E. Doctor Smith's Blog

After extensively touring the country, one of the Bay Area's best musical talents is off to NYC at the end of August. I once had the pleasure of having Garrin join bassist Edo Castro and me for a truly fun-filled performance at Duboce Park several years ago. About his final Bay Area shows, Garrin writes, "I've got a few more gigs in San Francisco before I once again relocate to New York City. My next show in San Francisco will be at Dolores Park Cafe on Friday, August 10! What can I say about this homey venue that has hosted so many memorable nights over the years? Please come out and say see you later before Jason and I take off!" If you haven't seen Garrin before, tonight is your chance. One fine example of Benfield's work, is a video shown below, "Walking Time Blues" and is among my favorites. Garrin's website sums up his latest efforts: “The Wave Organ Song is Benfield’s fifth full length CD of original songs. He gained notice in 2000 with hi...

Kevin Coelho is the sort of teenage phenom that the Hammond B3 organ hasn’t seen in decades. It’s a measure of his gifts that the 16-year-old Californian’s debut album, “Funkengruven – The Joy of Driving a B3,” was produced by a renowned master of the B3: Tony Monaco, whose Chicken Coup Records imprint is released “Funkengruven” last month via Summit Records. “Kevin is a fascinating and brilliant young musician,” says Monaco, who not only helmed the sessions but also lent Coelho the players from his hot touring trio: guitarist Derek DiCenzo and drummer Reggie Jackson. “In a lot of ways, Kevin reminds me of the young me! He has already studied an enormous amount and has a great grasp of what and how he wants to play. He really knows how to play that left-hand bass, which is the key to driving the music. Producing the record for Kevin was a wonderful experience for me, a real gift.” Coelho comes to the San Jose Jazz Festival August 12th. Classically trained in piano, Coelho fell in love ...

Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds are a "soulful-rock / rhythm & blues band out of Brooklyn, NY" (3 of the Dirty Birds originated in San Francisco) that has been touring extensively in support of their sophomore album Pound Of Dirt. They are gaining momentum for their live shows, having already landed opening spots with Dr. John, The Black Keys, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, (among many others). Recently, they played 3 sets at Bonnaroo, a set at Summer Camp, a set at CBGB Festival, and SXSW with an upcoming spot at Telluride Jazz Festival. This Saturday night, the monster combo rolls into the Boom Boom Room on Fillmore. “You gotta eat a pound of dirt before you die.” That little twist on an old American proverb provides an album title (Pound of Dirt), a lyric and an underlying philosophy for Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds. “That lyric sums up our new record,” says frontwoman Arleigh Kincheloe (aka Sister Sparrow, who boasts impressive pipes that reca...

John Moremen's nifty combo, "Flotation Device", returns to the Hotel Utah, alongside bandmates Adam Symons on drums, Chris Xefos on bass and Ian Robertson on guitar. Last June I quoted one of their earliest reviews which stated Moremen was, "Almost impossible to explain. A session-man, side-man, band leader and collaborator extraordinaire, the San Francisco musician has recorded with experimentalists Half Japanese and MX-80, backed legendary Flamin' Groovies front man Roy Loney, written with The Minus Five's Scott McCaughey and fronted his own bands. And that's alongside over a decade as a member of Bay Area popsters, The Orange Peels, first as their drummer and now as their lead guitarist. Yet none of that explains what he does on "Flotation Device," where he navigates surf, NRBQ-esque roots rock and Monk-like bop with a deft hand." In the spring of 2011, Moremen started working on some instrumentals for fun, but over the course of a few m...

Five-time Grammy-winning musician Victor Wooten, best known for his work with Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, Stanley Clarke, Dave Matthews is on tour this summer backed by an amazing ensemble of musicians as he gears up for the release of two new CDs on VIX Records in September of 2012. In between intense touring with The Flecktones, Wooten has been recording and mixing a new CD that will be released in two versions simultaneously in September. Wooten and his band roll into Yoshi's at Jack London Square, July 19th and 20th. Words & Tones comprises 13 songs (11 new original tracks and 2 cover songs) which all feature a female vocalist. Vocalists include longtime friends Saundra Williams (Sharon jones and the Dap Kings) and Divinty Roxx (Beyonce), as well as Wooten’s brothers and kids. New collaborations include a smooth vocal performance from Me’shell Ndegeocello, a beautiful duet featuring Joey Kibble (Take 6), and fiery percussion from “Pedrito” Martinez. Sword &...

The San Francisco Bay Area’s underground music scene covers a tremendous range of styles and artists. What they share is a love of improvisation, and of new or unusual compositions and sound-making techniques. Coming out of genres as diverse as jazz, electronica, contemporary composition, world music, hip-hop, and metal, the performing artists are led by their desire to learn and impart something new about music. The Bay Area new music scene often works outside of traditional venues, creating special environments for new kinds of sound. Outsound volunteer curators are dedicated to presenting the cutting edge of sound and music composition and performance. The Outsound New Music Summit runs from July 15th-21st, and marks its eleventh consecutive year in 2012 with a night of wildly imaginative poetry with Ronald Saur, rAmu Aki, and Carla Harryman along with some of the Bay Area’s finest improvisers. Also featured will be a night of new compositions, featuring John Shiurba’s ...

The West Coast’s largest free jazz festival returns this summer with a weekend of live music, gourmet food and local arts and crafts.  On Saturday and Sunday, July 7 & 8, the 28th Annual Fillmore Jazz Festival, on Fillmore Street between Jackson and Eddy, will showcase the Bay Area’s most talented musicians across the full spectrum of jazz music accompanied by a festival infused with the local flavors and culture of San Francisco’s historic Fillmore District. This year’s festival will feature more than two dozen bands performing on three different stages, including a heartfelt tribute to Etta James performed each afternoon on the California Street Stage by Kim Nalley, one of the Bay Area’s most acclaimed jazz and blues vocalists. Other performers on the California Street Stage include Radio Jazz, Foxtails Brigade, the Mark Rapp Group, the Contemporary Jazz Orchestra, Venissa Santi, and the Michael Orenstein Group presented by The Jazzschool. The Sutter Street – Beyond Stage wil...