
!!!!!!!!!!ENCORE!!!!!!!!!!
When the notes trickled from the stage and the audience heard “Sounds of Silence,” the Auditorium went silent. You could hear a pin drop. “Hello darkness my old friend”…and with that, the tears flowed freely again.
This was definitely the most intimate song of the night. It tore at the heart strings, it made people smile, scream and feel something inside of them stir. Paul’s music does that to you. It’s such a classic song that everyone on the planet knows and is touched by it.
Hello darkness, my old friend I’ve come to talk with you again Because a vision softly creeping Left its seeds while I was sleeping And the vision that was planted in my brain Still remains Within the sound of silence
~ Lyrics from “Sounds of Silence”
Then the audience joined in by humming the lyrics. A single man and his guitar was standing alone on one of the world’s most famous stages and had the entire placed entranced. It was magic. It was awesome. It was music at its simplest. Music at its best.
“Here Comes The Sun” was the second choice with accordions and two guitars with Simon backing the melody. And with that, the stage emptied again.
The following video has “Sounds of Silence” into “Here Come The Sun.” Enjoy!
!!!!!!!!!! ENCORE #2 !!!!!!!!!!
Everyone walked off stage and for a few minutes the audience just chanted in unison. Paul Simon came out yet again for a second encore. There was no end in sight and that was awesome.
I took out Josh’s Iphone and video taped “Crazy Love” in it’s entirety with GREAT quality. Enjoy!
“Still Crazy After All These Years” was next. Paul didn’t have an instrument for these songs. Just his voice.
“We’re living in a certain time, and we’re aware of it. And that’s part of what we’re aware of, along with our own personal aches and pains,” Simon says. “The dialogue between what’s going on in the world and what’s going on internally seems to be a natural thing — well, it’s natural to me, anyway, to have these thoughts.” ~ Excerpt from NPR’s interview with Paul Simon (04/12/11)
“Call Me Al” ended the set. Everyone was finally up dancing now. Dancing down below me and clapping. The flute player moved to the keys. There was a major bass rage. Only a few seconds but so funky! You know the bass line I’m speaking of??
“One of my favorite poets is Philip Larkin,” Simon says. “Philip Larkin didn’t write for several years before his life ended. And when he was asked why he didn’t write, he said the muse deserted him. It sort of scared me. That’s why I think I have no right to assume that some thought is going to come. … But I think, in my imagination, if it is it, there will probably be something else I’m interested in.”
At 70 years old, Paul Simon shows no signs of slowing down. He is a master of his art, with a soft, intelligent voice, that attains an unmatchable sense of melancholy and tenderness. Regarding his latest cd, anyone who can take a sermon and build an entirely new outlook on life through it by music is stellar. I was moved and inspired by this show and I hope that this article touches you in some way that makes you go out and purchase the new album or perhaps invest in seeing him live. Simply Phenomenal.
($20-$25) Bill Frisell Quartet featuring Ron Miles, Tony Scherr, Kenny Wolleson @ Village Vanguard
Monday, May 2, 2011
($8) Jim Campilongo @ The Living Room
($20) The Airborne Toxic Event @ Pianos
($25) Mingus Big Band @ The Jazz Standard
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
(Free) Dred Scott Trio @ Rockwood Music Hall
($24) The Airbourne Toxic Event @ The Mercury Lounge
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
(Free) Brooklyn Shakedown with Nutritious @ Bembe
($24) The Airbourne Toxic Event @ The Bowery Ballroom
($40-$133) Batiashvili, Bartók, and Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony @ Avery Fisher Hall
Thursday, May 5, 2011
New Orleans Jazz Festival, New Orleans, LA
(Free) Gent Treadly @ 11th Street Bar
(Free) Nir Felder Group (Mark Guiliana) @ 55 Bar
($5) Sophistafunk @ Rockwood Music Hall
($15) Jackie Greene @ Brooklyn Bowl
($20-$25) The Airborne Toxic Event @ Webster Hall
($40-$46) Bad Religion @ Terminal 5
($65-$144) Gladys Knight @ Beacon Theater
($1,500 – $5,000) Alan Gilbert Conducts 120th Anniversary Concert @ Carnegie Hall
