Mary Halvorsen Quintet 5/18/12 Firehouse 12

Second set at the Firehouse showed Halvorsen and company in good form. Halvorsen on guitar, Stephan Crump on bass, Ches Smith drums, John Irabogon sax, and Finlayson on trumpet. Smith's solo resembled a bb gun fight, his loose-limbed style honed with Mike Patton's Mister Bungle. Halvorsen, quiet and geeky, is an able leader, her style on this evening was aided with a whammy-effect pedal. Crump, Harry Chapin's son-in-law, mimes his notes, and gives a new meaning to full contact bass. Irabogon is a chameleon, he seems at home in any style. He could play Ayler with a wedding band. Finlayson looked like a cross between Thomas Dolby and Buckwheat. His full tone was enhanced by aiming directly at the audience. (you'd be surprised how many trumpeters aim at the floor)

M. Ward w/ Lee Ranaldo 5/7/12 Toads

Sonic Youth lieutenant shredder Ranaldo opens with songs from a new solo recording. Nasally vocals wrapped around trademark skronk make for an enjoyable listen.  Dark and goofy with a good cover of T Heads "Thank You for Sending Me An Angel". I liked the fretwork on "Christina"s World". M. Ward shows up with a top-notch band and rolls through some of his back catalog. Ward is a true musical chameleon. Equal parts western swing, She and Him hipster, and superb picker topped with his distinctive aw shucks vocal delivery. Great version of "Helicopter" off the Transfiguration of Vincent recording.

Shpongle w/ Phutureprimitive 4/19/12 Toads

 Came in with Phutureprimitive at the helm. One skater type spitting beats. Large crowd of youngsters waiting for Simon Posford aka Shpongle. Same idea as opener but with a little more pep to the beats and some bizarre vocal snippets wound into the mix. Tame light show but the crowd was in a constant state of motion.  I feel weird to say, but this show was not trippy enough. The music is infectious but needs the whole package for success. Show was listed as a masquerade, where were the masks, the light show.  Seems like a lot of space between top electronica acts like Thievery Corp and the second layer, I urge young people with laptops to get busy. Shpongle did play his hit Divine Moment of Truth which is kind of like his Lucy in the Sky. He didn't play the B-side, Mother Don't Make Applesauce, just kidding.

Many Arms w/ Geoglyph 4/10/12 Cafe Nine

Duo opener Geoglyph is just drums and guitar/effects but create a lot of sound. Frenetic drumming on a simple kit reminded me of Ginger Baker and Chris Corsano. Guitar effects and loops also created a full sound worthy of two or three people. Effects dude had a suitcase of tricks like Gary Lucas. With a new release on John Zorn's Tzadik label, Many Arms was a power trio. Drums, guitar, and bass led the squall. This noise-improv world has few listeners, but these guys could play, made me think of Laswell's group with Ronald Shannon Jackson Last Exit.

De Profundis, Music for Low Instruments 3/28/12 Sprague Hall

Faculty and student arranged pieces for; sackbuts, bassoon, double bass, trombones, cellos, and tuba were the highlights from the low end. What a concept, and some eyebrow-raising arrangements from Mozart, Bach, and Penderecki. A sackbut is a mini trombone that sometimes needs an extender to reach the truly low notes. The double bass piece had the professor whispering at his bass while slapping and accosting with mallets.

The Joe Krown Trio 3/26/12 Cafe Nine

Who is Joe Krown? I don't know, but his trio consisted of Russell Batiste on drums, Walter Wolfman Washington on guitar, and Krown on organ. Krown must be NOLA royalty to get the other two out from their house band status at The Maple Leaf from the big easy. Funky trio with WWW occasionally singing, these guys had chops. Early show at the nine was well attended. Occasional Meters teases and soul classics were flowing.

Ron Carter Trio 3/23/12 Sprague Hall

The bio on Ron Carter bassist to the stars is that he is credited on over 2000 recordings. Carter on standup bass, Ruben Vega on piano, and Russell Malone on guitar, these veterans gave some standards to a packed Sprague Hall. Part of the Ellington series, there can be no better fit than Carter who effortlessly led My Funny Valentine, I Could Have Danced and others. Diana Krall guitarist Malone had amazing chops. Closeout tune was Golden Striker by the Modern Jazz Quartet, it was as if John Lewis wrote the tune for bass instead of Milt Jackson's vibes. Always good to see an icon in a beautiful setting.