Béla Fleck and the Flecktones Come to Yoshi's
by E. "Doc" Smith‚
Nov. 21‚ 2008
Béla Fleck, often considered the premiere banjo player in the world, has made a name for himself as a virtuoso instrumentalist unbounded by genre. His band The Flecktones - Victor Wooten on electric bass, Jeff Coffin on sax and flute, and Future Man on percussion - are equally talented and adventurous as Fleck himself, and together they have made a string of critically acclaimed albums that combine bluegrass, jazz, funk and world music with technical prowess, unlimited imagination and occasional zaniness. Their new holiday CD Jingle All the Way is all of that, with bells on - Christmas music as it's never been heard it before.
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Martin Puryear Comes to SFMOMA
by E. "Doc" Smith‚
Nov. 14‚ 2008
The Puryear family of Washington, DC has certainly produced a talented array of brothers. Mark, an ethnomusicologist and Maynard, a fine craftsman of jewelry, are also great guitarists and two of my oldest, musical friends. But perhaps best known is their older brother, Martin Puryear, counted among the world's best modern artists and sculptors. From his early solo work at my alma mater, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, to his current show now at SFMOMA, Pureyear has blazed a path in the post-minimalist art world that is quite simply astounding. His sculptures are rich with psychological and intellectual references, examining issues of identity, culture, and history. The exhibition will be accompanied by a publication illustrating all works in the exhibition, with additional reference illustrations of the artist's works and other comparative material. If you weren't able to attend the opening last Saturday night, fear not. Take an opportunity to see the works of one of the greatest artists of this or any other era, at SFMOMA, through January 25th.
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Dr. Lonnie Smith Comes to the Herbst
by E. "Doc" Smith‚
Nov. 07‚ 2008
The last time I saw the incredible Dr. Lonnie Smith, was at the 2007 San Jose Jazz Festival, sharing a bill with amazing Marcus Miller and Dr. John. The good doctor returns to the Bay area this Friday night at the Herbst on Van Ness and not a moment too soon, because a double dose of soul is just what the doctor ordered. Dr. Smith that is, the reigning old-school Hammond B3 maestro who’s been handing out funkified prescriptions since breaking in with George Benson in the mid- 1960s. Another ‘60s B3 avatar, Reuben Wilson, leads the aptly named Godfathers of Groove featuring funk drum legend Bernard "Pretty" Purdie and guitarist Green Jr., son of the late soul jazz guitar great.
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Sam Phillips Comes to Yoshi's
by E. "Doc" Smith‚
Oct. 31‚ 2008
My first exposure to the singer Sam Phillips came during tie mid-nineties, while touring on the summer folky-circuit. Her album "Cruel Inventions" quickly became one of my all-time-favorites, and my band mates and I played it to death. Songs like, "Tripping Over Gravity", "Standing Still", and the killer "Raised on Promises" were simply unbelievable. No small wonder, Phillips was joined on the album by future husband T Bone Burnett and Elvis Costello. It remains one of my favorite albums of all time and I play it regularly. Now Phillips makes a rare San Francisco a appearance this Saturday night at Yoshi's in support of her latest album, "Don't Do Anything". Oh you do not want to miss this one.
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The Palm Wine Boys Revisited
by E. "Doc" Smith‚
Oct. 24‚ 2008
These days, Richard Linley, writer, singer, guitarist and founder of "The Palm Wine Boys", has been spending much of his time in recording sessions for his latest album, pausing only for treatment while he battles a recent, life threatening illness. His music and spirit has been inspirational to his fellow musicians, especially the latest incarnation of the 'Boys; bassist Ariane Cap, guitarist Mathew Lacques and his long-time collaborator, percussionist QB Williams. "When words fail we turn to music, to listen, or to play", recalled Cap. "Richard's tunes have been turned to by many a restless soul to find relief. His songs are so hopeful, comforting, joyful." Fittingly, I thought it was high time I revisited one of the Bay Area's best loved West African music ensembles, The Palm Wine Boys.
