Jazz Corner: The Infinite Tapestry of Jazz, The Role of Chick Corea In This Pattern
American pianist Chick Corea live in concert in Mumbai in 2018. Photo: Prashin Jagger With the passage of time, jazz music, now about 120 years old, has become a reservoir of some of the [...]
From Billie Holiday to “Over the Rainbow,” the Influence of Jewish Americans on Pop Culture
On March 23, the book “There Was A Fire: Jews, Music and the American Dream” is getting a revised and updated edition almost a decade after its original release. “The whole premise of the book [...]
Black Voices: Copyright law has stunted the development of Black Music
Tribune News ServiceJazz musician Miles Davis plays the trumpet in 1959. Many Black musicians have faced consequences of copyright laws and claims that pieces of music have been stolen without credit. It's common knowledge [...]
Formed in 1999, Octobop is an octet based in Northern California that has 1950s West Coast jazz as its roots. It does not stick exclusively to that idiom and repertoire, certainly stretching a bit on their seventh CD, but collectors who enjoy cool jazz will find much to savor on this CD.
The group (Geoff Roach on baritone, tenor and soprano, Eric Patience doubling on tenor and alto, trumpeter Randy Smith, trombonist Jon Schermer, guitarist Jack Conway, vibraphonist Dave Casini, bassist Brian Brockhouse and drummer Frank Wyant) is comprised of excellent musicians and colorful soloists who know the style very well and can make a strong statement in a relatively brief period of time.
On Live @ Savana Jazz, Octobop's repertoire is pretty wide-ranging, not only including "Get Happy," Dizzy Gillespie's "Tanga," "The Wind" and the swinging "Bandstand Boogie" but an inventive remake of Jelly Roll Morton's "King Porter Stomp" and the Allman Brothers' "In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed." Whether it is Duke Ellington's "The Mooche," Charles Mingus' "Nostalgia In Times Square," Lennie Niehaus obscure "Figure 8" or their three originals (including "Theme For An Imaginary Sitcom"), Octobop finds a way of making each song their own while retaining their signature sound in the tradition of the Dave Pell Octet.
Octobop is a group well worth discovering and Live @ Savanna Jazz (available from www.octobop.com) gives listeners a strong sampling of their music.
