E. Doctor Smith's Blog

Béla Fleck is no doubt, one of the premiere banjo players in the world and has made a name for himself as a virtuoso instrumentalist unbounded by genre. His band The Flecktones - Victor Wooten on electric bass, Jeff Coffin on sax and flute, and Future Man on electric and acoustic percussion - are equally talented and adventurous as Fleck himself. Last year's holiday CD "Jingle All the Way" is still all of that, with bells on - Christmas music as it's never been heard it before, with unique tonal textures, hot solos and tight ensemble arrangements that make every measure new. The Flecktones last appeared at Yoshi's on Fillmore 2 years ago, promoting this album with several memorable shows. They skipped the West coast last year however, for a memorable tour in Europe, reuniting them with original member, pianist and harmonica legend Howard Levy. Last night, they returned to the Fox Theater in Oakland for another stellar, Christmas-time performance. Released two tear...

This Saturrday night, the Meridian Gallery at 535 Powell will present the CD release show for the Emergency String (X)tet's "Emergency Rental". Recorded one spring evening in San Francisco, Emergency Rental is a collaboration by the ES(X)tet and saxophonist and producer Rent Romus exploring sound in and outside the elements of free improvisation between saxophone and strings, and released on Romus' Edgetone Records label. "For about a year prior I searched up and down looking for the most interesting set of string players I could to create Emergency Rental", says Romus. "I am honored that all seven of the current Emergency Strings choose to work with me on this project." The Emergency String (X)tet grew out of the ashes of Fred Longberg-Holms Phenomenal String Quartet in Chicago some fifteen years ago. After the dissolution of the Phenomenal Strings, ESX founder Bob Marsh was disconsolate, greatly missing the aural wonders provided by that group. H...

When I last saw the guitarist Mike Stern at Yoshi's San Francisco, he was performing alongside the incredible drummer Billy Cobham, as well as keyboardist Mark Soskin and bassist Victor Bailey. Cobham's reprise of his "Spectrum" era repertoire thrilled the audience, as did Stern's incendiary solos. Later that week, Cobham would play Yoshi's Oakland with an all-acoustic line up, featuring the brilliant trumpeter Randy Brecker, another longtme Cobham alum. Now Stern and Brecker return to Yoshi's for a weekend of music with drum virtuoso Dennis Chambers and bassist Anthony Jackson. Stern and Brecker will also participate in the Jazz Heritage Center's popular lecture series, "We're Talkin' Jazz" on Sunday. In a career that spans three decades and a discography that includes more than a dozen eclectic and innovative recordings, six-time GRAMMY nominee Stern has established himself as one of the premier jazz and jazz-fusion ...

Edo Castro is one of the Bay Area's most prolific bassists and composers. His previous albums, "Edo" and the critically acclaimed "Phoenix" both on the Passion Star label, saw Castro's love of jazz, textures and his Matheny-like passion for perfection reach new heights. Now comes Castro's most ambitious work to date, "Sacred Graffiti". Castro brings together the members of his "Expandable Trio", guitarist Erik Lindquist and drummer Alex Aspinall, as well as stellar musicians like trumpeter Mark Isham and virtuoso bassist Michael Manring to produce a sonic soundscape that will treat the listener to the breadth and depth of his musical prowess. Castro is a master of the 7 string bass, looping, and like the legendary Manring, adept with the use of a device called the "Ebow". The Ebow allows a guitarist or bassist to electronically vibrate their strings, producing some of the most beautiful textures you are ever lik...

One of my favorite keyboardists passed away suddenly in his sleep last month, the incredible T. Lavitz. I first saw Lavitz many years ago with the famed Dixie Dregs, and later as a founding member of the Grateful Dead-inspired "Jazz is Dead", alongside Alphonso Johnson, Billy Cobham and Jimmy Herring. Lavitz's death at a young age comes as shock to the jazz-rock world. Lavitz began his intensive study of classical and jazz piano at age seven. At the same time, the Beatles invaded America, igniting in Lavitz a lifelong love of rock music. Born on April 16, 1956, Lavitz grew up in New Jersey. He started taking piano lessons at the age of seven and was offered a scholarship at the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan where he studied before attending the University of Miami's School of Music. By twenty-two, Lavitz was asked to join the "rock, jazz, and everything else" instrumental band, the Dixie Dregs. It was a dream come true, because they were ...

To say that Yusef Lateef has had a remarkable career would be a major understatement. Lateef, who celebrates his 90th birthday this year, was recently honored as a 2010 NEA Jazz Master. On the tenor, flute and oboe he has an inimitable voice, and along with Miles Davis and John Coltrane, he was a trailblazer of modal jazz. Although he had stints with Dizzy Gillespie, Cannonball Adderley and Charles Mingus, Lateef has primarily been a leader throughout his career with over 70 innovative albums to his credit. He was one of the first to emerge from mainstream jazz and explore “world” music, on his landmark 1961 Prestige record Eastern Sounds. And he had a great run of classic releases on the Impulse! label from 1964-66. Rather than use the word “jazz,” Lateef prefers to call his music “autophysiopsychic,” meaning, “that which comes from one’s spiritual, physical and emotional self.” And what better place than Grace Cathedral to continue this journey? Providing subtle support...

Over the course of a remarkable, still-unfolding career, Gary Husband has defined himself as the ultimate musician’s musician: a fiery, perceptive presence who elevates every scenario – from the tightly arranged to pure, open-ended improvisation. Whether focusing on his intricate, propulsive drumming or unleashing his nimble, harmonically astute keyboard abilities, Husband never fails to make his presence felt, while always remaining sympathetic to his fellow musicians and to the composition at hand. His vast range of experience allows him to balance the technical and the intuitive with rare grace, earning him the opportunity to perform and record alongside such maverick, inventive talents as John McLaughlin, Jeff Beck, Allan Holdsworth, Jack Bruce, Mike Stern, Robin Trower, Billy Cobham, Gary Moore, Level 42, Andy Summers, and many, many more. In addition to his prolific career as a sideman, the British-born Husband has recorded seven of his own albums, featuring his mul...