[NewMusic] barhopping

[David Slusser]

I too rarely get a chance to take in the purportedly rich new music  
scene in the east bay.
The events listing for yesterday offered an opportunity to kill three  
birds with one stone,
and live out my 52nd Street fantasy of hopping from one brilliant  
performance to the next.
It can be done.

Eight o'clock:  21Grand - Video Savant
Started a bit late, so it was hard to pull myself away from the  
intriguing soundscape my
friends Davignon, Hanes and Whitman were laying down to Charles  
Woodman's video
mixology.  Want to see some more - he's from Cincinnati, where I  
spent some time, and
looks old enough to remember the good old days.  The video taking  
center stage seemed
to really relax the musical presentation...less self-concious, and it  
gained entry into my
brain before I knew what was going on.

Nine o'clock:  New Earth Artist's Cafe - Zen Widow
It was actually later than 9, so I only saw the short set they did  
from 9:30 to 10,
and a lovely little set it was.  I was excited to see a shiny new  
grand piano for
Matthew Goodheart to play - but he told me it only looked like a  
piano.  Closer
inspection revealed it to be a digital piano, with all Goodheart's  
small gongs and
"under the hood" accouterments spread out on the disturbingly flat,  
black interior.
It was good to hear Gianni Gebbia's out-of-town perspective with  
another set of
friends who's playing I'm otherwise familiar with.  At times the band  
(not Gianni)
sounded like late period Coltrane - which I chiefly ascribe to  
Matthew having to
play from a "notes" perspective on the digital keyboard - to good  
effect, actually.
George Cremaschi added some electronics, making up for the piano  
sound, a little,
and, of course, Garth Powell was resourceful with his timbres, though  
a bit loud
for the room, especially when Gianni tried to play the flute.

Ten o'clock:  Stork Club - Mute Socialite
This was actually the first bar, in my bar hopping fantasy, and the  
reality set in
immediately.  It was an hour after curtain time, and the first band  
hadn't played
yet, because the basketball game was on (loudly on 2 tvs).  I cooled  
my heels
doing what you're supposed to in bars (drinking and leering at women)  
till the
first band, Leslie Q (but without Leslie) hit about 10:45.  Moe  
Staiano was filling
in on drums in what went on as a trio, with Steve McKay on sax.  That  
was a blast
from the past, as I played with him (and subbed for him) 30 years ago  
when I first
moved here, and I believe we had crossed paths in Ann Arbor before  
that as well.
Kind of a cautionary tale, though.  Reminding me a little of Ralph  
Carney, he carries
the legacy of celebrity rock sax sideman...and there but for the  
grace of God go I.
I'd had enough by 11, and regret not being able to stay late enough  
for Mute Socialite,
but at least I'd successfully pursued my fantasy.

It can be done.  The music was uniformly interesting.  What I saw,  
though, is that we
(fellow musicians) are the audience.  On paper, it looks like a  
really cool scene (and
musically it is), but an embarrassment of riches on a Tuesday night,  
when most of
the potential audience are on the stages playing.