E. Doctor Smith's Blog

My good friend, bassist Liza Albright first turned me onto the pianist, composer and vocalist Rachelle Ferrell, via her fantastic "Individuality" CD, her third effort and a very fine release. I was completely blown away with her song, "Why You Wanna Mess It All Up?". When Ferrell burst onto the contemporary jazz scene in the early nineties, she provided not only one of the most powerful and unique new voices in music, but also an important bridge between R&B and jazz. Equally at home singing contemporary R&B soul or straight-ahead jazz, Rachelle Ferrell is a musical anomaly — not so much because she can do both — but because she does both so well. Rachelle's musicianship, songwriting, intuition and astonishing six-octave vocal range set her apart from her contemporaries. With her sophisticated melodies, smooth grooves and stunning voice, Rachelle Ferrell and her R&B band launch their debut performance at Yoshi’s. Richard Skelly of the ...

Dweezil Zappa, son of the legendary composer/guitarist Frank Zappa, will be bringing his own brand of rock music compositions and "arrangements of complex nature", to the Warfield this June, as he and some of his father's greatest sidemen, saxophonist Napoleon Murphy Brock and drummer Terry Bozzio, re-create the "ironic sense of humor in both music and personality" the Zappa name has become known for. "Zappa Plays Zappa", will feature the music of his father, as well as the music of Dweezil Zappa's newest CD, aptly titled "Automatic". It's his first release under his own name in nearly a decade and marks a return to his roots as a guitarist. It's also the first predominately instrumental guitar album of his career. Operating under the musical credo "anything at anytime for any reason at all" gave Dweezil the freedom to explore new territory. The album features thick layers of multi-tracked guitar textures, all...

SFJAZZ's all-star octet returns for its third annual home season in San Francisco, tonight, (members only night), Saturday and Sunday, with an all-new repertoire including original compositions and fresh arrangements by Grammy-winner Gil Goldstein of classic works by modern jazz master Herbie Hancock. The 2006 line-up includes returning members Joshua Redman (saxophones, Artistic Director), the great Bobby Hutcherson (vibes/marimba), Nicholas Payton (trumpet), Miguel Zenón (alto sax, flute), Renee Rosnes (piano), Matt Penman (bass), and Eric Harland (drums), plus newcomer Andre Hayward on trombone. The SFJAZZ Collective's first two seasons featured the music of Ornette Coleman and John Coltrane, to rave reviews. This year's edition should be no less of a treat. The SFJAZZ Collective is an all-star jazz ensemble comprising eight of the finest performer/composers at work in jazz today. Launched in 2004 by SFJAZZ—the West Coast’s largest non-profit jazz instituti...

One of the best kept secrets in town, are the doings and goings on at "CitySessions", hosted by the Ethiopian restaurant, Club Waziema. The brainchild of Diana Gaffney and Dean Preston, CitySessions is a monthly acoustic music showcase in the Western Addition, featuring some of the Bay Area's best original music. The second Tuesday of each month, a large crowd of music lovers packs Club Waziema's back room to discover the incredible local talent in this small, intimate venue. Gaffney and Preston launched their first music showcase on August 12th, 2003, less than two months after the idea for CitySessions came together. With the overwhelming response to the showcase, this project is cultivating a rich new live music scene in the Western Addition. Owned by the jovial Giday Beshue, Club Waziema was formerly known as Club Morocco, with artists such as Billie Holiday, James Brown and Tina Turner performing there in its heyday in the mid 70's. With Beshue...

One of my oldest friends, jazz guitarist Paul Bollenback, has released his latest CD, "Brightness of Being" , with yet another all star line-up. Saxophonists David "Fathead" Newman, Gary Thomas and Tim Garland, vocalist Chris McNulty, drummers Teri-Lynne Carrington and Ari Honnig, and bassist James Genus. "Being" is Bollenback's sixth album, and like a fine wine, he keeps getting better. "Luap", as I've affectionally come to know him, has out done himself once again wth this very fine effort. "Not one jazz virtuoso could put the definition of jazz into words, but all agreed that you know it when you hear it. That's the way it is with Paul Bollenback. It's bona-fide playing, unambiguous, up-front and powerful," summarized guitar master George Benson, a long-time supporter. Bollenback’s debut recording as a leader, "Original Visions", on Challenge Records, is one of the most creative efforts by a gui...

Bill Macbeth's fabulous little club, The Ivy Room in Albany, has seen it's share of musical diversity; blues, rock, folk, and even experimental. San Pablo Ave. is no stranger to a rich musical heritage either, having seen acts like the legendary Johnny Cash to the irrepressible James Brown. Thursday nights, Macbeth has flung his doors open to the ever popular Hip-Hop scene, hosted by "LCJ" and his spin master "True Justice", and featuring some of the best and brightest stars the bay area has to offer. One of these luminaries continues to captivate me with it's glare; the trio known as Triple Ave. Led by a veritable titan of the turntable, "Hyp", Triple Ave. rounds out it's sounds with the sultry "Gypsy Luv", the silky smooth "Louie Da Saint", and bassist Mike Shea. This is not some high class kareoke band, playing to only CDs, Triple Ave. is a live, spontaneous, performing group, whose infectous grooves and l...

Local tenor saxophonist and clarinetist Matt Renzi is one the most prolific musicians on the scene, and his latest album, "The Cave", is another fine effort. Like many other listeners, I had not been much of a fan of the "sax-bass-drums" trio concept, however after spending time with Seattle's great trio known as "Critters Buggin'", with the legendary "Skerrik" on saxophone, and the former rhythm section of Edie Brickell's New Bohemians, old friends, Brad Houser on bass and Matt Chamberlain on drums, I became a convert. Renzi's pairing with bassist David Ambrosio and drummer Russell Meissner, and their beautiful work on The Cave, can most definitely be added to that ever growing concept. After listening to The Cave, and reading a multitude of stellar reviews, I found myself turning once again to the words of All About Jazz senior editor, Canadian John Kelman, who wrote, "While not an uncommon format, the saxophone...