"out at sardines"

a small package of great value arrived in the mailbox at mi casa this week: an envelope containing toby guinn's recording of the joshua manchester / jhon kahsen avant-garde jazz performance at sardines last tuesday, which i said at the time and can now confirm is _the most exciting music i've heard this yr_. this is wish-fulfillment stuff, like the night i heard charles moffett's kids crash a marchel ivery gig at the recovery room on lemmon avenue in dallas, or, in a very different way, the night i heard ron asheton and deniz tek with scott morgan's powertrane at the blind pig in ann arbor. it's always daunting to hear a recording of such an event after the fact; the possibility exists that it won't live up to our memory (can we really trust our perceptions in the moment?). thisun, i'm happy to say, didn't disappoint.

if you think avant-garde jazz seems out of place in cowtown, you just don't know yr history. a good number of the musicians who defined the sound of jazz's leading edge from the '50s through the '80s are native sons of the fort and alumni of i.m. terrell high school: ornette coleman, prince lasha, dewey redman, julius hemphill, ronald shannon jackson, and john carter, to name but a few. why, the mayor even gave ornette the key to the city when the innovative saxophonist-composer played at caravan of dreams back in '83! it might seem like sci-fi now, but "out" crews like ornette, shannon's decoding society, and james "blood" ulmer were regular visitors to caravan, that beautiful room with immaculate sightlines and a world-class sound system now occupied by a restaurant that shall remain nameless.

jhon kahsen (ne johnny case) has been a musical force here in da fort since 1969, releasing a varied catalog of his own recordings that include traditional country, western swing, and musique concrete as well as jazz, playing a long-lived gig at sardines -- six nights a week for 23 yrs and counting -- through a number of yrs when live jazz had almost disappeared from the cowtown evening stage, and mentoring loads of younger musos. with the release last year of love's bitter rage: a peace and justice suite, kahsen may have painted his masterpiece, while demonstrating a readiness to achieve ever deeper levels of expression.

manchester's a chicagoan, a photographer and teacher as well as a muso. the percussionist-composer has had his music played on npr. he performs regularly at an open jam hosted by the windy city's venerable association for the advancement of creative musicians, and is a member of the politically-charged improv outfit sir edmund hillary and the sherpas. also on the date: khasen's longtime collaborator chris white on flute and bass (he also played trumpet on some pieces that toby's recorder didn't catch); vibist joey carter, best known for his work with bertha coolidge and the black dog's sunday night jazz sets but also a key contributor to love's bitter rage; trumpeter leonard belota, who once walked into and out of the moon in about a minute when he saw an electric bass onstage, but played with '80s noo yawk avant-rawkers the leisure class and clearly has an affinity for "out" stuff; and bassist daniel stone.

as indicated earlier, toby's temperamental recorder wasn't able to catch all of the proceedings, but as luck would have it, he did manage to capture some of the best stuff. the first track ("free improv #1") joins an improvisation already in progress; chris white had opened it with a lengthy solo turn on flute. the confluence of his dolphyesque swoops and flutters and jhon's ruminative pianner recall the quieter portions of mingus' "meditations" before manchester makes his entrance, recalling another meditations -- specifically trane's, and rashied ali's impression of a boiling-over pot or erupting volcano. kahsen shifts from modality to atonality at will.

"free improv #2" opens with chris moving to bass (and goddamn, i gotta ask him to burn me another copy of the cd-r of his "outside" outfit with, i believe, some weatherford college cats that gigged at the black dog a coupla times back in '04) and playing an intro with gtristic facility before settling into an ostinato that sparks a melodic conversation between kahsen and carter. (listening to this, my sweetie remarked, "these guys have to be the best _listeners_ in the world." true dat.) as manchester's riddimic patterns grow more complex, belota enters, bobbing and weaving like freddie hubbard usedta when he was playing "out" with ornette / dolphy / coltrane et al. khasen introduces a new theme, white responds and belota comments, with punctuation by manchester. the riddim section starts a traditional-sounding walk, over which kahsen flows cascading lines and carter adds shimmering counterpoint before kahsen concludes the piece with some spanish-tinged lyrical flourishes.

carter initiates "free improv #3" on unaccompanied vibes. it's hard to believe an instrument with such a delicate sound can be played with such intensity, but joey proves it's possible, with manchester shadowing his every move. then kahsen unleashes a roiling solo as the accompaniment shifts underneath him like tectonic plates before white jumps in with a speech-inflected rush of notes. (the classic chris white story: the time he 'n' his ex-wife were scrappin' and he came home to find his upright in pieces in the kids' wading pool.) kahsen continues the spirited dialogue with white and manchester before winding things up on a contemplative note. it's only about 37 minutes, but so were a love supreme and what's going on. hopefully, there'll be an "official" release of this (and maybe some of the other recordings from that night that are supposedly floating around) -- as well as more evenings like thisun at sardines.

fifth avenue jazz collective

bulletin from arts fifth avenue:

WORLD PREMIERE
EVENT: 5th Avenue Jazz Collective
DATE: Friday Oct 5th and Saturday Oct. 6th
TIME: 7:30 pm
COST: $10
Includes jazz vittles & Libations by donation
Meet & greet with the musicians following the performances

Six Fort Worth native jazz artists premiere original jazz compositions. The Collective is made up of Dave Williams, Joey Carter, Pat Brown, Leonard Belota, Kip Green and Eddie Dunlap. With a joint experience of over 125 years, these jazzmen are dedicated to their art and constantly work to keep things new and fresh.