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"Mozart On The Road"
by E. "Doc" Smith‚
Oct. 17‚ 2008
Buoyed by veteran guitarist Austin de Lone, local songwriter Winston Montgomery returns with his latest album, "Mozart on the Road". Montgomery's last album, "Child Is Father To The Man", saw him treading a path worn by the likes of Phil Ochs, John Prine, and Pete Seeger. This time, he heads to the world folks like Ry Cooder, Willie Nelson and augmented by the strings of the Mill Valley Symphony. Not a surprise, for this long time veteran of the Haight and it's musical history. The arrangements on "Mozart", are tight, the playing top-notch and Montgomery's love of the Western melodies of his home-away-from-home New Mexico, are evident in many of the tunes. The title cut even has a "spoken word" bit that only Montgomery could give in his often poignant, sometimes comical, prairie-home way.
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Acoustic Alchemy Comes to Yoshi's
by E. "Doc" Smith‚
Oct. 10‚ 2008
With the release of This Way, Acoustic Alchemy’s first album under Higher Octave/Narada Jazz’s association with Blue Note Records, guitarists Greg Carmichael and Miles Gilderdale celebrate a remarkable two decades since 1987’s Red Dust and Spanish Lace established the British ensemble as an ever evolving, powerhouse force in contemporary jazz. Their thousands of fans around the world may be feeling nostalgic, but the duo—while keeping their trademark acoustic guitar synergy front and center—Is clearly committed to forging ahead, following the laid back pop-soul vibe of American/English (2005) with their most aggressive and swinging, hard rocking and artfully jazzy disc to date. Complementing performances by familiar Acoustic Alchemy recording and touring members Terry Disley (piano), Snake Davis (sax), Fred White (keyboards and trumpet), Julian Crampton (bass) and Greg Grainger (drums) are special guest appearances by smooth jazz stars, trumpeter Rick Braun, saxman Jeff Kashiwa (who has toured with the band and appeared on 2001’s Aart) and keyboardist Neil Cowley, a member of jazz groove band (and Narada Jazz/Blue Note labelmates) Down To The Bone.
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Little Britain Comes to America
by E. "Doc" Smith‚
Oct. 03‚ 2008
Last Sunday night, I watched with dread as one of my all-time favorite British comedies made it's debut on HBO. Like the successful "Extras" with Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant before it, HBO has delved into the world of Brit-coms again, wisely bringing the geniuses of the original series with them. "Little Britain USA" is an American spinoff of the successful British BBC television series Little Britain. As in the British series, the show will mainly focus on characters played by Matt Lucas and David Walliams. With Tom Baker of Doctor Who fame reprising his role as narrator, I settled back for a half hour of some of the sickest comedy I have ever seen.
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E. Doctor Smith and Seth Elgart's "K2"
by Lisa Star‚
Sep. 26‚ 2008
Edgetone Artists, E. “Doc” Smith and Seth Elgart have been playing and composing music together for sometime. "K2" is their latest collaboration and it has quickly become a staple playlist in my office and in my car’s CD player. I love the title of this CD. While listening, it is easy to imagine soaring on the thermals above craggy peaks with breathtaking heights and plunging depths. The synth lines occasionally lend an edgy quality, providing an ethereal potency that is to be found in the extremes of such a peak as K2. Their influence from the 80’s Tangerine Dream, Peter Gabriel as well as others of the ambient genre is evident and while the ambient tracks soar – there is a pleasant groove with the percussive flavorings of the Zendrum ZX samples and bass elements that sets K2 apart. Edo Castro’s bass lines pulse, weave and enchant melding with the other instrumentation.. The bottom end serving to elevate the winding, stirring melodies of flute & sax by Neil Mezebish as well as Elgart’s synth work. Castro’s Ebow treatment on several tracks is haunting. Of Castro's contribution, Smith said, "One of the most prolific and talented musicians I have ever had the privilege to work with... A true star."
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Ten Mile Tide's "Riverstone"
by E. "Doc" Smith‚
Sep. 19‚ 2008
November 21, 2008
