For close to 30 years, drummer Jefferson Voorhees has built a reputation as an earnest, reliably quirky, and much appreciated fixture on Albuquerque’s music scene. His list of credits runs the gamut from world music (with Wagogo and others) to avant-garde jazz (with TG3 and others) to several unclassifiable varieties of miscegenational music (with Pray for Brain, The Dogbone Trio, and others). He is as much at home onstage playing the most unconventional music you might ever encounter, as he is playing standards in nursing homes and senior centers with Red Roosters, or any number of danceable genres with Jasper. Along the way, he has studied West African and East Indian drumming, played with world beat pioneers such as O.J. Ekemode and the Nigerian Allstars, and is currently collaborating with the trio Engine. This coming Thursday at the Outpost, he will draw from his vast storehouse of rhythm to present a solo concert—just him and his idiosyncratic drum kit—on a bill with the Glass Key Trio. Continue reading
Aaron Parks, Quartette Oblique, and Ben Wendel Dazzle with New Releases
A flood of recent releases is clogging up my in-box. Here are a few quick takes to get things moving again. Continue reading
Vocalist Susan Abod Flashes Her Songwriting Chops on Her New Album
Vocalist/songwriter Susan Abod will celebrate the release of her new album, What’s Not Wrong?, this weekend in Santa Fe—and there’s a lot to celebrate about this jazzy chanteuse and her music. Continue reading
Bassist Max Moran Goes “Neospectric”
Powered by a new generation of New Orleans players, Neospectric, bassist Max Moran’s first release as a leader, rides a groove from the Crescent City’s funky tradition right into the 21st century. Continue reading
Good Vibes x 3: New Releases from Stefon Harris, Joe Locke, and Yuhan Su
Two acknowledged masters of the vibraphone, Stefon Harris and Joe Locke, and a promising newcomer, Yuhan Su, each have new releases that will make vibrafans vibrate all over. Continue reading