The concept of 5th Avenue Jazz Collective is twofold: first, to provide an ongoing collection of musicians dedicated to developing and exploring jazz and providing an outlet for their original compositions; second, to further Arts Fifth Avenue’s 6 year history of presenting jazz in an intimate family friendly venue for listening and exploring jazz.

Leonard Belota, Trumpet: A native of Fort Worth and graduate of Diamond Hill, he began his career in 1965 in Fort Worth and Dallas, working for club magnate Tony Caterin. He toured the States with Monopoly LTD, a show band associated with Stax Records. After returning to Fort Worth for a time, he moved to New York City where he immersed himself in the jazz culture, being fortunate to play with many of his jazz heroes. He returned once more to Fort Worth where formed the Lelota Be-Bop Quintet, and played with Pete Peterson and with the Winston Barney Orchestra. He continues to grow and soak up local jazz color and is the founding force behind the 5th Avenue Jazz Collective.

Eddie Dunlap, Drums: A native of Fort Worth & began playing drums professionally at age of 10. Eddie has over 30 years experience in drum set, hand drums & percussion. He's performed with Stevie Ray Vaughn, Mose Alison, Master Cylinder, French tap dancer, Sarah Petronio, & West African dancer, Titus Fotso. He has hosted workshops through the Van Cliburn Foundation with the Brazilian percussion group, Uakti, & internationally renowned percussionist, Evelyn Glennie. You may also have heard him over the past twenty years working on musicals with local theaters such as Jubilee Theater, Circle Theater & Hip Pocket Theatre. Eddie is also the founder and artistic director of Mondo Drummers.

Dave Williams, Saxophonist & Composer: A native of Fort Worth, Texas, Dave grew up in a family of musicians. By his teens he was performing in a variety groups from woodwind quartets to jazz big bands, from rock to western bands. When he first heard jazz great Wayne Shorter’s classic 1964 recording of “Speak No Evil”, he began an in depth study of jazz and graduated from the world renowned University of North Texas College of Music. For the past 20 years, he has performed professionally in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and toured the United States with jazz artists such as Louie Bellson, Mel Torme, Clark Terry and the Glenn Miller orchestra among others. He has backed pop artist such as The Temptations, Frankie Valli, and The Supremes as well as playing festivals and concert halls.

Pat Brown, Trombonist & Composer: A native of Fort Worth, Pat Brown began playing trombone at age 12. He has performed and recorded with numerous Latino organizations in the Metroplex including Latin Express, C.R. and Special Guest, Joe Lerma, and Lisa Ramirez. He has performed and recorded with such diverse groups as Razzmajazz Dixieland Band, and Tao, an electric fusion venture, which he co-founded with Fort Worth guitarist Keith Wingate. He plays jazz trombone frequently at the Jazz Café and with Johnny Case at Sardine’s Restaurant. He currently is playing, arranging, and composing for a variety of musical organizations. He received a Bachelor of Music in performance from Sam Houston State University where he played lead chair in the jazz ensemble under the direction of Dave Caffey. This group represented the United States during a tour of Romania, which included concerts in Bucharest and Sibiu.

Joey Carter, Piano, Vibes & Percussion: A native of Fort Worth is active in the Fort Worth -Dallas area as a jazz vibraphonist, drumset artist, percussionist, jazz pianist, and organist, having performed as a soloist, with many area jazz groups, Johnny Reno, Brad Thompson and his Undulating Band, the Fort Worth Symphony Big Band, the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, the Arlington Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Texas Wind Symphony. Joey is a member of and composer for the original jazz group Bertha Coolidge whose debut release Live at the Caravan of Dreams 030201 won the Album of the Year in the 2002 Fort Worth Weekly music awards. He is currently teaching percussion at Texas Christian University. Mr. Carter received his Master of Music degree in Percussion Performance at Texas Christian University in May of 2000 and a B.M.E. from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1991.

Kip Green, Bass: A native of Fort Worth is active as both a classical and jazz bassist, Kyp is a member of the Dallas Wind Symphony, East Texas Symphony, Waco Symphony and the Dallas Jazz Orchestra. He had backed artists as diverse as Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zuckerman in the classical world to popular acts such as Yanni, the Moody Blues, Larry Gatlin, Steve Allen and Phyllis Diller. Over the years he has also been privileged to accompany many jazz greats such as Clark Terry, Doc Severance, Eddie Daniels, Al Grey, Red Holloway, Carl Fontana, the Four Freshmen, Bobby Shew, Shelly Berg, Don Menza, Marv Stamm, James Clay and Lou Marini, among many others.

