Buffalo Live Jazz

www.bobbymilitello.com/

Find your own voice...

The jazz musician's function is to feel. Unfortunately, Bird put notes into people's mouths. This vocabulary is accepted as jazz, and everyone does it. But jazz is improvising. It is the personal, emotional impact of a great improviser. It provides the listener with an experience he can have no other way. But, as today, when the vocabulary is the same, you have lost that experience. How intense can you be with someone else's words?

- Lennie Tristano, Downbeat - December 6, 1962

Health,

Hope,

Dialogue,

Respect,

Tolerance,

and Friendships.

dan

Monday, January 30, 2012

Danny Hull Newsletter: Musically This Week Vol XIV, No 21

Hello friends. Buffalo legends...

Tuesday, 1/31/2012 at the Iris Restaurant 7:30 - 10:30

The Kipler Brothers

Mickey Kipler, tenor saxophone Jimmy Kipler, guitar Paul Zap, bass your host, drum set

The Kipler Brothers may be the only jazz artists that we have ever presented who are also Rock Royalty. They were known as The Rebels in 1959 when they were asked by WKBW radio personality Tommy Shannon to record his theme song. Wild Weekend was an east coast hit, and prompted Dick Clark to invite the band to appear as The Buffalo Rebels on American Bandstand. On May 5, 1960, Mickey & Jimmy Kipler made history. Maybe we'llevenplay Wild Weekend just for fun, but the music you'll hear this Tuesday will reveal the jazz roots that gave rise to these accomplished musicians, now a bit removed from their spirited teenage years. The Kipler Brothers are beloved in Buffalo, and we are both proud and privileged to present them to their hometown audience. Our tradition continues. The Iris Restaurant in the Maple-Ridge Plaza, at the intersection of Maple & Sweet Home Roads in Amherst. Good music, good food, good people, chilled spirits, and a great hang.

next Tuesday, 2/7/2012 at the Iris Restaurant 7:30 - 10:30

Phil DiRe' & Buffalo Bop

Phil DiRe', tenor saxophone Bobby Militello, alto sax & flute Richie Marlo, trumpet & flugelhorn George Caldwell, piano Sabu Adeyola, bass your host, drum set

upcoming at the Iris Restaurant...

Tuesday, 2/21 Jay Bianchi & Mike Kaupa

Tuesday, 2/28 Vince Ercolomento

Tuesday, 3/13 Dave Schiavone

Tuesday, 4/10 Rick Strauss

Tuesday, 5/15 Bob Sneider

Tuesday, 6/19 Barbara Jean

links...

Nostalgia ain't what it used to be...

People have this obsession. They want you to be like you were in 1969...because otherwise their youth goes with you. It's very selfish, but it's understandable.

- Mick Jagger

In 2012 and beyond...

Health,

Hope,

Dialogue,

Respect,

Tolerance,

and Friendships.

dan

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Danny Hull Newsletter: Musically This Week Vol XIV, No 20

Dr. Dick Judelsohn

Greetings everyone. It seems fitting. We're featuring one of Dick Judelsohn's favorite local artists this week. Dr. Jazz would have approved. He loved Laurie. He invited her on his program once for an extended interview. And no illness could stop him from introducing her to a Sunday audience at the Art Gallery two summers ago. We have lost yet another irreplaceable friend, and too soon. Dr. Dick Judelsohn's contributions to the jazz community and the musical art form he revered were equaled only by his contribution to pediatrics. Thank you Dick, for 35 years of inspired jazz broadcasting and for all that you shared on Bebop and Beyond. Thank you for your 13 years of support for our Tuesday night effort. Thank you for the summer parties in your courtyard. Thank you for your dignity, your warmth, your cheer, and your genuine and humble persona. You will be missed. But you cannot be replaced. Rest in Peace.

