Bud Collins Trio 4/27/17 The Outer Space

Didn't realize that BC3 was part of some local band showcase, which explains the early start time. BC3 hail from Storrs CT, home to the main campus of Uconn. When I was a student in the 80s, BC3 was a staple at Hooligans or Huskies, plying their pre-Phish quirky jamminess. Guitar/vocals, bass, keys/vocals, keys, and drums were their current lineup. Nasally jams punctuated with Zappa time jumps, Trey-like leads, and Moog touches reminded me of the Steely Dannish jams of Percy Hill. One of the first CDs I ever purchased was In The Land of No by BC3, I haven't seen this group since that time, a lifespan of an entire music delivery format. The vocals show age, but the musicianship is still solid.

Richard Bona Trio w/ The Randy Weston Sextet 4/23/17 Toad's Place

The show was billed as "Africa into Jazz, Jazz into Africa", the crowning event of the Yale Undergraduate Jazz Collective's weekend festival. Opener Weston is a true giant in the jazz world. At 91 years old and 6'8" tall, Weston has been at the jazz piano since the early 60s. He is a direct disciple of Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk. Born in Brooklyn, Weston had a straight shot to the jazz scene brewing at Minton's Playhouse. In the 70s, instead of moving to Europe like most jazz expats, Weston moved to Morocco to absorb the African roots and rhythms. On this evening, it was Weston on piano, tenor sax, soprano sax and flute, bass, African percussion, and drums. Amazing set from this nonagenarian who shows no signs of slowing down. Weston's long fingers made confident and acrobatic runs, he was truly in charge. Excellent conga work, a great flute solo, and an unusual but deft bass style were some highlights. In my recent reacquaintance with the world of vinyl, I came across a copy of Weston's Berkshire Blues which I am thoroughly enjoying.
Richard Bona is a Cameroonian bass player who came with piano and drums for his trio. Bona plays a five string electric bass with effortless moves. The pianist was great, but paled in the chair occupied by Weston. Bona's songs were equal parts Youssou N'dor and Jaco. The African singing lent a nice touch to the jazz affair. In surveying the walls at Toads, I realize how many bands I've seen from the Stones and Tin Machine to Jack Bruce and John Lee Hooker. This venue is in the twilight of its lifespan and has never been a home to jazz, but on this particular evening, this particular jazz fan had a smile from ear to ear.

Christian Scott Atunde Adjuah 4/23/17 Yale Art Gallery Theater

Caught the last few songs of this Sunday afternoon performance. The show was another leg in the Yale Undergraduate Jazz Collective's weekend long festival. Christian Scott is a Nawlins trumpet player. He was backed by an expert crew of young lions. Scott played the Dizzy style of trumpet ( you know the one where the bell shoots up at an obtuse angle). The group had piano, bass (standup and electric), sax, and monster drums. The suffix on Scott's name comes the fact that he is Donald Harrison Sr.'s grandson. This grandfather was one of the original Chiefs. Christian, at 34, is now a Chief (hence the suffix). Scott, pianist, and drummer cut their teeth together at Berklee in Boston. Scott recounted this fascinating tale of the grandpa Chief. Every Sunday the Chief would bag all the food in the house and walk the entire city giving it away, when he ran out, he'd stop and buy more for the 7 hour walk. Young Christian went on these walks and saw faces, hungry, happy, ashamed, all took the Chief's offering. The grandpa Chief is credited as uniting the wards and the other Chiefs through food, love, and inclusion. The final piece was an epic battle between trumpet and drums, with Scott blowing his horn straight at the kick drum, the result was less a cancelling of sound but a melding of the ferocity....wow.