“Poetry without words, science with a soul, spiritualism without division. Support your local artists, do not wait for others to tell you who they are; enjoy the journey of exploring, be brave, be jazzy.“ -- Leonard Belota

Johnny Case ends 28-year run at Sardines

Sad news for jazz fans in the Fort: pianist Johnny Case's long-running engagement at Sardines Ristorante Italiano will end this Sunday after 28 years. The restaurant is closing and will be replaced by a bar. While Case said he'd been told he'd be part of the new arrangement, he learned last week that was not to be.

Generations of Fort Worth jazz fans have gone to Sardines to hear Johnny dip into his extensive repertoire of standards, both solo and, on weekends, with small groups of musos who valued the opportunity to learn from him. Over the years, they've included bassists Charles Scott (R.I.P.), Byron Gordon, Kyp Green, Toby Guinn, Jeremy Hull, Drew Phelps, and Daniel Stone; drummers Eddie Dunlap, Duane Durrett, Don Sowell, Danny Tcheco, and Ron Thayer; guitarists Jerry Case (Johnny's brother), Clint Strong, Sam Walker, and Keith Wingate; multi-instrumentalist Chris White; percussionist Joshua Manchester; saxophonists Mario Cruz and Dave Williams; trombonist Pat Brown; trumpeters Leonard Belota and Leo Saenz; and vibist Joey Carter.

I asked a few of Johnny's familiars to weigh in with reminiscences.

Jon Castleberry (former Sardines manager): I feel bad that I have taken for granted that he would always be there. I started bussing tables there in '83, but really remember him and his music when I started bartending there in '87.

He had a tremendous impact on me -- many wise words. His wealth of knowledge for musicians and music is equal to none. I loved the way he knew my favorites "Back at the Chicken Shack" and "Besame Mucho," and played them when he knew I had time to listen. He introduced me to great stuff I never would have bought or even knew to listen to from old country to some obscure jazz.

A memory that I will always cherish is a day I met Johnny for lunch at Spiral Diner on Magnolia. He had a copy of An Epic Life, Willie Nelson's biography by Joe Nick Patoski. Johnny was a big contributor [to the book]. He had Joe Nick sign it for me, and gave it to me at lunch. I guess that memory is my favorite because he shows what a thoughtful and caring person he is.

Sam Walker (guitarist): In the early 90's, when I was just getting back into music after a long layoff, I was playing at a place called Guidi's on Camp Bowie every Friday and Saturday. My gig was over at 10pm and I would stop by the old Sardine's almost every night after the gig to sit in.

I was trying to get my playing together and Johnny was very supportive of me. I went to his house and took several lessons from him. He was always encouraging and exposed me to new players that I hadn't heard of. One of those players was Grant Green who became one of my biggest influences.

Johnny was always supportive of the young, aspiring jazz musicians. This is one of the main contributions to this type of music that he has made, along with his own playing and recording. He is keeping the music alive by helping the next generation to continue playing jazz.

Drew Phelps (bassist): I think the first time I played with Johnny might have been at Weatherford College with Duane Durrett, James Clay, and Dewey Redman. I paid my Sardines dues with Al Malacara and then Kelly Durbin when the joint was on Camp Bowie, so I didn't play with Johnny a lot until later, when I could take a night off to go play Sardines. It's a drag to think that place won't be there any more. I hope Johnny finds a place to land. The DFW area needs him to keep showing the young bass players how to play in the classic jazz piano trio setting. The number of good bass players he brought into the world is more than I care to count.

Leonard Belota (trumpeter): I cannot remember meeting Johnny, I have known him since the '80s. As a budding jazz player, I learned as much from him as I learned from anyone. Also, it has been a great privilege to listen to him change and grow; I think this is the only way to learn this art form completely. How to play every note with meaning, how to nuance a phrase, how to build a motif on a motif on a melody. How to put the music ahead of ego, how to be open and humble around other humans, especially fragile musicians. How to live a creative lifestyle and love your family and respect the sanctity of life. I met his wife Kitty much later. Not enough can be said about artists' wives; they are as special as their spouses and in this case maybe more so. Longevity with a creative body is trying and deserves its own praise. Johnny will go on to create and amaze, but places like the old Sardines are slow to make an appearance. Fort Worth is my home and I love it dearly; its creative artsy side is legendary. However, growing small group jazz formats here has been a struggle.

Joey Carter (drummer, vibist, and pianist): I had heard about Johnny and his brother from my dad for years. Before the Sardines gig, Johnny played a lot of "casual" dates in town, and my dad, who is a singer/bassist, knew and respected both of the Case brothers. I believe that Johnny had even subbed for my dad on bass. I don't believe they actually worked together much, but they certainly knew each other.

I had heard Johnny at J.R.'s once when I was still in high school, and heard the trio a couple of times at Sardines when I was in college, but I did not start going to Sardines on a regular basis until I was out of school. I think it was probably 1992 when I started going a lot. It took me a while to get up the guts to ask him if I could sit it -- on drums: that was all I did back then. He was always nice but quiet and maybe a little hard to read. I started sitting regularly on weekend nights; Don Sowell knew my dad well and he was always very gracious to me. I was working private clubs gigs at the time, which I hated, but going to Sardines after that was always a great release. I got to play jazz with great players. I loved music again when I did that, and it really kept me going.

