Superdrag has a new album, Industry Giants, which comes out tomorrow. And not only did the band allow Buzzgrinder to stream it, but John Davis was also kind enough to take over the posting duties for the day. So the staff gets to sit at home and eat bon bons.

Anybody with even a passing interest in jazz will already be well-familiar with the Blue Note label. The Blue Note discography reads like a veritable Who’s Who of Modern Jazz, and most of the greats recorded for Blue Note at one time or another. On January 13, Blue Note issued a two-disc set called Mosaic: A Celebration of Blue Note Records, marking the label’s 70th anniversary.

The septet they put together for the recording represents the best and brightest in Jazz today: drummer Lewis Nash, bassist Peter Washington, guitarist Peter Bernstein, trumpeter Nicholas Payton, alto saxophonist Steve Wilson, tenor saxophonist Ravi Coltrane and pianist/leader Bill Charlap. They were charged with re-inventing some of the best-loved standards from the Blue Note songbook for this new recording, and believe me, they dropped the bomb directly over the target. Then they took it on the road. My wife and I had the great privilege of attending their performance here in Nashville at Vanderbilt University on Feb. 18.

Seeing and hearing these gentlemen on stage doing what they do best elevated my spirit to a higher plane, and filled my heart and mind with a profound sense of joy. I am inclined to think that a group of people standing on a stage playing music for another group of people doesn’t get any “better” than what that was; any other gig would have to move laterally in terms of sheer power and eloquence. Great Jazz, played from the heart, with fire and imagination, has an effect on me that I have dubbed the “peace bomb” effect. If you’re able, do yourself a favor and get out to one of these performances, by any means necessary… and get ready for a seven-megaton blast from the peace bomb.

Here are the band’s remaining tour dates:

March 18 | Sooner Theater | Norman, OK
March 19 | Missouri Theatre Center For The Arts | Columbia, MO
March 20 | Chicago Symphony Hall | Chicago, IL
March 21 | Fox Cities Performing Arts Center | Appleton, WI
March 23 | Lakeland College | Sheboygan, WI
March 25 | Sioux Falls Orpheum Theatre | Sioux Falls, SD
March 26 | The Lied Center – University of Nebraska | Lincoln, NE
March 27 | Stephens Auditorium | Ames, IA
March 28 | Sharon Lynne Wilson Center For The Performing Arts | Milwaukee, WI
March 29 | Orchestral Hall | Minneapolis, MN
April 01 | Mechanics Hall | Worcester, MA
April 02 | Spaulding Auditorium | Hanover, NH
April 03 | Verizon Hall/Kimmel Center | Philadelphia, PA
April 04 | Manchester Craftmens Guild | Pittsburgh, PA
April 05 | John F. Kennedy Center | Washington, DC
April 06 | McCarter Theatre | Princeton, NJ
April 08 | Eisenhower Auditorium | University Park, PA
April 09 | NY Proctors Theater | Schenectady, NY
April 14-19 | Birdland | New York, NY

One Response to “The Blue Note 7: Vanderbilt University (2-18-09)”

1. 

   On 03/16/09 2:45 PM, biff said:

   mmm… bon bons.

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