Tuesday, 1/24/2012 at the Iris Restaurant 7:30 - 10:30

Laurie Bordonaro

Laurie Bordonaro, vocals Michael T. Jones, piano Sabu Adeyola, bass your host, drum set

And if there is anyone who can pay tribute to our friend Dick with an inspired performance, it is Laurie. For like Dick Judelsohn, Laurie too is genuine. She'll offer her relentless energy and her musical esprit, and Dick will be digging it from his place in eternity. And another bonus is the long awaited return of Michael T. Jones. Our friend Mike has been taking some coursework that was meeting on Tuesday nights last semester, so we haven't had the pleasure since last August. But Laurie's trio is now reunited, and we offer it all to the memory of our friend. Our tradition continues, now at the Iris Restaurant in the Maple-Ridge Plaza, at the intersection of Maple & Sweet Home Roads in Amherst. Good music, good food, good people, chilled spirits, and a great hang.

Wednesday, 1/25/2012 at the Iris Restaurant 7:30 - 10:00

Buffalo Brass rehearsal

You're invited. The Buffalo Brass is rehearsing biweekly at the Iris Restaurant. Come in and witness how Phil works the band through his arrangements. It's an inside "hear" on how a modern big band unites and serves the music...

upcoming at the Iris Restaurant...

Tuesday, 1/31 The Kipler Brothers

Tuesday, 2/7 Phil DiRe'

Tuesday, 2/21 Jay Bianchi

Tuesday, 2/28 Vince Ercolomento

Tuesday, 3/13 Dave Schiavone

Tuesday, 4/10 Rick Strauss

Tuesday, 6/19 Barbara Jean

links...

Rest in Peace Dick. You are missed...

There is no cure for birth and death save to enjoy the interval.

- George Santayana (1863-1952)

In 2012 and beyond...

Health,

Hope,

Dialogue,

Respect,

Tolerance,

and Friendships.

dan

Monday, January 16, 2012

Musically This Week Vol XIV, No 19

Hello friends. OK, so it's a bit brisk. But it won't be this Tuesday. We've got connections...

Tuesday, 1/17/2012 at the Iris Restaurant 7:30 - 10:30

Miles Tucker, tenor saxophone Wayne Tucker, trumpet Tom Larsen, guitar Walter Stinson, bass your host, drum set

We've got a little more of the Eastman pedigree this week, and a lot of the Purchase variety. If you've been into the club on any regular basis, you likely know saxophonist Miles Tucker. He's been featured a time or two over these last few years, and he'll often come by to sit-in when he's not on the gig. Miles is for real. He brings a passion, an intensity, and a modern conception to the music that is at once futuristic and steeped in the blues. In good company, Miles the Eastman graduate will be outnumbered by our three Purchase representatives this week. Guitarist Tom Larsen & bassist Walter Stinson were both colleagues of Wayne Tucker's while Wayne earned his degree at Purchase, and their musical collaborations have continued beyond their college years. This is truly going to be an inspiring night of spontaneous playing and stimulating musical conversation. Try to make it if you can. Miles is around, but Wayne and his friends are coming in from New York just to do this gig and hang with Miles. We really can't promise when they'll be back. Our tradition continues, now at the Iris Restaurant in the Maple-Ridge Plaza, at the intersection of Maple & Sweet Home Roads in Amherst. Good music, good food, good people, chilled spirits, and a great hang.

upcoming at the Iris Restaurant...

Tuesday, 1/17 Miles & Wayne Tucker

Tuesday, 1/24 Laurie Bordonaro

Tuesday, 1/31 The Kipler Brothers

Tuesday, 2/7 Phil DiRe

Tuesday, 2/21 Jay Bianchi

Tuesday, 2/28 Vince Ercolomento

Tuesday, 3/13 Dave Schiavone

Tuesday, 4/10 Rick Strauss

Tuesday, 6/19 Barbara Jean

links...

www.tuckerandlarsenjazz.com

Advice for the ages...

Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.

- Plato

In 2012 and beyond...