I bought my vibraphone in 1994, and immediately asked Johnny if I could bring it down on a solo night. He said yes -- Johnny actually played vibes on a few Time Warp Top Hands [western swing group led by Tom Morrell] tunes -- and after the first night, I remember he said that I had a lot of work to do, but if I kept getting better, I could come back. I came back every week. He was (and still is) so inspiring to play with. In that period, he showed me tunes, made me play things I didn't really know, made me listen; he is the best teacher I ever had. He also gave me my first regular gig as a piano player in 1998. (The Sardines gig is also the longest regular gig I have ever had!) I was pretty bad, but he knew that I would get better and not offend anyone; I am eternally grateful for that.

I have had many great nights with Johnny, but the most memorable is one where I played one tune with Johnny and the great Charles Scott on bass. We played "Invitation" in a bossa style. Charles played half note roots and 5ths the whole tune and held the fort while Johnny swirled around the pulse like he was casting spells and weaving magic. I was playing, but really I was caught up in listening. I simply reacted to what I was hearing with the drums. I felt like I was listening from outside of myself and playing with my subconscious. I was in the zone. It was the first time I truly listened, and I grew more as musician that night than I could ever think possible. The feeling of it is still very clear, and I think I can credit that night with any of the skill I have now.

I know that I am not the only person in town who has been influenced this way. Almost every bass player in the area has played with Johnny at Sardines; it was school for a lot of us and that is thing I will miss. Johnny will still be around and I think he will be playing soon somewhere, but it is hard to imagine anyplace being quite like that. I hope I am wrong about that. Johnny's impact on the Fort Worth jazz scene is deeper that it seems on the surface. Every jazz player I know from Fort Worth has passed through those doors at some point and I think that the Sardines staff (at least the original staff) knew that and was supportive of the musicians.

Let us not forget that every gig has an end. Twenty-eight years is a great (and unheard of!) run. Johnny will be OK; maybe it will kick people like me in the butt enough to make gigs happen with him.

Caroline Collier (former Sardines bartender): I have learned that while others copy jazz, Johnny Case captures its real essence. I worked at Sardines off and on for about five years out of 10, and in all those nights of hearing his “daily devotional,” I don't think he ever missed a note. Literally, not one. At least, not that my untrained ears noticed.

Back when Sardines was on Camp Bowie, we used to say that Johnny was responsible for the flood of supernatural occurrences that happened in that rickety old building. Jazz, moreso than other genres, flirts with that mystical connection between music and the unknown, and Johnny seemed more like a sorcerer than piano player. To my more opportunistic friends like Byron Gordon and Arthur Castillo, Johnny was a great mentor. He would patiently allow them to sit in, sometimes while they were still waiting on tables. No customers seemed to mind, though, because Sardines was Johnny Case. The food was secondary.

In the new location, Johnny really pushed the boundaries of jazz as far into the future as they would bend. I appreciated seeing him blend his strong political convictions into his music with [his 2005 CD] Love's Bitter Rage. He introduced me to a lot of new players like Daymond Callahan and Daniel Tcheco. Johnny knows more than anyone else about the history of jazz in Fort Worth (and elsewhere, but especially here), and he would share stories with anyone who would listen. Many dined at Sardines just for this reason.

While Johnny will go on and make more great music, the fact that he won't be playing in public six nights a week is a big loss for Fort Worth.

Amy Matarese (Sardines owner's daughter/former manager): My first experience of Johnny Case was when I was just a wee girl of 11 years old. Johnny began gifting us with his great presence, wonderous soul and elite jazz at Sardines in 1983. By this time, I had been witness to the untamed style of life that Sardines tended to draw on from its employees, entertainers, and customers since 1977. I had had my fair share of absorbing the energy which seemed to exude from Sardines and these times, yet was not prepared for the powerful journey Johnny Case would provide us the opportunity to be part of.

Being very young and sensitive, I sensed a world unfold before me with uniqueness that would place us all within the Fort Worth Cultural District for decades to follow. It was a world for the iconoclast alone and I was fortunate to hear, see and feel the magic of jazz from the hearts of Johnny Case, the Johnny Case Trio and Friends for most of my life.

The impact & memories are numerous and profound. The experience is one of greatness and honor. The loss beyond measure.

We thank you Johnny for your dedication, loyalty, expertise and heart. We are lesser without you.

Joey Carter said that original Sardines owner Sal Matarese, who still owns the restaurant's grand piano, is gifting the instrument to Case in appreciation for his years with the establishment. Here's hoping that an enterprising restaurateur or club owner with an appreciation for the good stuff will step up and offer Johnny and his piano a new home.

If you've been meaning to get over to Sardines to check him out, better do it before Sunday.

