Welcome to our new column: Jazz Stream. Here we will list the online opportunities to hear and see jazz music – much of it live performances instead of filmed concerts. Without further ado, here is Jazz Stream: July 21st – July 25th:
Orrin Evans: Dedicated to Billy Strayhorn – July 23rd – 7:00 PM EDT/4:00 PM PDT
Connecticut’s Litchfield Jazz Camp is holding this one-hour concert by pianist/composer Orrin Evans celebrating the work of Billy Strayhorn, the composer best known for his work with Duke Ellington.
Amongst Strayhorn’s best-known works are “Take the ‘A’ Train;” “Chelsea Bridge” and my personal favorite song of all time: “Lush Life.”
Evans is a pianist and bandleader whose most recent album is called The Intangible Between. It’s with his ensemble the Captain Black Big Band and the record serves as a tribute to trumpeter Roy Hargrove and drummer Lawrence “Lo” Leathers, both of whom recently passed away. Jazz Times called the album “brilliant.”
He has been the leader and/or co-leader on 25 albums. In 2018 he was named the year’s “Rising Star” by DownBeat Magazine. An award he found a little strange more than 23 years into his career as he told the New York Times.
“I’m not looking down on it, but I’m just like: If I had waited on you, I’d have been a falling star. There was no way I was going to wait on you to tell me when I’m a star.”
The Black Madonna Project – July 23rd – 7:45 PM EDT/4:45 PM PDT
Mimi Jones is the leader of this concert from Smalls in New York. She will be joined by Leonor Falcón on viola; Juanma Trujillo on guitar and Mark Whitfield Jr. on drums.
It would be difficult to identify Jones with any one genre of music. She writes her own material and the styles range from jazz to funk to folk and rock.
She has three records of her own and has toured and/or recorded with a plethora of artists including Kenny Barron, Lizz Wright, Beyonce, Frank Ocean, Dianne Reeves, Roy Hargrove, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Nona Hendricks, Toshi Reagon and Ravi Coltrane.
When asked about The Black Madonna Project, Jones explained, “The inspiration for this concert came during my 2017 concert tour of southern Italy. When the promoter said to me, ‘You remind me of images of the Black Madonna,’ I realized that the only images I had seen of Christ and Mary were Caucasian. In Italy, I saw many pictures of black madonnas with a face that could look like mine. Those faces served as my muse, and revealed strength and grace.”
Cécile McLorin Salvant with Sullivan Fortner – July 24th – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT
I’ve written several times about the amazing singer Cécile McLorin Salvant. She has won three consecutive Grammy Awards for her albums For One to Love (2015), Dreams and Daggers (2017) and her most recent recording, The Window (2018.)
This concert at SF Jazz took place on September 7, 2018 and it was part of her tour to showcase The Window.
Salvant recorded The Window with pianist Sullivan Fortner who joins her for this concert.
No need to say anything more. I’ll let her singing speak for itself.
This concert is part of SFJazz’s Fridays at Five series. It requires signing up for a monthly membership ($5) or an annual membership ($60) to see the concerts. I strongly recommend this concert.
Ron Carter Trio – July 24th and July 25th – 9:00 PM EDT/6:00 PM PDT
I’m not sure how much needs to be said about legendary bassist Ron Carter, either. If you go to his website you see a staggering statistic from 2015: “The most recorded jazz bassist with 2,221 individual recording credits as verified on September 15, 2015.”
His discography is truly a document of the history of jazz from the mid-1950s onward.
Collaborations with Art Blakey, Coleman Hawkins, Eric Dolphy, Gil Evans, Wes Montgomery, Horace Silver, Milt Jackson and Miles Davis only take you through the first ten years of his career.
He is a prolific performer, composer, author and educator. Simply put, he’s a legend.
For these two live concerts from New York’s Village Vanguard, he’ll be joined by Russell Malone on guitar and Donald Vega on Piano. You must purchase a ticket for the streaming concert to get a link to see it. Tickets are $10 per performance.
Those are our picks for Jazz Stream: July 21st – July 25th. To get considered for inclusion in our weekly lists, please e-mail us.
Photo of Sullivan Fortner and Cécile McLorin Salvant by Mark Fitton/Courtesy Salvant’s website