Le Jazz Hot

How to cheer up a photographer friend who's down in the dumps about a recent break-up (in three easy steps):

1. Admire a print of a Picasso nude of a woman's backside on the wall of Avalon during dinner.
2. Mention that since it may be your best angle, you wish you had such an image of yourself.
3. Watch his face break into all smiles as he enthusiastically says, "We could get started on that right now! Forget about JazzFest!"

Voila! Dumps momentarily forgotten. We'd just finished eating and were admiring all the Picasso reproductions covering the restaurant's walls.

I'd had the baby bok choy salad with braised squid, grilled onion, pine nuts, apples and horseradish vinaigrette, easily one of the most unusual salad combos I've ever had. But I like unusual and I liked this salad. My friend had enjoyed the grilled Cesar with white anchovies and roasted garlic (although not roasted quite enough, he said).

We followed that with pure heaven: grilled Sausagecraft lamb sausage with fennel, apple and red onion compote. My devotion to Sausagecraft's mastery of ground meat only grew stronger with the lamb version, enhanced by the compote, but mouth-watering on its own, too.

Given my friend's state, I let him choose dessert and although he almost went with the apple fritters with vanilla ice cream, we ended up with the boca negro, a flourless chocolate torte. The three slices were almost more than we could finish. Almost.

I invited him to join me at RVA JazzFest, but he declined and I warned him that he'd be sorry. I can't wait to rub it in next time I see him that he made the wrong call.

Arriving in time to get the seat of my choice (second row center), I was immediately befriended by a music-lover (and budding guitarist; at middle age, he's taking lessons from Trey Pollard) named John who, in the course of conversation about our dated names (when's the last time you met a 20-year old Karen or John?), under guessed my age by a decade, making me his devoted servant..

He wasn't perfect, though, because he also said he doesn't make the effort to get out often enough to hear music. He asked if I'd heard any of tonight's bands and I raved about the Scott Clark 4-tet, the only one of the three I'd seen before.

Scott Clark's 4-tet (drums, sax, trumpet and bass) took off burning down the house and never stopped. Scott himself was on fire and the crowd was immediately engaged. Scott's original material, like the amazing "Saucy Pink," bracketed a piece by Fred Anderson and a tribute Scott had written about Anderson after his death last year.

With a fierce set list, the group could do no wrong tonight as they all played ferociously and beautifully. Scott's arms were a blur most of the show, as I discovered when I tried to take some pictures of him with his parents' camera (they were sitting in the row behind me with a blocked view of him).

But their performance was perhaps best summed up in the moment when a drop of sweat ran down bassist Cameron Ralston's nose, hung there for a moment shining from the street light behind him and then dropped onto his instrument. The Scott Clark 4-tet melted everything and everyone in the room.

Old New Things was a sextet of guitar/pedal steel, banjo,drums,sax/bass clarinet, trumpet and bass. They began with a Trey Pollard piece called "Americana" and it was an apt description of a lot of their sound. Banjo player Adam Larabee's piece "Dead Times" was a big crowd favorite for its exotic scales and  intricate composition.

A 16th century chamber music piece once arranged by Bach had been re-arranged last summer for this group; surely it was the first time anyone in the room had heard a Bach piece with banjo and pedal steel. But then they also did one by free jazz saxophonist Albert Ayler, also not a likely candidate for the banjo.

My only complaint with their set was the audience's inability to hear the banjo and, frequently, the guitar or lap steel. The horns dominated and the strings were lost in the mix, a shame since they were the unique part of the group's sound. Hopefully that will be corrected in future performances.

Headlining was NYC's Harris Eisenstadt and Canada Day and they had a rough start when feedback would not go away, showing itself during the first part of a four-part work called "Ombudsman," much to the vibes player's obvious consternation.

Finally after one gigantic squawk that stopped the music for a split second and made all the musicians visibly jump in reaction, they opted out of monitor usage and the show sounded much better from then on.

Two different people told me that they thought it was the best RVA Jazzfest ever and I'd be inclined to agree (and that's certainly what I'll tell my friend). My music-loving seatmate turned to me at the end and gave me his assessment. "You were right about the first band. They should have headlined!"

We can always brag that we saw them when they were just the opener at JazzFest 2011. Too bad my friend didn't join me. In addition to awesome music, he'd have gotten some amazing photographs.

But at least now I know how to cheer him up.

RVA Jazzfest Killed It

Given how many events were cancelled for tonight, I felt lucky to find that the RVA Jazzfest was on.