Gala tickets include a seat at the concert and admission to a post-concert dinner-dance at The Plaza
Friday, May 6, 2011
New Orleans Jazz Festival, New Orleans, LA
(Free) Taurus (Mark Guiliana) @ Bowery Electric
($10) The Mother Hips @ The Brooklyn Bowl
($15 – $20) The Infamous String Dusters @ Bowery Ballroom
($22) Reverend Horton Heat plus Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band @ The Bell House
($24-$45) The Airborne Toxic Event @ Town Hall
($25-$30) Minus The Bear @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
($40-$46) Bad Religion @ Terminal 5
($40-$127) Batiashvili, Bartók, and Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony @ Avery Fisher Hall
Saturday, May 7, 2011
New Orleans Jazz Festival, New Orleans, LA
($22-$27) The NEW DEAL with special guests OTT & Sub Swara @ Terminal 5
($43-$138) Batiashvili, Bartók, and Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony @ Avery Fisher Hall
Sunday, May 8, 2011
New Orleans Jazz Festival, New Orleans, LA
($22) Reverend Horton Heat plus Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band @ Highline Ballroom
($41-$46) Interpol / Blonde Redhead @Terminal 5
Monday, May 9, 2011
(Free) Now vs. Now (Mark Guiliana) @ Rockwood Music Hall
($8) Jim Campilongo @ The Living Room
($25) Mingus Big Band @ The Jazz Standard
($1,500 – $5,000) James Taylor @ Carnegie Hall
Package A: Tickets are either $2,500 or $5,000 and include the exclusive After-Party and a seat in the Prime Parquet at the concert.
Package B: Tickets are $1,000 and include the pre-concert Cocktail Reception and a seat in the Parquet or Second Tier at the concert.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
(Free) Chris Morrissey Quintet @ Rockwood Music Hall
($30-$40) Pharoah Sanders Quartet @ Birdland New York
($32-$38) Raphael Saadiq @ Webster Hall
($45-$65) Al Jarreau and the George Duke Trio @ The Blue Note
($60-$159) Paul Simon @ The Beacon Theater
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
(Free) Brooklyn Shakedown with Nutritious @ Bembe
($15) The Louis Armstrong Centennial Band @ Birdland NYC
($45-$65) Al Jarreau and the George Duke Trio @ The Blue Note
($55-$159) Paul Simon @ The Beacon Theater
($50-$65) Blind Boys of Alabama @ City Winery
Thursday, May 12, 2011
(Free) Maceo Parker @Pier One ~ Brooklyn Bridge Park
($15) Break Science @ Highline Ballroom
($30-$40) Pharoah Sanders Quartet @ Birdland NYC
($35-$40) Brenda Russell and the George Duke Trio @ The Blue Note
($40-$64) Warren Haynes Band @ Beacon Theater
($40-$87) A Celebration of Kate McGarrigle w/ Rufus Wainwright, Emmylou Harris & Martha Wainwright Town Hall
Friday, May 13, 2011
(Free) Meshell Ndegeocello @ Gatehouse Restaurant and Bar, Brooklyn
($12) Wyllys @ Sullivan Hall
($30) Deftones @ Best Buy Theater
($30) The Mahavishnu Project plays the music of Jeff Beck @ Iridium Jazz Club
($30-$40) Pharoah Sanders Quartet @ Birdland NYC
($35-$40) Brenda Russell and the George Duke Trio @ The Blue Note
($40-$55) Allen Toussaint @ City Winery
($40-$87) A Celebration of Kate McGarrigle w/ Rufus Wainwright, Emmylou Harris & Martha Wainwright Town Hall
Saturday, May 14, 2011
(Free) The Prigs @ Rockwood Music Hall
(Free) Meshell Ndegeocello @ Gatehouse Restaurant and Bar, Brooklyn
(Free) Red Baraat for the Carnegie Hall Neighborhood Concert Series @ The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
($24-$29) Crash Test Dummies with Rob Morsberger @ City Winery
($30) Deftones @ Best Buy Theater
($30-$40) Pharoah Sanders Quartet @ Birdland NYC
($45-$65) Al Jarreau and the George Duke Trio @ The Blue Note
($80-$130) David Crosby & Graham Nash @ Town Hall
Sunday, May 15, 2011
(Free) Red Barraat for Celebrate Brooklyn! at Brooklyn Bridge Park @ Celebrate Brooklyn Dance Party
($30) Chico O’Farrill Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra @ Birdland NYC
($35-$55) Taylor Hicks @ City Winery
($45-$65) Al Jarreau and the George Duke Trio @ The Blue Note
($45-$75) Marcus Miller Presents: A Concert for Japanese Tsunami Relief @ Highline Ballroom
Featuring Raheem Devaughn, Robert Glasper, Sean Jones, Angelique Kidjo, Gregoire Maret, Raul Midon,Q-Tip, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, Kaoru Watanabe, Louis Cato, Alex Han, Federico Gonzalez Pena, Vince Wilburn, Wallace Roney and more TBA!
