Buffalo Live Jazz: Danny Hull: Musically This Week Vol XV, No 4

Hello everyone. B3 Heaven at the Iris for the next two Tuesdays...

Tuesday, 10/2 at the Iris Restaurant 7:30 - 10:30

Darcy Hepner, tenor saxophone Bobby Jones, Hammond B3 your host, drum set

Darcy Hepner

And we can thank Darcy Hepner for getting us started. Oh, yeah. Who? Best to go to www.darcyhepner.com/bio.htm for a rather impressive update, but here's a synopsis: Darcy's father, Dr. Lee Hepner, was the founder of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and a Professor of Music at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. Darcy first came to music as a cellist, whereupon he won a scholarship to the famed Congress of Strings in Cincinnati. Shortly after, he discovered the Beatles and the electric guitar. "That was my recreational thing," he recalls. "I was playing guitar and had a little band that did Blood, Sweat & Tears stuff. But the saxophonist couldn’t play anything that I wrote, so out of frustration I just said, 'Gimme that, it can’t be that hard.' And here we are, live at the Iris, in the company of one of the greatest B3 players in the world. This organ trio thing was Darcy's idea. I hope his studies with Pat La Barbera, Sonny Stitt, Lee Konitz and Bob Mintzer prepared him for his night of feature with Bobby Jones. Or maybe his teaching experience at Berklee. His five years with Blood, Sweat & Tears? Or his experience on the stand with Tony Bennett, B.B. King, Aretha Franklin, Sergio Mendes, Henry Mancini, Mel Tormé, the Artie Shaw Orchestra, David Liebman, Kenny Wheeler, or Louie Bellson... Jones is formidable. But with credentials like the aforementioned, Darcy will be ready. How about you? Bobby Jones at the B3 should command a full house by himself. With the addition of a world-class tenor player whose schedule rarely allows a trip to Buffalo, you might want to get there early. The Iris Restaurant - in the plaza at the intersection of Maple & Sweet Home Roads in Amherst. 831-3271. Good music, good food, good people, world-class artists, chilled spirits, and a great hang.

Wednesday, 10/3 at the Iris Restaurant 7:30 - 9:30

Buffalo Brass open rehearsal

Phil is preparing the band for a hit this Saturday, music mostly of the straight ahead and swinging variety. You're invited to watch and listen as Phil tunes us up. Pretty interesting from an observer's standpoint...

Saturday, 10/6 at the Iris Restaurant 8:00 - 11:00 $7.00 at the door

Phil DiRe Buffalo Bop

Phil Di Re, tenor saxophone Bobby Militello, alto sax & flute Richie Merlo, trumpet & flugelhorn John Hasselback, trombone Matt Michaud, guitar Wayne Moose, bass Lisa Hasselback, piano Louie Marino, drum set

I'll meet you there? My gig with the Buffalo Brass this Saturday goes till 8:00. Tear down, load up, and head straight to the Iris for Phil DiRe's latest concept, "The Power of Eight". I can't wait to hear Louie Marino hold this band together and navigate it through the myriad of textures, solos, rhythms, meters, and concepts. Louie is the patriarch of drummers in Buffalo. No drummer brings more experience, more swing, or more creative soloing to the music. Sticks, brushes, mallets, any meter, any tempo, any bag... And when you hear Louie solo, you hear music - not a bunch of drums regaled by blunt force. You hear music. In the hands of a master like Louie, the melody and the form are all there for the ear, rendered by the primal instrument of the human spirit. The rest of the band isn't bad either - not a bad idea by Phil to invite a beloved and rather well known alto player to round out the sax section. And to complete the horn section Phil has recruited John Hasselback, who himself is not only seasoned soloist, but a walking jazz encyclopedia, and Richie Merlo, whose round sound blends ideally with John's. "The Power of Eight" adds two chord contributors whose harmonic concepts provide a lush foundation for each soloist's improvisational adventure. Matt Michaud's musicality has caught the attention of both Phil and Bobby Militello. And Lisa? Lisa just hears it all. She is simply the kind of pianist that can be called upon for any musical responsibility. She'll massage a singer through any standard, in any key. She'll read, she'll solo, and she'll swing. And who did Phil trust to anchor this band, with its rather intimidating roster of musical heavyweights? Wayne Moose is a guy who not only lays it down, but is a bassist with a rare gift: Wayne's solos are at once rhythmically inventive and melodic - not an easy endeavor on an unwieldy instrument that is bigger than most defensive linemen. Thus "The Power of Eight". At eight. This Saturday at the Iris.

next Tuesday, 10/9 at the Iris Restaurant 7:30 - 10:30

Craig Kastelnik, Hammond B3 Patty Flaherty, vocals Chuck Buffamonte, guitar your host, drum set

upcoming at the Iris Restaurant...

Tuesday, 10/16 Miles & Wayne Tucker

Tuesday, 10/23 Nelson M. Starr

Tuesday. 10/30 Bruce Johnstone with Sax & Violins

Tuesday, 11/13 Tom Bronzetti CD Release

Tuesday, 12/18 Sein Oh

links...

www.danhullmusic.com

www.mapleentertainment.com/

www.hamburgmusic.com/