Two jazz groups to debut in Sacramento - Sacramento Entertainment - Sacramento Movie Theaters, Music | Sacramento Bee 2/16/10 10:22 PM

Two jazz groups to debut in Sacramento

mcrowder@sacbee.com

Published Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2010

The Sacramento jazz scene gets a bolt of energy in the next few weeks with the emergence of
two jazz groups.

The debut of the Sacramento Jazz Orchestra (Feb. 28) and the Anthony Coleman Simplistic Big
Band (March 14) at JB's Lounge are just a part of many regional performances by local and
international jazz artists this spring.

Coleman, a forward-thinking young trumpeter who has been working in New York, returns home
to Sacramento. His exciting gig will be a provocative snapshot of the present and future of jazz.

The 18-piece Sacramento Jazz Orchestra plans to follow the successful model put down by the
Capital Jazz Project, with themed concerts and strong educational components.

The group includes local educators such as alto saxophonist Patrick Langham, director of the
University of the Pacific jazz studies program, and ubiquitous pianist Joe Gilman of American River
College. The group's co-founders are trumpeter Steve Roach, trombonists Sam Griffith and Cory
Cunningham, and trumpeter Joe Mazzaferro. Mazzaferro said the group plans to combine original
material with significant charts from composers Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Stan Kenton and
Thad Jones.

"There's a mix of stuff we like to play and a mix of stuff that's historically relevant in terms of the
progression of big bands," Mazzaferro says.

Locally based guitarist Ross Hammond closes February with his quartet, the Reminders, at his
Sunday night Naked Lounge residency. Featuring Vinny Golia on reeds, Lisa Mezzacappa on bass
and Alex Jenkins on drum set, Hammond predicts, "a driving, spirited blowing session with some
serious soul and dynamics. Vinny, Alex and Lisa won't disappoint, and I'm going to try to hang
on."

Visionary Roscoe Mitchell, a founding member of the Art Ensemble of Chicago, plays a solo
performance at Sacramento's 24th Street Theater on Feb. 25.

Davis surprises local audiences with three extraordinary shows this spring. On Feb. 19, rising star
Rudresh Mahanthappa brings his Mauger Trio to the TCS Building at the University of California,
Davis, for a free, all-ages performance. Mahanthappa is a Guggenheim fellow and was just named
2009 alto saxophonist of the year by the Jazz Journalists Association.

Mahanthappa is the American-born son of Indian immigrants, and he mined the combined
heritages on his "Indo-Pak Coalition" CD, which dominated last year's "Best of" lists for jazz

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Two jazz groups to debut in Sacramento - Sacramento Entertainment - Sacramento Movie Theaters, Music | Sacramento Bee 2/16/10 10:22 PM

ensembles. He appears in Davis with a different trio, consisting of bassist Mark Dresser and
drummer Gerry Hemingway. They'll also conduct an afternoon workshop.

The Mondavi Center has two coups in its spring lineup with the SFJAZZ Collective in Jackson Hall
on March 4 and the Lionel Loueke Trio in the Vanderhoef Studio Theatre April 7-10. The
Collective makes only two Northern California appearances this year and Mondavi is one of them.
The group remains stocked with great musicians, including vibraphonist Stephon Harris,
saxophonist Miguel Zenon and drummer Eric Harland. New with the Collective this year as it pays
tribute to composer Horace Silver will be saxophonist Mark Turner, bassist Avishai Cohen and
pianist Edward Simon.

Benin-born guitarist and vocalist Loueke just released "Mwaliko," which contains duets with
vocalist Angelique Kidjo, bassist Richard Bona and bassist/vocalist Esperanza Spalding. The record
also features his trio with bassist Massimo Biolcati and drummer Ferenc Nemeth, who will
accompany him to Davis.

Hugely respected by musicians, Loueke's star rocketed into prominence last year, and his four-
night stand in Davis should be a memorable introduction to an artist positioned as a jazz
standard-bearer to come.

The world-famous Yoshi's Jazz House, now with locations in Oakland and San Francisco, continues
refining its presentation concepts. Though jazz prevails on schedules at each location, pop, hip-
hop and soul are easily found.

This week Yoshi's San Francisco features the West Coast debut of the Brazilian group Trio Da Paz,
followed by funksters Zapp, and next week veteran jazz vocalist Jimmy Scott. Artistic director
Jason Olaine says mixing up the booking keeps the doors open.

"I think our formula going forward is to book these jazz acts, whether it's Eliane Elias, James
Carter or Kenny Werner, on Tuesday, Wednesday nights where basically I have less overhead to
cover," Olaine says.

"For the weekends I have the other real heavy stuff and we'll even do midnight shows and
completely turn the house and put a new group in there."

So while in March Olaine has shows with the NEA Jazz Masters All-Stars featuring Bobby
Hutcherson, Jimmy Heath and Slide Hampton, he'll also have Con Funk Shun.

Though Yoshi's Oakland follows a similar model, jazz is the prime focus. High- profile groups,
including guitarist John Scofield with pianist Mulgrew Miller, come in March, followed by
saxophonist Joe Lovano with bass phenomenon Esperanza Spalding later in the month. Oakland
also has the Brad Mehldau Trio in early April and a four-night Bill Frisell residency with different
bands each night.

Finally, the SF JAZZ Festival Spring Season opens this weekend. An international leader in
expansive jazz programming, the festival will present more than 25 different performances from
Feb. 19 through June 12.

Artistic director Randall Kline says the first week with Cuban bandleader Isaac Delgado performing
at Bimbo's night club and German vocalist-bandleader Max Raabe performing at the Paramount
Theatre define SF JAZZ.

"You've got Cuba's best vocalist and a hard-driving dance band, the stereotypical heat of that
culture compared to the coolness of Germany in a polar-opposite way but in the same spirit
interpreting jazz," Kline says.

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Two jazz groups to debut in Sacramento - Sacramento Entertainment - Sacramento Movie Theaters, Music | Sacramento Bee 2/16/10 10:22 PM

One of Kline's defining series is the Sacred Space concerts at Grace Cathedral. This year two
generations of saxophonists, Joshua Redman and Pharoah Sanders, perform separate programs in
the hall.

"It's a great marriage of space and sound," Kline says. Performances that work the best at Grace
fully employ the range of acoustic dynamics.

"Pharoah can't move quite as much as he used to, but he's incredible the way he uses the space,"
Kline says. "He uses the power of the horn to blow very loudly into the hall and lets that sound
sit, then he plays underneath that."

The festival will also have a series of concerts recognizing the innovative music label ECM, which
just celebrated its 40th anniversary.

"You can't argue with the history of the artists who have recorded there and the types of
recordings they've made," Kline says. The highlight of those shows will be a rare solo performance
by pianist Keith Jarrett at Davies Symphony Hall. Jarrett will only do three solo performances in
North America this year, and those are highly anticipated.

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Call The Bee's Marcus Crowder, 321-1120.

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