Monday, May 16, 2011
($8) Jim Campilongo @ The Living Room
($24-30) Rusted Root @ Bowery Ballroom
($25) Mingus Big Band @ The Jazz Standard
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
($20) Rusted Root’s Adam Ezra Group @ Brooklyn Bowl
($30-$35) Lykke Li @ Webster Hall
($35-$60) Kermit Ruffins and the Barbecue Swingers w/ Henry Butler @ Highline Ballroom
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
(Free) Brooklyn Shakedown with Nutritious @ Bembe
($20) Felice Brothers @ The Bell House
($25) Maceo Parker @ S.O.B.’s
($30-$35) Lykke Li @ Webster Hall
($35-$40) En Vouge @ B.B. Kings
($35-$60) Kermit Ruffins and the Barbecue Swingers w/ Eric Lindell (Album Release) @ Highline Ballroom
Thursday, May 19, 2011
($15-$20) Lo, Aaron, Dan and Jon of God Street Wine @ Joe’s Pub
(Free) Nir Felder Group (Mark Guiliana) @ 55 Bar
($10) Fundimensionals @ Sullivan Hall
($18-22) New Riders of the Purple Sage @ B.B. Kings
($20) The Felice Brothers @ The Bell House
($20) Reflection @ Rocks Off Cruise (The Halfmoon)
($25-$31) Brett Dennen @ Webster Hall
($35-$80) Adele @ Beacon Theater
Friday, May 20, 2011
($20-$25) Bill Frisell Quartet featuring Ron Miles, Tony Scherr, Kenny Wolleson @ Village Vanguard
($25) John Mayall @ B.B. Kings Blues Club
($25) Murder By Death @ Rocks Off River Cruise
Saturday, May 21, 2011
($12) Garage A Trois @ Brooklyn Bowl
($20-$25) Bill Frisell Quartet featuring Ron Miles, Tony Scherr, Kenny Wolleson @ Village Vanguard
($50-$77) Adele @ United Palace Theater
($55-$75) Johnny Mathis @ Lehman Arts Center, Bronx
($55-$65) Esperanza Spalding @ Town Hall
Sunday, May 22, 2011
(???) Mark Guiliana @ 55 Bar
($10-$15) A Soulful N’awlins Sunday Brunch w/ Brother Joscephus & The Love Revival Revolution Orchestra @ Le Poisson Rouge
($20-$25) Bill Frisell Quartet featuring Ron Miles, Tony Scherr, Kenny Wolleson @ Village Vanguard
($30) Chico O’Farrill Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra @ Birdland NYC
($50-$107) Elvis Costello and The Imposters – The Revolver Tour @ Beacon Theater
Monday, May 23, 2011
($8) Jim Campilongo @ The Living Room
($20-$25) Bill Frisell Quartet featuring Ron Miles, Tony Scherr, Kenny Wolleson @ Village Vanguard
($25) Mingus Big Band @ The Jazz Standard
($50-$107) Elvis Costello and The Imposters – The Revolver Tour @ Beacon Theater
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
(Free) Dred Scott Trio @ Rockwood Music Hall
($7) Richie Goods and Nuclear Fusion @ Local 269
($20-$25) Bill Frisell Quartet featuring Ron Miles, Tony Scherr, Kenny Wolleson @ Village Vanguard
($20-$100) Club d’Elf & John Medeski @ Brooklyn Bowl
($25-$30) Panic At The Disco @ Terminal 5
($30-$40) Kenny Barron Quartet with Terrance Blanchard @ Birdland NYC
($30-$45) Stanley Clarke @ The Blue Note
($35-$41) Artic Monkeys @ Rumsey Playfield, Central Park
($40-$115) Bettye LaVette @ Cafe Carlyle
