JOE GRANSDEN BIG BAND
Experience the magic of the season with Joe Gransden and His Band for the “Home for the Holidays” concert in the stunning Eagle Theatre in downtown Sugar Hill. From swinging takes on your favorite holiday classics to heartwarming moments that will have you singing along, this show is the perfect way to kick off your holiday celebrations. Every year, audiences rave about this unforgettable concert of music, joy, and festive spirit. Last year’s performance sold out in advance—and tickets are already going fast for this year! Don’t miss your chance to be part of this holiday tradition that’s guaranteed to leave you smiling long after the final note.
The Joe Gransden Big Band has become one of the hottest acts on today’s jazz scene. Since forming in 2009, Joe and his powerhouse ensemble have been winning over audiences nationwide with their electrifying performances and irresistible swing. With fans that include music legends like Smokey Robinson, who raves, “Joe has an innate ability to connect with an audience. His singing and trumpet playing are world-class!” It’s no wonder this band is in such high demand.
A masterful trumpet player with a celebrated hard bop style, Joe is also renowned for his smooth, captivating vocals, often likened to those of Chet Baker and Frank Sinatra. He has performed across the globe, released 14 acclaimed albums, and continues to headline world-class venues, such as The Blue Note in New York City.
Kicking off the evening will be Sugar Hill’s very own Broad St. Jazz Band, bringing high-energy jazz and swing favorites that set the stage for an unforgettable night of music.
Tickets: $38.56 ~ $43.31 including fee
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Requisites
Over the past fifty years, I’ve found immense joy in listening to Ahmad Jamal’s work across his extensive catalog, including releases on Argo, Cadet, and later Impulse Records. Each time I was fortunate enough to experience his trio live in Atlanta, their performance was absolutely electrifying. Jamal and his group consistently delivered music that was both profoundly moving and impeccably polished. Today’s featured album from my collection is Freeflight (Impulse! – ABC Records AS-9217), which showcases the trio’s live set at the Montreux Jazz Festival. On this recording, Ahmad Jamal plays both the Fender Rhodes electric piano and acoustic piano, joined by Jamil Nasser on bass and Frank Gant on drums. My personal copy is the 1973 U.S. stereo reissue, which retains the original catalog number.
The set opens with a warm welcome to the musicians, setting the stage for the trio’s spirited rendition of Effendi, by McCoy Tyner. The trio dives straight into the brisk tempo, with Ahmad igniting an energetic solo on the electric piano. There’s a brief exchange between Jamil’s bass and Ahmad’s acoustic piano before Jamal returns to the electric keys. Frank contributes a concise, lively reading, and Jamil finishes with an exhilarating finale, driving the tune to a thrilling close, earning an enthusiastic response from the audience. The tempo eases as Jamal introduces Dolphin Dance by Herbie Hancock on the acoustic piano, segueing into the group's melody. Jamal’s deeply expressive playing doesn’t disappoint, leading to a vibrant conclusion and audience applause.
Side Two begins with Ahmad and Jamil engaging in a musical conversation, leading into the pianist’s Manhattan Reflections. Jamal returns to the electric piano for a buoyant mid-tempo melody, then takes off first with a spirited opening statement that captures the energy of both instruments. The piano and bass then share the spotlight briefly to revisit the theme before the trio’s closing chorus ends gently. Ahmad returns to the acoustic piano to conclude the set with his signature tune, Poinciana by Nat Simon and Buddy Bernier. A solo introduction from Jamal leads into the ensemble’s mid-tempo theme. As the only soloist, Jamal tells a captivating story with Nasser and Gang’s support until the trio reunites to conclude the song, greeted by the audience’s enthusiastic applause!
The production of Freeflight was a collaborative effort between Ahmad Jamal and Ed Michel, while Carlos Olms and Stephan Sulke handled the recording of the live performance. Overall, the recording quality is commendable, though there’s one significant flaw: the microphone was positioned too close to Jamal’s electric piano during Effendi, resulting in noticeable harshness and overmodulation. However, please don’t let that minor drawback deter you from seeking out Freeflight by Ahmad Jamal when browsing for records on your next shopping trip. Although not as well- known as his earlier live release, At The Top: Poinciana Revisited, this album still deserves consideration for your library. Even after more than five decades, the album delivers outstanding piano trio music and is highly Recommended!
~ At The Top: Poinciana Revisited (Impulse! – ABC Records AS-9176) – Source: Discogs.com
~ Poinciana – Source: Wikipedia.org
© 2025 by Edward Thomas Carter
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Pat Patrick was born Laurdine Kenneth Patrick Jr. on November 23, 1929 in East Moline, Illinois, to Laverne and Laurdine Kenneth Patrick. He first learned piano, drums, and trumpet as a child, and then switched to saxophones. He attended and studied music at DuSable High School in Chicago, Illinois where he met fellow students and future musicians bassist Richard Davis and saxophonists John Gilmore and Clifford Jordan. While still in school he was baritone saxophonist for the Regal Theater’s house band.