With a focus on the Richmond jazz scene due to the snow-related absence of the two visiting artists, Ray Anderson and Adam Larrabee, our local musicians represented exceedingly well.

The crowd was much smaller than usual when the music began around 9, but fortunately people continued to come in for the first hour.

It was too bad for some of the late arrivals, because missing any of Trio of Justice's set was a major loss.

Reggie (Can't Stop/Won't Stop) Pace's latest project of low brass and percussion meant loud volume and heavy weights.

Trombone, tuba and drums drove the grooves and captured the audience in the palm of their musical hands.

Talking to Reggie before the show, he assured me that he'll be doing the Thompson and Grace balcony series again this summer; it's still one of my favorite free summer events and a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

And Reggie remains one of the most genuinely nice and most talented musicians in this town and that's saying a lot.

And did I mention that his lemonade is legendary?

The second act was the indomitable Kuhl (JC) + Jones (Brian), practically the RVA godfathers of jazz, despite their relatively young ages.

Jones' drumming may be a blur to watch, but it's such an amazing thing to hear.

There's no part of the sticks, mallets or drums themselves that he doesn't use and it's mesmerizing.

Headlining was Ombak, composer and trombonist Bryan Hooten's project, with their pastiche of musical influences and original compositions.

Luckily if you missed tonight's show, they do a regular gig at Balliceaux.

Needless to say, the audience was full of local musicians, as eager to enjoy this array of talent as the non-musical of us in the audience.

WCVE's Peter Solomon was there, taking in the show and offering me job advice.

There also looked to be students from VCU's jazz studies program, worshiping at the feet of their jazz elders, so to speak.

It was my third year for the Jazzfest, yet another example of the stellar and low-cost entertainment that goes on in RVA all the time.

If you weren't willing to brave the elements to check it out tonight, I won't judge you, but it's not that hard to find these musicians playing around town on a regular basis and often at the Camel.

You won't be disappointed and you'll likely be hugely impressed, I can assure you.

At the Camel with Brian Jones

Tonight's performance at the Camel began around 9:45 and ended almost exactly two hours later. Drummer supreme Brian Jones and tenor saxophonist J.C. Kuhl led off their set with a fierce energy that didn't let up, except for Jones to occasionally wipe the sweat off his face. With only one other musician on stage, Jones had as much space to fill as he chose to and, of course he chose to fill it all. The man was practically a blur, using sticks, mallets, brushes, his hands and, on occasion, a moistened finger to elicit the varied sounds he sought. Highlights included "A Tiger, Some Grass and the Rain" and the delirious "Arnold Palmer," from the duo's last CD.

Jones and Kuhl were obviously overheated after that set and the door to the Camel was propped open and remained that way for the rest of the show, probably to prevent them from melting into puddles, given the energy they were putting forth.

After the break, the two were joined by trumpet player John D'Earth and bass player Russell Pharr for a mind-blowing set that showcased each in turn. The crowd favorite seemed to be "Sick Fuck" and it was an amazing piece of music, to be sure. Toward the end, Jones reminded the audience that tomorrow is Dizzy Gillespie's birthday and they played "Fine and Dandy," to much crowd appreciation and applause.

Leaving the place, a guy standing outside on the sidewalk wearing the most audacious hot pink sneakers, looked at me, gave me a thumbs up and said, "Now THAT was a goood show!"

"Yea it was," I had to agree wholeheartedly.

RVA Jazz Fest: A Treat for the Ears & Eyes

I am so lucky to live in Richmond where an event like last night's Jazz Fest at the Camel offered so much talent and music for a mere ten bucks.

Not only that, but we arrived around 745 and were able to score a couple of sets in the second row.

Only here does that kind of luck happen.

There were excellent sets from Glows in the Dark, Boots of Leather and Fight the Big Bull.

And even though I've seen all three groups perform before, they all continue to bring something new to every performance.

The crowd was a jazz-loving bunch and really into the musical meanderings of the performers.

Clearly this was a destination performance: the two guys seated next to me had driven in from Charlottesville for the show.

One highlight of the evening was watching a woman open a bathroom door to find Matt White, leader of FTBB, inside.

The look on her face made me laugh.

Now, he claimed the door didn't lock properly, but of course, he is a performer...

Although this was the first RVA Jazz Fest, we were told last night that it won't be the last.

I think it may be necessary to find a larger venue next year, though; we took up every available space in the Camel last night.

Here's to RVA's thriving jazz scene.