($50-$107) Elvis Costello and The Imposters – The Revolver Tour @ Beacon Theater
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
(Free) Brooklyn Shakedown with Nutritious @ Bembe
($10) Gent Treadly, Willie Waldman Project, DJ Logic @ Sullivan Hall
($15) Kenny Barron Quartet with The Louis Armstrong Centennial Band @ Birdland NYC
($20-$25) Bill Frisell Quartet featuring Ron Miles, Tony Scherr, Kenny Wolleson @ Village Vanguard
($30-$45) Stanley Clarke @ The Blue Note
($40-$115) Bettye LaVette @ Cafe Carlyle
($52-$65) The Cars @ Roseland Ballroom
Thursday, May 26, 2011
(Free) Celebrate Brooklyn! at Brooklyn Bridge Park @ Celebrate Brooklyn Dance Party @ Brooklyn Bridge Park, Brooklyn, NY
Red Baraat and many more…
(Free) Tall, Tall Trees @ Rockwood Music Hall
($30-$40) Kenny Barron Quartet with Terrance Blanchard @ Birdland NYC
($30-$45) Stanley Clarke @ The Blue Note
($40-$115) Bettye LaVette @ Cafe Carlyle
Friday, May 27, 2011
($15) Joe Krown Trio feat. Walter “Wolfman” Washington & Russell Batiste followed by MiloZ @ Sullivan Hall
($20-$25) Steve Kuhn (solo piano) & The Daniel Bennett Group @ The Triad Theater
($25) The Birdland Big Band directed by Tommy Igoe @ Birdland NYC
($30-$45) Stanley Clarke @ The Blue Note
($40-$115) Bettye LaVette @ Cafe Carlyle
($50-$200) Wavy Gravy’s 75th Birthday!
Jackson Browne, Ani DiFranco, Steve Earle, Allison Moorer, Dr. John, Bruce Hornsby, Jorma Kaukonen, Steve Kimock, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Wavy Gravy
Saturday, May 28, 2011
($20) Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars @ The Bell House
($25-$28) David Johansen (Of the New York Dolls) @ City Winery
($30-$45) Stanley Clarke @ The Blue Note
Sunday, May 29, 2011
($18) Slick Rick @ B.B. Kings Blues Club
($23-$28) Bob Schneider @ Bowery Ballroom
($25) The Birdland Jazz Quartet @ Birdland NYC
($30) Chico O’Farrill Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra @ Birdland NYC
($30-$45) Stanley Clarke @ The Blue Note
($40-$115) Bettye LaVette @ Cafe Carlyle
Monday, May 30, 2011
($8) Jim Campilongo @ The Living Room
($20-$25) Bill Frisell Quartet featuring Ron Miles, Tony Scherr, Kenny Wolleson @ Village Vanguard
($25) Mingus Big Band @ The Jazz Standard
($30-$45) Stanley Clarke @ The Blue Note
($40-$115) Bettye LaVette @ Cafe Carlyle
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
(Free) Ray LaMontagne, Brandi Carlile, The Secret Sisters @ Central Park’s Summer Stage
(Free) Dred Scott Trio @ Rockwood Music Hall
($15) 7 Walkers featuring Bill Kreutzmann of Grateful Dead, Kirk Joseph of Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Papa Mali and Matt Hubbard, Jason Crosby and Dark Loft @ Brooklyn Bowl
($30-$45) Stanley Clarke @ The Blue Note
($37.50) George Clinton & The Parliament-Funkadelic All-Stars @ B.B. Kings
Musical Musings of a Tiny Rager 