M'balia 4/22/17 Yale Art Gallery Theater

I heard from a friend that the Yale Undergraduate Jazz Collective were staging a free weekend long festival with free concerts at various venues around Yale. The Art Gallery theater was a perfect place to see jazz vocalist M'balia. When I arrived, it seemed like some students were warming the place up. From the Peanuts gang, Lucy was on piano, Pigpen on standup bass, and Schroeder ( probably booted from piano by Lucy) was on drums, all they needed was Peppermint Patty on thumb piano to round out the group. M'balia, an impressive stage presence, joined the crew. Big hair, big earrings, big voice and attitude poured out of this singer. The Peanuts gang were her band, and they all had chops. M'balia charged through her set with the kids holding fast to her coat tails. "April in Paris" and Cole Porter's "Just One of Those Things" were great. She also put lyrics to some original compositions to great effect. The band was tight, especially piano, showing flourishes of McCoy Tyner and Mulgrew Miller. M'balia sounded at times like Betty Carter crossed with Jill Scott. She definitely had control of the kids and worked them for an impressive set. My one complaint was with the crowd, this afternoon crowd of hipsters and academics felt compelled to clap at each handoff of the solo baton which disrupted some song flow. I was happy to be in attendance, and clapping at the conclusion of each tune rather than five times during each song seemed like an appropriate level of appreciation.

The Decemberists 4/15/17 College St. Music Hall

The Decemberists, Portland Oregon's literate band of indie-prog-folk rockers brought their genre bending show to a sold out College St. Fronted by the the nerdy charisma of  singer guitarist Colin Meloy, aided by keys/accordionist Jenny Conlee, lead guitar (also played pedal steel), bass (electric and standup, drums (melodica too), and two female backup singers put forth a polished and relaxed show. It's been a couple of years since their last release, but the back catalog of songs gave them a sufficient pool to draw from. The setlist included: Down By The Water, O Valencia!, Dear Avery, We Both Go Down Together, The Crane Wife, Lake Song, The Wanting Comes in Waves-repaid, Odalisque, Red Right Ankle, The Chimbley Sweep, and the new Everything's Awful (Meloy's take on the state of the Union). I saw this band at a Newport Folkfest about ten years ago and I must admit that they have grown on me since that time. The quirky hyper-literacy couched in revolutionary war era murder ballads presents an independent indie rock group that has snowballed in popularity. Meloy, a total wordsmith, has hundreds of years of English to pull lyrics from. I was amazed that the crowd seemed to keep up with this wordy juggernaut, the dude next to me sang every song. Rhyming parapet with arabesque or using terms like ventricle and prevaricate made me feel like I was studying for the SATs

Xiu Xiu w/ Headroom 4/12/17 Bar

Local psych outfit Headroom is a veritable guitar army. Three guitars, bass, drums, and a guy on what looked like an old Royal typewriter. Sludge and fuzz drenched instrumentals are the M.O. of Headroom. At one point, the churning wall of guitar squall morphed into a wordless drone metal reading of the Dead's Wharf Rat.
Xiu Xiu is an avant rock trio that has been plying their oddball craft for twenty years. Tributes to Nina Simone, film music, and a recent stint doing the music of Twin Peaks in their trademark drone metal delivery. On this evening Xiu Xiu was a duo, a diminutive Asian woman on drums and synths, and a quirky male singer on caterwauling guitar. The singer's schizophrenic style reminded me of Pere Ubu, Fred Schneider, David Byrne, Wayne Newton, Norman Bates (for his violent stabbing of his lone cymbal), and even the guy from Spandau Ballet at times. Good set played to a packed crowd. Wild cover of ZZ Top's Sharp Dressed Man was the show highlight.

Diet Cig w/ Daddy Issues 4/5/17 Bar

Opener Daddy Issues is a female power trio from New York. Guitar/vocals, bass/backing vocals, and drums formed the group. Punk and grunge were the formula for their original tunes. These girls are in their 20s and were happy to be on tour. The singer reminded me of Syd Straw fronting Husker Du. The song "Creepy Girl" was the highlight.
Diet Cig from New Paltz are a duo. Female vocals and guitar and a male drummer oozed pop punk numbers. The singer bounced around the stage like Peter Pan while the drummer pushed the high velocity pace. Some duos have limited sound, but the strong vocals and stage presence filled the room.