ADDENDUM: Happy ending!

johnny case, joshua manchester

most exciting music i've heard so far this yr: an evening of free improv put together by pianist-composer-activist johnny case at sardines, of all places, featuring drummer joshua manchester. also on the set: leonard belota (trumpet), joey carter (vibes), daniel stone (bass), and mvp chris white (trumpet, flute, bass). johnny pulled it together on the quick when manchester called from his sweet home chicago to try and hustle a gig while accompanying his wife on a biz trip. tuesday's usually a dead night at the restaurant, and these cats dream about making music totally extempore, without the constraints of heads, chord changes, expectations, fans. the vibe was redolent of classic '60s dates like dolphy's out to lunch 'n' cecil taylor's unit structures. from moment to moment, a different man might be the "leader," with the others listening and responding empathetically. when we got there, johnny was hammering out tone clusters a la cecil (i finally figured out who he reminds me of: jaki byard, a cat steeped in tradition who can also go "out"). this led to a dialogue between belota on ruminative harmon mute and chris white playing smears and flurries of notes on open horn. (when not playing, leonard had his eyes closed a lot of the time; i'd like to have seen the movies that this music was making inside his head.) joshua, who plays regularly at an open jam sponsored by the aacm (still active 'n' vital after all these yrs), can play total sprung riddim a la sunny murray or his homeski famoudou don moye; there were times when the only repeating figures onstage came from joey on vibes or young bassist stone. chris white opened one piece with a virtuosic turn on flute, which manchester, stone, and case built to an intensity. then white moved to bass, playing a legato line with lotsa intervallic leaps that reminded me a bit of one local muso's comment that "chris' bass playing is a lot like his flute playing," and the music spiralled to an even higher level. carter kicked one off with his usual deft four-mallet work, and case, white, and manchester rode it out till they had nothing left to add. there are moments when this music flows like a mountain stream; at others, it surges like an erupting volcano. at all times, it's like looking at the world with new eyes. be nice if sardines could do this kinda thang on a reg'lar basis. while not jam-packed, there were a good number of music appreciators in the house; some of 'em even ate food. if you weren't there, you missed it, kid.

happy birthday miles

where else but the fort can you listen to the van cliburn competition on the radio like it was a sporting event, then head for the black dog tavern to hear a galaxy of stellar jazz musos pay tribute to the sorcerer, the prince of darkness his own self, miles davis, on what woulda been the 79th anniversary of his arrival on earth? nowhere, that's where. so much culcha, so little pretense; gawd, i love this town.

the miles tribute, brainchild of bassist paul unger of fort worth symphony and flipside trio fame and peripatetic trumpeter karl poetschke (ex-sivad, ex-ghostcar, and so peripatetic in fact that he didn't bother to show up for the gig at all), is the first of what, with any luck, will wind up being many evenings of jazz repertory in fort worth. the concept was an overview of milestory in three acts, starting with kind of blue, the 1959 album on which miles invented modal jazz and defined his era in one fell swoop; moving on to miles smiles from 1966, on which a band of young firebrands took the earlier album's innovations and ran with 'em, adding their own compositional elan; and finishing up with the controversial period that started with the serenely lyrical in a silent way and the dark, dense convolutions of bitches brew, which found miles incorporating rock and funk influences, alienating much of his erstwhile audience, and paving the way for many of his sidemen's crossover success.

it's a testament to unger's organizational ability and the talents of his all-star cast that they were able to pull off this ambitious program without the benefit of a single rehearsal. aficionados who showed up at the scheduled 9pm start time got to see unger scrambling to hand out lead sheets and "batting orders" while the musos set up and tuned up. i had visions of players lined up three deep on the stage, so that when the first rank got mowed down by the surly black dog claque, field marshal unger could rush in his reserve quintet from the alleyway.

since i had to leave midway into the second set (it was a school night, after all), i don't actually know for sure if karl poetschke ever arrived or not. in the absence of poetschke -- much of whose work with ghostcar sounds like an homage to in a silent way anyhow -- the role of the electric-period miles would have been played by leonard belota, a musician whom i've seen turn on his heels and walk out of a club because he saw a fender bass on the bandstand. while belota's agreeable post-bop style seems downright loquacious compared to the succinctness of miles' song, the trumpeter seemed unintimidated by the thought of whose shoes he was filling, soloing effectively on the '50s and '60s material. joining him in the front line were saxophonists jim sangrey (quartet out) in the coltrane tenor slot and dave williams (dave and daver) on alto a la cannonball. williams is a skillful but self-effacing improvisor; hearing him stretch out is always a treat. my friend who analyzes jazz solos in baseball pitching terms (too much ken burns? _you_ decide!) had this to say about sangrey: "he's throwing all spitballs and sliders. when's he going to _bring the heat_?" for the second set, williams reverted to his usual tenor. does it really take two tenormen to make one wayne shorter? perhaps.

of course, a lot of the action took place in the riddim section. during the kind of blue segment, bassist drew phelps was uncharacteristically on-point (had his "inside" circuit breakers engaged), while it was an absolute stone pleasure to hear dave karnes behind the traps, playing the music he loves best (rather than slumming with some rock band). things started to heat up when unger and his flipside drummer dennis durick stepped up during the miles smiles set. joey carter, who should know, called durick "the best jazz drummer in dallas or fort worth," and the subject of the hyperbole did a pretty good job of proving carter's case, churning up a polyrhythmic firestorm during pianist joe rogers' solo spot in "orbits." (to experience the unger-durick tandem in their natural environment, you need to hear flipside's live double cd raw.) it was a rare pleasure hearing rogers, who's spent 20 years laboring behind the curtain at jubilee theater, dancing on the keys in a straightahead setting. one of my earliest fort worth musical memories is of hearing him playing fusion with master cylinder at the ass-end of the '70s.

