E. Doctor Smith's Blog

In 1976, I caught my first glimpse of the now legendary "Buddy" Miles when he opened the show at D.C.'s Capital Centre for Chick Corea's group Return to Forever and Carlos Santana. As I recall, the crowd began to chant rather impatiently for the headliners, blissfully unaware they were seeing the drummer of Jimi Hendrix's beloved Band of Gypsys. Undaunted, the affable Miles laughed and told the crowd that Chick and Carlos would soon be out and began to sing a line from his trademark song, "Oh my mind's been goin' through them changes". Within moments, the audience recognized the tune, Buddy rocked 'em and left the stage. Buddy Miles passed away this week in Austin, Texas at the age of 60. Born George Allen Miles Jr. in Omaha, Nebraska, his aunt nicknamed him after the big-band drummer Buddy Rich, and began playing drums as a child and was 12 years old when he joined his father’s jazz group, the Bebops. As a teenager he also worked...

Last Sunday night, Oakland's eclectic Rooz Cafe saw four phenomenal Bay area bassists take the stage to the delight of all. From the classical stylings of the up-and-coming Dave Lockhart; Celtic-Afro funk of Ariane Cap; the ECM flavored virtuoso Edo Castro; to Randy Marshall and his brainchild: "The Solo Bass Night" series. A member of the California Bass Alliance, Marshall "networks with other bay area soloists to bring the bass guitar into the limelight". Amazingly, he does an admirable job of bringing together some of the Bay area's best bassists in a monthly movable feast of looping, bowing, thumpin' and pluckin' good fun. The show began with Marshall's now familiar foray into the world of the soloing bass player. A truly great bassist in his own right, Marshall's enthusiasm is tempered only by his humility and love of all things bass. His "Bass Solo Night" series are a thing to behold and fertile ground for bassists...

I first saw the enigmatic keyboardist George Duke, back in the '70's with violinist Jean Luc Ponty and the incredible Frank Zappa and his stellar line up of the Mothers of Invention, featuring Ruth Underwood, Tom Fowler, Chester Thompson and Napoleon Murphy Brock. Soon he would team up with now legendary jazz icons Stanley Clarke and Billy Cobham. His subsequent solo albums with Flora Purim, Airto Moriera, Ndugu Chancler and Alphonso Johnson were equally unforgettable. In the ensuing years, Duke has become an in demand record producer winning grammys and working with many of the most popular artists on the scene today. For his debut at Yoshi's San Francisco, Duke comes in leading his own group which will cover his hits from the past and perhaps some surprises too. His performances in Oakland have always been packed, so get your tickets early for this one, and as they say, " bring your Dukey Stick!" Duke was born in San Rafael and reared in Marin City. ...

This Friday night, the L.A. based group Woven rolls into the Retox Lounge in Potrero. Rolling Stone.com described their music as having "remnants of Curve, Peter Gabriel's soundtrack work, world music rhythms and Massive Attack." They’ve had two major releases on Interscope Records, licensed two songs to CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and toured the country multiple times. They have recently performed and done interviews on the G Living Network and are moving forward as an independent band on a DIY green mission. The band strives for a spiritual approach to music and life, and they don’t just talk the talk.On their current west coast tour, they are traveling in a recently converted veggie oil RV. This is Woven’s second tour with the converted RV; its maiden voyage took them across the country and back last September and October. When touring during growing seasons, they also help spread awareness of organic food, farmers and co-ops. Although well-known bands ...

Always pushing the musical envelope and not content to stay with the same old thing, Grammy-winning guitarist Bill Frisell comes to Yoshi's San Francisco with his trio featuring Joey Baron and Tony Scherr. Frisell is one of the most sought-after guitar voices in contemporary music, and his role as composer and band leader has garnered him increasing notoriety. He won a 2005 Grammy for his CD, Unspeakable, and his recording, East/West, was partially recorded live at Yoshi's. The breadth of his performing and recording situations is a testament not only to his singular guitar conception, but his musical versatility as well. Much has been made of the qualities of Frisell's music that defy categorization and the seamlessness with which his bands have navigated such a variety of styles. Born in Baltimore, Bill Frisell played clarinet throughout his childhood in Denver, Colorado. His interest in guitar began with his exposure to pop music on the radio. Soon, the Chic...

My first encounter with the enigmatic jazz pianist Chick Corea, came some thirty years ago with his now legendary group, Return to Forever. That incarnation featured future legends, bassist Stanley Clarke, drummer Lenny White and Bill Connors. If my mind wasn't already blown, it surely was after seeing the next RTF line-up, which featured the debut of a young guitarist named Al DiMeola. For three amazing nights in a row and a mere two blocks from my childhood home near the Carter Barron Amphitheater, I sat in awe of this groundbreaking new music that would ultimately become some of the very best of that bygone, jazz-fusion era. Since that time, Corea has continued to amaze and astound; incredible solo albums; Grammy awards; his acoustic and electric line-ups; recent collaborations with the likes of banjo virtuoso Bela Fleck, and of course his "Elektric Band". This latest version adds Flecktone alumni, bassist Victor Wooten and continues their stand at Yoshi...

This Sunday night, I'll be enjoying my birthday dinner at the new Yoshi's on Fillmore, seeing one of the greatest musicians of al time, the incredible Taj Mahal and his Phantom Blues Band. Taj has been playing his own distinctive brand of music -- variously described as Afro-Caribbean blues, folk-world-blues, hula blues, folk-funk, and a host of other hyphenations -- for more than 40 years. Caribbean, Hawaiian, African, Latin, and Cuban sounds and rhythms mix with folk, jazz, zydeco, gospel, rock, pop, soul, and R&B, all layered on top of a solid country blues foundation. What ties it all together is Taj's abiding interest in musical discovery, particularly in tracing many American musical forms back to their roots in Africa and Europe. Following his passion, Taj has spent time in the Caribbean, West Africa, Hawaii, Europe, the South Pacific, Australia, South America, and all over the continental U.S. His music reflects his global perspective, incorporating...