Parker Gambino

Irish Trad  –  Knox’s Tavern, Ennis  –  September 19, 2018

One of my goals while holidaying (it gets used as a verb there) in Ireland was to sit in with some trad players, and Ennis is a center keeping the Irish trad alive.  Interesting gig structure – the band plays a few numbers, takes a break to get tea or beer, discussed what to do next, resumes, rinse, repeat; so the “sets” aren’t all that long.  These fellas (not sure if they had any official group name) graciously indulged me, doing backup to some extent or other on three tunes, two of which were Irish (more pub songs than traditional), which I’d learned for exactly this occasion.

Whiskey in the Jar (Parker Gambino)

Hugh Healy

Christy Coote

Brian O'Loughlin

Joel Mesnikoff

Keith O'Loughlin

Parker at Knox's Tavern, Ennis

C.J. Chenier  –  CHIRP Ballard Park, Ridgefield  –  August 30, 2018

Scion of the Chenier zydeco squeezebox family.  When you’ve got one guy on washboard and another on tambourines, you know there’s gonna be rhythm splashing all over!

CJ Chenier

"Young Buck" Tony Stewart

Michael Melchione

John Frederick

Woody Woodward

Brian Rochon

Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real  –  Damrosch Park, Lincoln Center  –  August 12, 2018

The headliner for this gig was Margo Price, but darkness descends on Damrosch too early to portray the late act.  At least there was enough light to capture Nelson (yes, scion of Willie), who touched all the alt-country bases, including a bit of solo set.  He and his band had been the backup for a Neil Young tour.

Lucas Nelson

Corey McCormick

Alberto Bof

Anthony LoGerfo

Bill Saxton   –   Grant’s Tomb  –  August 8, 2018

Saxton also runs his own salon-style live jazz joint in Harlem; he’s an institution!

Bill Saxton

Calvin Hill

Theo Hill

Darrell Green

Busking Seattle           July 26-27, 2018

Best quote of the month (from Grossnicklaus): Q – What’s the difference between a violin and a fiddle?  A – You can’t spill beer on a violin!  Schindler & Nason perform as “Bob and Weaver”.

Dan Schindler

James Nason

Austin Bertak

Kevin Buster

Jonny Hahn

Faith Grossnicklaus

Oliver Maldonado

Jupiter & Okwess   –  BAM MetroTech  –  July 19, 2018

One more case of, if I knew the words they were singing I might have had an additional dimension of appreciation.  But what I got was plenty fine anyhow.  From the Congo!  Maybe I wouldn’t even be able to identify the language.  Plenty of rhythm and cross-rhythm, those dueling guitars, and they had some audience members up on stage to dance for a few numbers.  I don’t know what up with the drummer wearing a (Mexican wrestler?) mask .  When I got around to documenting the names, it turns out that nearly all have three names, which seem to get used or not in different contexts on the web.  So I hope I did justice with my annotations.  The closer (not the encore) was a gorgeous a capella number – I think every single one of ’em was singing.

Jupiter Bokondji Ilola

Blaise Sewika

Richard Kabanga

Eric Malu Malu

Yende Balamba

Montana Kinunu

Ray Mantilla   –  Grant’s Tomb  –  July 18, 2018

Conga master Mantilla (from the Bronx) is of mixed Puerto Rican/Peruvian descent (he called it “Peruvo-Rican), so the set got divvied up accordingly, offering a full helping of diversity.  He’s been on the scene so long, he came up with Xavier Cugat (yeah, go google that). He gives names to his various ensemble configurations, it’s never just the Ray Mantilla band.  Winds-man Castro split his time between flute and baritone sax – go figure!  To underscore the vibrancy of the Latin-American music scene in New York, it was the second time around for me sketching most of these players, from various diverse other gigs.

Ray Mantilla

Cucho Martinez

Mike Freeman

Jorge Castro

Marcus Persiani

Ivan Renta

Diego Lopez

Guido Gonzalez

Helen Sung  –  The Chapel Resoration  –  July 15, 2018

It seems that Sung got around to jazz after a thorough classical piano training. Assimilation of the genre  is complete, with key composers (Ellington, Monk) represented, and all improvisational bases touched in this meticulously curated presentation, capped with a rousing stride sendoff.

Helen Sung

Nicky Siano’s Hallelujah Disco/Melba Moore – Central Park Summerstage – June 24, 2018

I didn’t realize that this concert was linked up with Gay Pride Month, not that it mattered (à la Seinfeld).  But a lot of it was non-illustrate-able narration by Siano.    What cheezed me (does that seem to be happening a lot these days?) was that the Harlem Choir would not respond to identify their marvelous singers.  So I didn’t put the finishing PhotoShop touches on those sketches, take that HC!  Only got one of the Illustrious Blacks.

Melba Moore

Monstah Black

Harlem Choir Singer F

Harlem Choir Singer M

Elida Almeida   –  Rubenstein Atrium  –  June 21, 2018

Almeida and company are from the Cape Verde Islands, which is African more than anything else.  That I find certain similarities in the musics of various African diaspora islands of the Caribbean (and now Atlantic) is thus no surprise.  I confess, I’m not sufficiently immersed to tease out some of the distinctions that are surely there.  In my defense, World Music has seemed to have made a tasty gumbo of it all, though perhaps less of a blend when all players are from the same place, as is true for this band.  They seemed to be really impressed that someone would come to sketch them at work, yielding one of the highest gratitude ratings ever.  I didn’t get Cruz right on the first attempt, so I started over, and the second, more successful try seemed to come out somehow less masculine.  Only after the concert when I was getting the autographs did it become evident that she was a she!  For me, an gratifying  corroboration of my under the radar intuitive perception AND expressive abilities.

Elida Almeida

Hernani Almeida

Dieg

Nelly Cruz

Magik Santiago