speaking of fusion, by the time the band had finished playing "footprints," the clock on the wall said it was almost 1am, and you could feel the mahaherbiehancockorea contingent getting antsy. joey carter, on hand to provide extra keyboard firepower for the electric set, got on the drums and funked up "dolores" a little. there was a line of gtrists, including tom reynolds and bertha coolidge's paul metzger, and an even larger contingent of rabid gtr freaks in the audience. as we were leaving, they were about to get their wish: i saw metzger heading for the stage with his es-335. if i'd heard the opening dulcet tones of "in a silent way" before we hit the door, i'd have had to turn around, but barring that, it was time to go; i'm trying to get over the idea of life as an ongoing sleep-deprivation experiment.

overall, it was a great night of music that pulled a good-sized crowd (and only about 30% of 'em musicians, at that), considering it had minimal publicity at nearly the last possible moment. i suggested to unger that next, he oughtta do a monk tribute at sardine's with johnny case. "i wanna do _ornette_ next," he said. someone from jazz by the boulevard needs to talk to this guy (and festival organizer ricky chewning was in the house, so maybe that'll happen). rumors of the fest's demise have been greatly exaggerated, but an embryonic plan to try and book ornette this year apparently sleeps with the fishes. an all-star ornette tribute might be the next best thing, though: a way of celebrating both fort worth's illustrious jazz past and its rich (if subterranean) jazz present.

a jazz collective in the fort? a quiet month ahead...

ran into dave williams at the market. he promises another ornettology performance "before the jazz festival" and says he's been rehearsing with a new "jazz collective" helmed by trumpeter leonard belota that also includes musos of the caliber of ex-master cylinder mastermind / longtime jubilee theatre composer-in-residence joe rogers, arts fifth avenue co-founder / mondo drummers artistic director eddie dunlap, young lion daymond callahan, etc. they're looking at a number of venues, including some of the smaller bass hall spaces. sounds like i need to give leonard a call.

it's been kind of a retrospective and introspective month at mi casa, and in the one to come, i'll be preoccupied with family stuff, promises to keep, etc. the jamcats' level of activity seems to be diminishing, and the stoogeband is taking the month off completely. i'm waiting to hear about some freelance writing stuff. be interesting to see what happens next.

the leisure class "i love you more"

hard to believe that leonard belota once played with these guys, but they say he did. tough stuff.

avant-garde sound clips

to whet your appetite for the march 25th avant-garde hoedown at arts fifth avenue, here are a coupla snippets from chicago drummer joshua manchester's minidisc recording of the first avant-garde event at sardines a few months back, when he performed with jhon kahsen, joey carter, daniel stone, chris white, and leonard belota. we have track 1 and track 7. enjoy!

sardines jazz in may

just heard from jhon kahsen that special events are returning to sardines next month. the avant-garde evenings will resume on a monthly basis (not bi-monthly, as they had been), the first tuesday of each month, starting on mayday with a lineup of kahsen (piano), jaelun washington (drums), joey carter (vibes), chris white (bass), leonard belota (trumpet), and pat brown (trombone). sunday, may 20th, will feature a program of ornette coleman compositions, with dave williams (saxophones), chris white (flute and trumpet), paul unger (bass), and dennis durick (drums) playing two sets, beginning at 6pm.

avant-garde night @ sardines

boy, do the months fly by -- jhon kahsen just called to remind me that tonight's avant-garde night at sardines. tonight's lineup will include joey carter on _drums_, leonard belota on trumpet, chris white on trumpet and flute, jeremy hull on bass, and pat brown on trombone. duane durrett may also play some drums in the second set. i'm a li'l under the weather right now, but if i'm feeling better, my sweetie 'n' i hope to make it out there tonight. so should you.

detritus

i don't go to shows anymore; i just go to work and read e-mail. i learn some interesting things that way.

f'rinstance, marlin von bungy wrote 'n' lifted a li'l bit more o' the veil on the me-thinks' freshly-mastered double e.p. marlin and his bandmates will 'n' ray are personable chaps with lotsa musical friends, several of whom participated in the sessions for the double e.p. specifically, mike bandy from helldamncrap played gtr on "bong mcgyver," richard hurley from blood of the sun did the same on "texas gigolo," and the guitar player and frontman from the riverside ramblers both performed on "permanent krokus." the me-thinks had to opt out of their scheduled wreck room stand with max cady and mescalero when the date slipped from sept. 1st to the 8th, but they'll still be on the bill oct. 14th at fredtoberfest with honky, the gideons, and stoogeaphilia.

noted bassplayer, philosopher, bon vivant and raconteur matt hembree aka katboy has a busy month coming up. this saturday, he and his riddim section buddy damien stewart get to do double duty with both goodwin and pablo and the hemphill 7 at, um, gators in euless (an early show -- starts at 7pm). then next week, it's yet another "i wanna be your [black] dog" thursday with stoogeaphilia at the black dog, followed by pablo shows friday at the wreck room (supported by villain vanguard) and saturday at the flying saucer. the following week, it's underground railroad at the speakeasy (see previous post), a kind of shakedown for their whirlwind five-date "u.s. tour," with shows in indiana, kentucky, west virginia, massachusetts, and new jersey. matthew returns to the fort in time to play the black dog again with stoogeaphilia sept. 28th. we'll be mighty glad to see him back. which reminds me, i need to start listening to raw power again.