Health,

Hope,

Dialogue,

Respect,

Tolerance,

and Friendships.

dan

Monday, January 2, 2012

Danny Hull Newsletter: Musically This Week Vol XIV, No 17

Hello friends. Thanks for being there last week. Yikes! The place was packed! Here's the thing about the new owners: A) They hung with us. They could have come in, cleaned house (which they did), and moved on with their agenda. Instead, they patiently adopted a wait and see posture, and accepted the value of our contribution to their business model. We not only survived, we now have an opportunity for growth. B) They are committed to improving the physical plant, both for the comfort of our audience, and for the pure listening experience. From the beginning at this location I've received complaints that unless you sit at a table close to the bandstand, you can't hear the band. So with some input from Phil DiRe, whose intellect and artistry command respect, Vinnie Lesh agreed to tie my sound system into the house. Now you can sit wherever you'd like and hear the music, not for volume, but for presence. And that's what I'm talking about with these guys. If you make a suggestion, your opinion is taken seriously. Our next goal is to simply take over where the Tralf left off. More on who we're bringing in as we get closer...

And this week...

Tuesday, 1/3/2012 at the Iris Restaurant 7:30 - 10:30

Colin Gordon, alto saxophone Chris Ziemba, piano Danny Ziemann, bass your host, drum set

Again, the Eastman School... This week's featured artist comes to us courtesy of this week's rhythm section. Eastman graduate Chris Ziemba & Eastman student Danny Ziemann actually did my job for me this week. They unselfishly got together at a local brew pub in order to brainstorm. Imagine the sacrifice. After much contemplation, (and likely a serious tab), Chris & Danny narrowed their artistic choices down to Eastman graduate student Colin Gordon. So we again enjoy the distinct privilege of presenting yet another talent new to our Savvy & Informed audience. I haven't met Colin, so the onus is on me to hang with these guys. But sometimes the other kids will let you play if you bring the ball. So please join us. Hear a young saxophonist new to your ears. Hear as well the direction the music is taking, for it is the responsibility of youth to challenge the status quo, and to direct the music in ways fresh and creative. With every 20-something that has come to our stage from the Eastman School, the commitment to time, feel, lyric, and harmonic cohesion are there. We hear the history of the music insofar as the standards and jazz canon are concerned. But we hear too how the music sounds to them today, and what it may sound like tomorrow. Join us, and hear the future. Still, the Iris Restaurant, in the Maple-Ridge Plaza. Maple & Sweet Home Roads. Good music, good food, good people, chilled spirits, and a great hang.

upcoming at the Iris Restaurant...

Tuesday, 1/17 Miles & Wayne Tucker

Tuesday, 1/24 Laurie Bordonaro

Tuesday, 1/31 The Kipler Brothers

Tuesday, 2/7 Phil DiRe

Tuesday, 2/21 Jay Bianchi

Tuesday, 2/28 Vince Ercolomento

Tuesday, 4/10 Rick Strauss

links...

www.chrisziemba.com

File your flight plan...

The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.

- Michael Altshuler

In 2012 and beyond...

Health,

Hope,

Dialogue,

Respect,

Tolerance,

and Friendships.

Happy New Year.

dan

Sunday, December 25, 2011

Danny Hull Newsletter: Musically This Week Vol XIV, No 16

Hello friends. Merry Christmas. It is indeed Christmas morning, and I have some quiet time before celebrating this day's meaning and intentions with those I am blessed to love and cherish. So while wishing that the age old intent of the season resonates with you and the people you love, allow me to extend an invitation to our annual holiday gathering...

