EITHER/ORCHESTRA

In the decades since the Either/Orchestra debuted on December 17, 1985 at the Cambridge MA Public Library, the group has made over 1000 performances in 38 of the United States and 12 foreign countries, as well as releasing a dozen albums and being nominated for a Grammy, winning five Boston Music awards and numerous Downbeat Critics Poll placements, among many other honors. From prestigious festivals like Glastonbury Pop and Chicago Jazz to tiny clubs, schools and churches in out of the way places, the group has been “dependably marvelous,” according to the Village Voice.

No obstacles deterred leader Russ Gershon and his intrepid musical explorers from visiting new musical worlds – until the Covid pandemic. The band’s most recent performance was in December of 2019 at Tufts U., with one of their distinguished Ethiopian collaborators, vocalist Teshome Mitiku. But now, they’re coming back!

To celebrate the exact 40th anniversary of their first show, the Either/Orchestra returns to the stage not a mile from where they started. The E/O began playing the Regattabar when the club was band new in the ’90’s. There is no better and more appropriate venue for them to inaugurate their fifth decade.

The E/O will be making selections from their vast catalog of originals and original arrangements of classic and obscure jazz, as well as dipping into their unparalleled repertoire of Ethiopian music in honor of their upcoming release, éthiopiques 32: Nalbandian the Ethiopian.

Their second release on the legendary éthiopiques series features music by Nerses Nalbandian, a teenage refugee of the Armenian genocide who rose to become music director of Emperor of Ethiopia Haile Selassie’s National Theater in Addis Ababa. Nalbandian’s interest in American music helped set the stage for the birth of the modern Ethiopian pop music which has bewitched music aficionados the world over the past couple of decades. His music has seldom been played since the totalitarian revolution which deposed Haile Selassie in 1974, and the E/O was asked by the Nalbandian family and éthiopiques producer Frances Falceto to reconstruct and play it at the National Theater of Ethiopia. The album is a record of that labor of love.

E/O personnel:

Tom Halter | trumpet
Dan Rosenthal | trumpet
Joel Yennior | trombone
Sam Spear | alto sax
Russ Gershon | tenor sax
Charlie Kohlhase | baritone sax
Alexei Tsiganov | piano
Rick McLaughlin | bass
Brooke Sofferman | drums
Vicente Lebron | congas

Cover: Sold Out

More Posts: adventure,bandleader,bass,club,congas,drums,genius,instrumental,jazz,music,piano,preserving,saxophone,travel,trombone,trumpet

STACEY KENT

Stacey Kent is an American jazz singer in the mould of the greats, with a legion of fans, a host of honors and awards including a Grammy nomination, album sales in excess of 2 million, more than half a billion streams, Platinum, Double-Gold and Gold-selling albums that have reached a series of chart-topping positions.

Her worldwide fan base is testimony to her ability to cut to the emotional heart of her songs with delicately nuanced interpretations that transcend borders and defy categorization. Her unique multi-lingual repertoire includes originals written by Jim Tomlinson, her saxophonist / producer / composer / arranger husband in collaboration with the Nobel Prize-winning author, Kazuo Ishiguro with whom they have worked since 2006. She has also recorded with Brazilian legends, Marcos Valle, Roberto Menescal and Danilo Caymmi, and the celebrated French string quartet, the Quatuor Ébène.

Stacey’s new studio album, Summer Me, Winter Me, released on Naïve Records is a collection of requests from her as yet unrecorded concert repertoire, Summer Me, Winter Me entered the French jazz charts at number 1 and has quickly established itself as a new highlight in her discography.

Cover: $45.76 ~ $56.06

More Posts: adventure,bandleader,club,genius,instrumental,jazz,music,preserving,travel,vocal

CHRIS BOTTI

Grammy-winning trumpeter Chris Botti has been one of the most popular instrumentalists in the world for nearly three decades; he’s collaborated with some of the biggest superstars on the planet, including Sting, Paul Simon, Barbra Streisand, Lady Gaga, Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, Bette Midler, Joni Mitchell, Steven Tyler, Andrea Bocelli, Herbie Hancock, Yo-Yo Ma, and others; he’s topped the jazz charts with numerous albums, earned multiple Gold and Platinum records, performed with symphony orchestras and on prestigious stages from Carnegie Hall to the Hollywood Bowl to the Sydney Opera House.

In short, Chris Botti really needs no introduction. Yet with his Blue Note Records debut, he’s offering one anyway. Vol.1 is in many ways a fresh start for the trumpeter. Having successfully crossed over from jazz renown to pop stardom, Botti’s first album in more than a decade finds him crossing back, with a small group project focused on acoustic jazz and classic standards.

More Posts: adventure,bandleader,club,genius,instrumental,jazz,music,preserving,travel,trumpet

Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Dannie Richmond was born Charles Daniel Richmond on December 15, 1931 in New York City and grew up in Greensboro, North Carolina. He started playing tenor saxophone at the age of thirteen, and went on to play R&B with the Paul Williams band in 1955.

His career took off when he transferred his talents to the drums, which he had taught himself to play in his early twenties, through the formation of what was to be a 21-year friendship and an  indispensable ingredient of the Mingus sound. Upon Mingus’ death Richmond became the first musical director of the group Mingus Dynasty in 1980.

Drummer Dannie Richmond, best known for his work with Charles Mingus, died of a heart attack in Harlem, New York on March 16, 1988, at the age of 56.

More Posts: drums,history,instrumental,jazz,music

DANIEL SPEARMAN QUARTET

Daniel was captivated by music, first playing the piano then picking up the trumpet when he attended Creative Arts High school under the tutelage of Jamal Dickerson. Daniel graduated with highest honors from the Oberlin College and Conservatory of music with degrees in Africana Studies and Jazz Piano. He has studied under Dan Wall, Sean Jones, Eddie Henderson and Sullivan Fortner. Artists that Daniel has worked with the Robin Eubanks Big Band, Sam Blakeslee Large Ensemble, Tito Puente Jr., Edgardo Cintron, The Four Tops, Eric Nolan, Angie Stone, and Justin Lee-Schultz.

Recently Daniel obtained his M.M. in orchestral trumpet from Pennsylvania State University where he studied under the tutelage of Dr. Langston Fitzgerald III, who served as the Principal trumpet player for the Baltimore Symphony prior to teaching at Penn State. He operates primarily in the Greater Philadelphia area performing regularly with a wide range of wedding, salsa, and jazz bands. He is the frontman for the band SoundEVR, which is dedicated to blurring the line between dance music and art music.

Cover: $5.00 Tuesday~Thursday | Friday & Saturday $10.00 per person

More Posts: bandleader,club,genius,jazz,music,preserving,travel,trumpet