1949 saw Pat enrolled at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, but soon returned to Chicago to study at Wilson Junior College. Around 1950 he first played in one of Sun Ra’s bands as part of a trio and occasionally in Sun Ra’s Arkestra. By 1954 he became a regular member of the band. He moved to New York City in 1961, spent several years in the Arkestra’s communal residences in the East Village and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
He went on to play and record with John Coltrane, Blue Mitchell, Mongo Santamaría, Thelonious Monk, and Babatunde Olatunji. In 1972, Patrick co-founded the Baritone Saxophone Retinue, which featured Charles Davis and recorded two albums for Saturn Records.
He toured Europe with Sun Ra in 1970 and 1976, and was part of some other Arkestra performances in that decade, but he also devoted time to teaching at the State University of New York at Old Westbury.>
Baritone and alto saxophonist, bassist, flutist, percussionist and composer Pat Patrick, who is known for his 40-year association with Sun Ra, died from leukemia in Moline on December 31, 1991.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
DANIEL DIAZ 11.22.25
Daniel Díaz Fernández was born on November 22, 1963 in Lanús, Argentina. Living in Paris, France since 1997, he has collaborated with Juan Carlos Cáceres, on the single Tango Negro, and on the album Toca Tango. In 1993 he recorded his first album The Years Alone released by Green Linnet/Xenophile Records. The variety of styles in this album was mentioned by critics. He played most of the parts fretted and fretless basses, keyboards, acoustic and electric guitars, percussion, and more.
He continued this solo career with Segundo Ciclo, recorded in 1997, released by Dutch jazz label Timeless Records in 2002, and Swan Song, released in 2015, always with guest players from around the world. Both albums featured the cosmopolitan jazz-fusion style of the first one.
Since 2005 Diaz has been composing and recording for films, TV and documentaries. He works for French publisher and music library Cezame Music Agency for whom he composed and recorded more than 250 tracks and released 5 albums alone or in collaboration.
Since 2010 his music has been used on many TV documentaries and films. In 2022 his track “Club Recoleta” from the album Elec’ Tango was used on Tom McCarthy’s feature film Stillwater
Bassist, multi-instrumentalist, arranger, composer, Raúl Diaz whose last collaboration in 2023 with Raúl Barboza was on the album Souvenirs Panamericanos, continues to perform and compose.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Rainer Brüninghaus was born on November 21, 1949 in Bad Pyrmont, Lower Saxony, Germany. From the age of nine he was educated in classical piano and founded his first jazz trio when he was 16. He studied sociology at the University of Cologne and music during the same time. In 1970, he founded the experimental jazz rock group Eiliff, which recorded two albums and one single.
In 1973, he joined the band of German jazz guitarist Volker Kriegel. From 1973 until 1985, he was a frequent guest in the jazz ensemble and the big band of Hessian Broadcasting Corporation. In 1975, with bassist Eberhard Weber and Charlie Mariano, he formed the band, Colours. Rainere played duo concerts with Manfred Schoof and in his quintet and big band.
In 1976, Brüninghaus first played a piano solo concert at the Heidelberg Jazz Days Festival. At the German Jazz Festival Frankfurt of 1978, he performed a suite of pieces lasting 50 minutes, which he composed as commissioned work for the festival.
The Eighties saw Brüninghaus working mainly as a bandleader, putting effort into his own projects, Freigeweht with Kenny Wheeler and Jon Christensen. He alsoe founded his own trio in which Markus Stockhausen and Fredy Studer played until the end of 1984.
John Abercrombie and Trilok Gurtu joined the band in 1985, and for some of the performances, Charlie Mariano, Hugo Read, and Jo Thönes played in the band. In 1988, Rainer began a long association with Jan Garbarek. He has written music for symphony orchestras, big bands, small ensembles, and solo piano, as well as for film and television.
He has also worked with Carla Bley, Bob Brookmeyer, Gary Burton, Bobby McFerrin, Jim Hall, Manu Katché, Albert Mangelsdorff, Paul McCandless, Alphonse Mouzon, Archie Shepp, and Steve Swallow.
He taught piano and music theory at the Akademie Remscheid, at the University of Cologne, and from 1990 to 1993 at the Hochschule (University) for Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts. He has published essays on music theory and was a member of the artistic advisory board for the Union of German Jazz Musicians.
>Pianist, composer and university teacher Rainer Brüninghaus, who has performed solo Grand Piano conerts, continues to perform and record.
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