| << Back 5/18/05 Over Yonder Jamboree The Great Gordo’s Guide to Music By Jay Hardwig The Iguanas It’s always cause for minor celebration in the House of Gordo when Asheville’s annual Downtown After Five series gets rolling. There’s something about free music outdoors — with quality brew on tap and fresh burritos just around the corner — that hits my buttons every time. All the better when the music is good, as it will be Friday night. I gave a thumbs-up to the Iguanas in this space last year, calling their recent album Plastic Silver 9-Volt Heart “slinky, soulful, and satisfying” (there was a special on S-words that week). And while I was a tad disappointed at the accompanying Orange Peel gig, I still count myself a fan of them lizards. Hailing from New Orleans and playing a potent blend of Latin roots-rock, New Orleans R&B, and south-of-the-border blues, the Iguanas should ring in the 2005 DA5 series in smokin’ style. Opening are local jaw-droppers the Firecracker Jazz Band, playing a strong
snort of Dixieland jazz. The event is FREE! FREE! FREE! and the
music starts at 5 pm. Visit www.ashevilledowntown.org for more info,
and while you’re at it, mark you calendar for these future
shows: Cyril Lance (6/17), Drivin’ n’ Cryin’ (7/15),
Walter “Wolfman” Washington (8/19), and a local showcase
(9/16). Strawberry Jam Some might say bluegrass and strawberries go together like — oh, I don’t know, reggae and jagerschnitzel — but those surly folks will have their doubts squashed if they take in Darnell Farms’ annual Strawberry Jam. In addition to more strawberries than you can shake a shortcake at, the Jam will feature music from some top-notch pickers. Virginia’s Nothin’ Fancy has played everywhere from the Ryman to the Lincoln Center; Tennessee’s Pine Mountain Railroad has a couple of IBMA nominations and a sausage sponsorship under their belt; and local heroes Sons of Ralph are known for tearing up any cotton patch they’re allowed to get near to (word is they’ll take it easy on the berries, though). Add to that a passel of local yokels, and you’ve got the makings of a fine afternoon. The Strawberry Jam runs Saturday and Sunday, but it looks to me like most of the music is on Saturday. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door. Call 828.488.2376 for more info. “When Wycliffe picks up the trombone, something magical happens.” When I read that line, I’ll confess, I didn’t think of jazz straightaway. Rather, I conjured a vision of some soulful little children’s book, a Newberry nominee with great colorful illustrations and a whimsical plot about a boy and his magic trombone. “What’s the magic?,” I wondered. “Do black-and-white bunnies come tumbling from his horn? Does he take wing and fly to the sky? Does he turn a frown upside-down and make the world a better place?” Don’t tell this to my 4-year-old, but there is no children’s book called Wycliffe Gordon and the Magic Trombone. When Wycliffe takes the stage Sunday night, no bunnies will spill from his horn, nor wings sprout from his back. He just might turn a frown upside-down and make the world a better place, but if you wrote such a thing in a music column you’d be laughed off the page. The quote above doesn’t come from storytime, but from Dr. Billy Taylor, head of the Jazz at Kennedy Center program. Taylor knows what he’s talking about: Wycliffe Gordon has been turning musical heads with his fluid, melodic leads and clean sweet swing since 1989, the year that Wynton Marsalis plucked from Florida A&M and installed him as a regular member of the Marsalis Septet. In the years since, Gordon has developed a thriving solo career and has performed with jazz legends ranging from Dizzy Gillespie to Joe Henderson to Shirley Horn and back. He’s picked up a fair amount of hardware in that time (including two picks as Trombonist of the Year from the Jazz Journalists Association), and has made a name as an educator as well (he currently serves on the faculty of the Jazz Studies Program at Julliard). There may not be bunnies coming from Gordon’s horn Sunday night, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be magic. Gordon’s quartet will include Elias Pruett on bass, Brian Sullivan on
drums, and Greenville’s own Keith Davis on piano. Tickets
are $15 for members of the WNC Jazz Society and $22 for non-members.
Students under age 25 get in for $10. The show starts at 6:30, and
there is an optional pre-show reception at the New French Bar (RSVP).
Call 828.257.4530 for more info. Also Playing • Norman and Nancy Blake, Grey Eagle, 5/20 • Pinback, Orange Peel, 5/20 • “A Cowgirl, a Diva, and a Shameless Hussy,” Balsam Mountain Inn, 5/21 • Arlington Priest, Soul Infusion, 5/21 • The Ribtips, Jack of the Wood, 5/21 • Strut, Orange Peel, 5/21 • Abe Reid and the Spikedrivers, Grey Eagle, 5/21 • Richard Buckner, Grey Eagle, 5/25 • Morgan Heritage, Orange Peel, 5/25 Three Good Things That Might Go Well With Magical Trombones 1. Ethereal Plungers 2. Inscrutable Mouthpieces 3. Enchanted Spit Valves They Said It “I think we keep coming back until we get it right. And once you get it right, if you wanna come back a few more times just to show off, well that’s okay too.” — Willie Nelson |
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