E. Doctor Smith's Blog

One of my all-time favorite jazz keyboardists, the truly legendary Joe Zawinul, comes to the Palace of Fine Arts on November 2nd. I've seen Zawinul many, many times, mostly with his co-leader and Miles Davis alum, saxophonist Wayne Shorter in Weather Report. Zawinul is a true visionary, who once compared jazz to boxing (“the footwork, the jab, the constant setting up and reacting to your opponent), and now at the tender age of 73, continues the good fight of plumbing the intersection of jazz, rock, and world music with his always-fresh Zawinul Syndicate. Austrian born, Joe Zawinul emigrated to the US in 1959 where he played with Maynard Ferguson and the great Dinah Washington before joining alto saxophonist great Cannonball Adderley in 1961 for nine years. With Adderley, Zawinul wrote several important songs, primarily the slow and funky Hit "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" which reached the top on the Billboard magazine Pop Charts in 1967. Zawinul then moved on to a br...

World Percussionist and Grateful Dead co-drummer Mickey Hart returns to the Masonic Auditorium, Saturday, September 23rd, with his legendary Planet Drum group. This latest incarnation, as part of a SF Jazz Festival special event, Hart reunites his fellow percussion virtuosos; Indian tabla phenomenon Zakir Hussain, conga maestro Giovanni Hidalgo and African percussionist, Sikiru Adepoju. This latest incarnation of Planet Drum builds on the legacy of the group that won 1991’s first-ever “Best World Music Album” Grammy Award (for the self-titled record that held the #1 spot on Billboard’s World Music chart for 26 straight weeks). Hart is best known for his nearly three decades as an integral part of an extraordinary expedition into the soul and spirit of music, disguised as the rock and roll band the Grateful Dead. As half of the percussion tandem known as the Rhythm Devils, Hart and Bill Kreutzmann transcended the conventions of rock drumming. Their extended polyrhythmic ex...

In 1981, a small crew of talented musicians led by guitar virtuoso Robben Ford dedicated themselves to pushing the boundaries of jazz with a deceptively intense, distinctive sound that incorporated elements of bebop, funk, R&B and rock. They called themselves the Yellowjackets, and the buzz was instantaneous. That was 25 years ago, and a few of the names and faces have changed since then. What remains is a powerhouse quartet - including original members Russell Ferrante on keyboards and Jimmy Haslip on bass - that's still fiercely dedicated to that original vision of improvisational jazz that draws from a vast range of musical sources and yet defies categories. That initial buzz is no less intense today than it was a quarter century ago. The Yellowjackets are celebrating this landmark anniversary with the release of "Twenty-Five", a combination CD/bonus DVD package that captures two electrified live performances by the Yellowjackets during their European ...

The tragic death of "LJ" Lawrence , one of the regions' best loved bassists, has sparked an out pouring of love and support from far and wide. LJ was a close friend to me personally, and an inspiration to countless others with her generousity, music and spirit. I have been overwhelmed by the many emails and phone calls I've received in this time of grief, and in a way of coming to grips with a life cut way too short, I'd like to share just a few of the moving letters and tributes to the woman I affectionately called "LL Cool Girl". Sam Fallo, and members of the Musician's Union of Reno, will be holding a memorial tribute and jam session in her honor, Sunday, September 24h. Doc, Your article about LJ's life and her work with Don (Evans), brought back a lot of good memories of the Golden Age of blues in Reno, much of which was due to LJ's hard work every Tuesday at the old Hacienda. Thanks for that portrait in words, it was a great...

Laurie Jean "LJ" Lawrence, bassist of the Reno/Lake Tahoe groups "Cool Black Kettle", and her own "Sierra Blues Tribe", was found murdered Saturday morning in Reno, Nevada, the apparent victim of a dispute with her ex-boyfriend. Reno police arrested Denver Dean Pullin, 44, of the same address, and booked him into the Washoe County jail on suspicion of murder with the use of a deadly weapon. Authorities did not specify when they found the body or where the body was found at the home. Detectives will not release the cause of death until after an autopsy which was scheduled for Sunday. Officers discovered the body while responding to a report of a suicidal person at the residence. LJ, had been bringing great blues to the Bay Area, Reno and Lake Tahoe, for well over a decade. One of the hottest female bass players on the scene today, she was a wonderful singer and front person, bringing energy and enthusiasm to the stage, while sharing the limeligh...

This Wednesday night, September 6th, San Francisco poet and writer Robert Anbian, and myself, will bring Anbian's political and thought provoking poetry, with electronics, jazz and the music of my invention, the "Drummstick" to the Madrone Lounge, Divisadero and Fell Streets. Also performing with us will be legendary Bay Area musicians, saxophonist Charles Unger, and keyboardist Sam Peebles. Anbian's critically acclaimed "We" series, and his "Bush Hiaku" from writer Gene Stone's best selling anthologies, the "Bush Survival Bible", and subsequent "Cheney Survival Bible", will be put to the music of Bobby Hutcherson, Miles Davis, and Thelonius Monk, among others, and performed electronically by Unger, Peebles and myself, in a debut of our self described group, "UFQ", the Unidentified Flying Quartet. Anbian's "We" series, have been hailed as a "psycho-social poem-object of the contemporar...