and it looks as though there _will_ be more avant-garde evenings at sardines. bossman jon castleberry approached jhon kahsen about it, and jhon's leaning toward doing it the second tuesday, every other month. joey carter, chris white, and leonard belota are on board. film, as they say, at 11.

fifth avenue jazz collective

this from gracey tune of arts fifth avenue:

Leonard Belota, Eddie Dunlap, Pat Brown, Kip Green, Dave Williams, Joey Carter and Daymond Callahan will premiere an evening of Original Jazz Compositions written by Pat Brown & Dave Williams on Friday Oct 5 & Sat Oct 6th. Other jazz artists included in the future collective, but not performing at this time, include Joe Rogers and Rick Stitzel. The evening (doors open 7:30pm) will include the concert, an exhibit of each artist's jazz history, and a reception to visit with the artists and hang out. Admission $10.

Their next rehearsal - to which everyone is welcome - will be Sept 30th @2:30pm.

leisure class

here are two more live vids from detroit-via-noo-yawk arty boho punk-funkers the leisure class. first one, "joy," was recorded at beowulf in nyc, 1991, and gets downright operatic/zappaesque.



second one, "i love my fucking country," was recorded live at st. andrew's hall in dee-troit, 1985. hard to believe foat wuth jazz eminence leonard belota usedta play trumpet with these guys, but he did.

avant-garde jazz at sardines next tuesday

this from jhon kahsen:

NOW A REGULAR EVENT!
AVANT GARDE NIGHT
at Sardines Ristorante Italiano
509 University Drive, Fort Worth, Texas
817 332-9937

9:00 PM
Tuesday – March 6, 2007

an evening of totally improvised jazz
with
JHON KAHSEN & the ANARKESTRA

Featured artists include:

JAELUN WASHINGTON
CHRIS WHITE
JEREMY HULL
DAVE WILLIAMS
KARL POETSCHKE
JOEY CARTER
PAT BROWN
LEONARD BELOTA

Come enjoy the sound of surprise!
EVERY AVANT GARDE NIGHT A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE

Johnny Case's 25th Anniversary at Sardines, 9.2.2008

It might have been the best night of music ever at Sardines. A host of great players and fans showed up to help Johnny Case (aka Jhon Kahsen) commemorate 25 years of Fort Worth's longest-lived opportunity to hear live jazz, and to celebrate the release of two new CDs, Texas Sunset Suite (with his guitarist brother Jerry) and Strays...and Other Songs (with a trio including ubiquitous bassist Jeremy Hull and fiery South African-born drummer Danny Tcheco).

Rolling up on the restaurant, we found the parking lot jam-packed -- a good sign -- and parked across University Drive. I'd neglected to make reservations, but owner Amy Matarese was kind enough to have saved us a table right in front of the bandstand. Johnny was holding forth with the Hull-Tcheco riddim section, Joey Carter on vibes, Keith Wingate on guitar, and Mario Cruz on tenor sax. (Seeing Joey's daughter and Dave Williams' son standing behind Joey's vibes reminded me of watching Sir Marlin Von Bungy's son operating the Me-Thinks' smoke machine at Lola's on Sunday.)

Cruz is a Fort Worth native who's logged time on the road with Jaco Pastorius and Blood Sweat and Tears. "Mario was my band director in middle school," said Latin Express trumpet king Leo Saenz. "He was only there for like a year, then he left. One day we turned on the TV, and there he was, tearing it up on Saturday Night Live." Cruz is a forceful, expressive player whose big tone recalls Coltrane's sheets of sound and Sonny Rollins' endless invention. (He also does the walk-on to the bandstand a la Sonny.) He made all the drummers work hard -- not just Tcheco (who displayed admirable restraint and use of dynamics as well as his trademark power), but Dwayne Durrett and Eddie Dunlap as well. The whole band was on fire, but it was Cruz's big sound that was stoking it. It's good to have a player of his caliber back on the Fort Worth scene. (Tenormen Dave Williams and Johnny Guadarrama were also in attendance but didn't play while I was there.)

The vibe became mellower when Jon Pointer (a friend of Johnny's since the '60s) took over behind the ivories, Hull and Tcheco yielded bass and drum duties to Kyp Green and Durrett, and a new front line with Leonard Belota on fluegelhorn and Pat Brown on trombone stepped in. Leo Saenz joined them for a down-and-dirty blues. Then Johnny and Mario returned and Leo led them in a Latin groove that was a favorite when Latin Express used to play the old Black Dog, with Leo singing and playing water glass percussion as well as stirring the crowd with his high-note trumpet fluency. Chris White, Toby Guinn, and Drew Phelps took their turns on bass, Pat Brown got his chance to shine on the first (!) ballad of the evening, then Chris returned to play trumpet on a "Mr. P.C." with Daymond Callahan on piano. We had to leave as a bit of free improv was just getting started.

