Willie Waldman Project feat. Garrett Sayers 9.27.12

Quixote's True Blue
Denver, CO

Words, Photos & Video By J-man
Audio By Corey Sandoval (Kind Recordings)

Willie Waldman Project Live at Quixote's True Blue on September 27, 2012.

I'm a "bean counter." According to Willie Waldman, it's not about the numbers. That's a typical line from a jazz musician and following my conversation with Willie's bass player for the evening, Garrett Sayers, about his trio and upcoming album, Willie had a lot more to say. His moniker reflected the attitude and thought process of a jazz musician. If you don't know, Willie is a hurricane of energy and holds no punches when it comes to speaking his mind about everything. My conversation with Willie was calmer than previous experiences and though him and I have had words in the past, that night he spoke very candidly with me about mistakes he'd made, his life and Live Nation. That night I found myself "counting beans" (gauging attendance) and there were more "beans" than I had seen Willie pull in Denver in some time.

Rumors had circulated leading up to the show about the potential appearance of Red Hot Chili Peppers' bass player, Flea, turning out following his sold out show at The Pepsi Center. The first set started to a near empty room and grew in size with the initial "composition" taking shape. Heavy bass lines from Garrett opened up into some fairly loose drumming and a sort of somber trumpet took over. What followed were two sets of free jazz that included some fantastic moments. Throughout the two sets the project was joined by Jamie Mitchell on guitar, however no Flea.

For folks who had turned out to see the "special guest," there was none. For people who turned out to see Flea, they got a "Live Nation killed us" rant from Willie. If you were there for any other reason but music, you may have left disappointed. However, for those jazz fans in attendance, seeking a free form oasis, there was no disappointment. Music fans were treated to a rare performance of a genre that no longer has a place to call home in this part of the country. Free form jazz has all but faded into obscurity, however, there was Willie keeping the music alive. Ultimately Willie was right, when it comes to jazz, there really can be no "bean counting" and it is all about the music.

J-man's Photo Gallery

www.williewaldman.com

Comments

Livetronica Sampler 3.22.11

Words by Greg Molitor ( ReMIND Photography ) Ozric Tentacles This British group has proven innovative throughout the years offering a space-rock meets psytrance sound that remains alive to this day. Though never having a major record label, Ozric Tentacles has produced 28 albums of diverse psychedelia throughout its career. The band met at the Stonehenge Free Festival in 1983 and truly fathered livetronica music with its use of sequencers and synthesizers. Simply put, there would be no livetronica without Ozric Tentacles. www.ozrics.com Octopus Nebula Colorado’s Octopus Nebula has certainly hit its stride as of late with its constant touring and increased festival interest. The group expands on the deep sounds of highly regarded acts such as STS9 and Shpongle but also carves a path of its own with its fresh takes on synthesizer tones and sampling in the live setting. Octopus Nebula Live at Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom on March 26, 2010. <--- Direct Archive Link www.octopus

Buckethead: Gimmick or Guitar God?

Words & Photos By Nicholas Stock ( phatphlogblog.blogspot.com ) At what point does the gimmick overshadow the performance? The obvious answer is Buckethead. The man is an amazing guitarist but something is not right in this world. The idea a performer who dons a KFC chicken bucket on his head for a concert has always intrigued me, and some of his side projects such as Colonel Claypool’s Bernie Bucket of Brains have been huge successes. However his performance last weekend in Fort Collins simply left me perplexed. From his robotic dancing, to his nunchuck display, to the fact the he performed with an iPod rather than a band all added to my confusion. Going into the show I was ready to be blown away, despite rumblings of disgruntled fans from the previous night’s show at The Gothic. Buckethead had had some sound issues and some missed cues in Denver but I was still trying to be positive for the show in Fort Collins. It did go off without a hitch technically but that was the least

The Origin of MusicMarauders

Words By J-man "What should I name this fucking thing?" I asked myself in the midst of a joint in my Upstate, NY apartment. "It's got to be something with just 'Music'in the title. Nothing more specific than that, as we'll be covering a wide variety of genres." One more drag on the joint yielded the memory of driving down Woodward Ave. in Detroit, listening to Tribe Called Quest's Midnight Marauders. "MusicMarauders! That's it... It completely encompasses what we do in the sense the we are 'maraudering' or 'pillaging' for music," I thought as I stared out of the window at about three and a half feet of fresh Upstate snow. First things first, the domain had to be registered. "Do I have ten dollars in my account?" I thought to myself from a position of just scraping by. Pulling out my shiny, rarely used debit card, I put it to the test and was able to secure MusicMarauders.com. "What's next?" I

MUSICMARAUDERS

Search This Blog