The big, receptive crowd spurred the musicians on to ever greater heights of invention. Hopefully they'll continue to support jazz at Sardines on a regular basis, and make it out to the Jazz By the Boulevard festival September 19-21, when many of the musos will be performing. (I also made a note to try and get the night off on Saturday, September 13, to see the Fifth Avenue Jazz Collective perform at Arts Fifth Avenue.) Kudos most of all to the Sardines staff, who did an admirable job of handling the rush, working around the numerous photographers and bandstand gawkers, and making sure everyone was well taken care of. It was a real pleasure at the end of the night to see Johnny, that quiet and self-effacing man, beaming with pride at the show of appreciation.

arts fifth avenue jazz collective this weekend

bulletin from arts fifth avenue:

Arts Fifth Avenue is presenting the premiere of the Arts Fifth Avenue Jazz Collective on Friday & Saturday October 5th & 6th at 7:30pm. The Collective will be performing original jazz compositions.

Dave Williams - Saxophone
Joey Carter - Piano
Pat Brown - Trombone
Leonard Belota - Trumpet
Kip Green - Bass
Eddie Dunlap - Drums

Arts Fifth Avenue
1628 5th Avenue
Fort Worth, Tx 76104
817-923-9500
http://www.artsfifthavenue.com/ - Call for reservations.

johnny case anniversary/cd release next tuesday

a reminder from johnny case:

SARDINES JAZZ ANNIVERSARY

Pianist Johnny Case celebrates 25 years of providing Live Jazz Nightly

YOU ARE INVITED TO ATTEND
THE JAZZ ANNIVERSARY / DOUBLE CD RELEASE PARTY

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

7:00 PM to 11:00 PM
- NO COVER -
@ Sardines Ristorante Italiano
509 University Drive
Make Reservations at 817-332-9937

Hear the Best in Live Jazz
with
Jhon Kahsen aka Johnny Case

Music friends expected to appear include:
Jeremy Hull, Daniel Tcheco, Joey Carter, James Vernon,
Jon Pointer, Mario Cruz, Chris White, Keith Wingate,
Duane Durrett, Pat Brown, Leonard Belota and others.

Come enjoy this milestone music event !

oh by the way...

johnny singularity from the gideons and howling dervishes is moving to austin in july (altho he sez he'll be back to jam, so maybe i'll get to play "magic potion" with him again).

and bryce harp from villain vanguard is quitting the band to go to law school. so there.

and trumpeter leonard belota is talking about forming some kind of consortium of local jazz musos that also includes former master cylinder-meister / longtime jubilee theatre composer-in-residence joe rogers. we'll see.

outcats on disc?

most eagerly anticipated cd-r at my house is the recording of last week's johnny case / joshua manchester / chris white / leonard belota / joey carter / daniel stone free-form throwdown at sardines. local muso-audiophile toby guynn managed to capture about 37 minutes of the evening's performance, and there were other recorders running, too.

gallery night / jazz by the boulevard

ah, the change of seasons. it's starting to feel less like the surface of the sun outside, and ample oppos are just around the corner to show yr friends in other parts of the country why the fort is such a center of, um, arts 'n' culcha (sorry, chris).

first of all, gallery night, saturday, september 10th. this year, for a ten spot, you can avoid having to fight all those escalades and beemers on your way to your next glass of boxed wine by riding a bus chartered by the fort worth arts consortium, stopping at the firehouse gallery, art space 111, heliotrope, westbank landing gallery, the william campbell contemporary art gallery, arts fifth avenue, and studio 4. the bus leaves from the wreck room at 4pm and returns around 8pm for a reception at studio 4 (the estimable jesse sierra hernandez' studio, located behind the wreck). again, cost is $10, benefitting experience the art of music. reservations can be had by emailing gallerytour@fwac.net. (btw, if you're _off_ the bus, darrin kobetich will be playing at salon moda that night, so you can experience the art of _his_ music while getting yr cucumber facial or whatevah.) gallery night itself, of course, won't cost you a penny (unless, y'know, you decided to actually _buy a piece_ or something).

the lineup for this year's jazz by the boulevard festival, scheduled for september 16-18, is a mixed bag. while those who'd rather listen to kntu than the oasis might be a tad underwhelmed by the headliners (that'd be ex-jazz crusader joe sample and latin jazz superstar eddie palmieri), there's a lot of good local stuff on the cards -- f'rinstance, a reprise of paul unger's miles davis tribute, featuring musos of the caliber of tom reynolds, jim sangrey, dave williams, leonard belota, joey carter, and dave karnes. local gtr legend sumter bruton and fort worth business press journo mike price (who's as ubiquitous at this yr's fest as, um, stanley crouch was in the ken burns jazz doco) will perform with their swingmasters review, and black dog stalwarts dave and daver will get another chance to play the big stage if it don't rain. speaking of the black dog, the dfw poetry slam team will be there in full effect, as will the jazzmonsters big band. also on the card: mondo drummers, la feet tap ensemble, fort worth western swing expat slim richey, and the confusingly-named booker t. washington latin jazz ensemble. oh, yeah: best of all, it's _free_.