Tuesday, 12/27/2011 at the Iris Restaurant 7:30 - 10:30

Rick Strauss, guitar Chris Ziemba, piano Danny Ziemann, bass your host, drum set

Rick Strauss is not only a musician of individual taste and talent, he's a dedicated teacher - so much so that I've been unable to persuade him to do our gig on a school night. Thus this week's special event. And among Rick's many musical gifts is his creative streak. He loves to be challenged. Set up a groove, or play a chord or two, and Rick takes the journey. Play something, let's see where it goes... This is how art is created, and we have three very special artists on the stand this week. Bowing to his musical curiosity, Rick wondered who was out there that he's never made music with. Maybe a pianist to work off of... And this is a situation I seldom find myself in. My modus operandi is to invite the person I'd like to feature, and surround said artist with musicians of his or her choosing. I'm a sideman on my own gig. But this time... What pianist would I recommend that would inspire Rick's innate musicality and invention? Who hasn't he worked with that he should know about? Were only all such problems so easily solved... In fact, this couldn't have worked out better. It's Christmas. Chris Ziemba should be home. So after 13 years of steady Tuesdays, we again offer another amalgam of musical talent heretofore unexplored. And you are invited to hear in present time the musical art that results. Please join us. Still the Iris Restaurant, in the Maple-Ridge Plaza. Maple & Sweet Home Roads. Good music, good food, good people, chilled spirits, and a great hang.

upcoming at the Iris Restaurant...

Tuesday, 1/17 Miles & Wayne Tucker

Tuesday, 2/7 Phil DiRe

links...

www.rickstrauss.com/

www.chrisziemba.com

Let the feeling linger, and may it stay with you...

One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas Day. Don't clean it up too quickly.

- Andy Rooney

Health,

Hope,

Dialogue,

Respect,

Tolerance,

and Peace on Earth.

Merry Christmas

dan

Monday, December 5, 2011

Danny Hull Newsletter: Musically This Week Vol XIV, No 13

Hello friends. Monday night, 9:40. I only hope you see this before Wednesday morning. Sometimes life gets in the way... But this is a big week for our continuing and expanding jazz experiment. Tomorrow we feature one of the hottest septets anywhere. Wednesday we invite you to an open big band rehearsal, and on Friday we feature one of the leading B3 players on the planet. Here are the details…

Tuesday, 12/6/2011 at the Iris Restaurant 7:30 - 10:30

Three Brothers & a Distant Cousin

Phil Sims - trombone & arrangements Andy Weinzler, Russ D'Alba, Kelly Bucheger - tenor saxophones George Caldwell - piano Paul Zapalowski - bass your host - drum set

This band is ridiculous, as are the individual practitioners. Any sax section that features Andy Weinzler as the leader is in rarified company. Andy is among the most intense, electrifying and creative tenor players you will hear anywhere, anytime. In fact, Phil’s directions to the section are, “Everybody come to Andy”. So those other two guys can’t be just "anybody". Russ D’Alba's musical curriculum vitae is almost as impressive as his business resume. Russ is known to most Buffalo listeners as an alto player, but when I heard him on tenor for the first time, I was sold. Marry a huge tenor sound with those alto chops, and you’ve got a formidable musician. And in a town renown for saxophonists, Phil could have called any of a number of world-class experts to complete the section. He called Kelly Bucheger. And what a compliment to Kelly... How do you move to a city with our saxophone lineage, and establish yourself as an equal? Competence, creativity, and a considerable lineage of your own… We may even play one of Kelly's arrangements, in addition to the canon of charts that Phil has penned for this band. As to the origins of the band, let’s just say that Phil likes to challenge himself. Or maybe he’s a frustrated saxophonist. Why else would he lift a bunch of Hank Mobley soli, and harmonize them for 3 tenors & trombone? What sane trombonist would do that? (Which begs the question as to whether there is such an animal…) If you know anything about the sackbut, you know that prodigious flourishes of technique are not among the common tbone skill set. But to a guy that likes a challenge, why not write a bunch of impossible arrangements, and put yourself in the middle of a flesh-eating saxophone section? Add George Caldwell & Paul Zap to feed the chords and advance the beat, and you have a band that's come to play. Please join us. Send the energy back to the bandstand, and help us keep our tradition alive. Still the Iris Restaurant, in the Maple-Ridge Plaza, Maple & Sweet Home Roads in Amherst. An easy commute, a well lit parking lot, and on this special night, a New York night at a Buffalo price. We hope to see you.

Wednesday, 12/7/2011 at the Iris Restaurant 7:30 - 9:30

Buffalo Brass Big Band

Sometimes procrastination pays. I didn't even have to think. Phil sent the following to his mailing list, and I like his writing better than mine anyway... That's right, the 17 piece juggernaut big band is alive and well. I'll not list 17 names here, but if you know our pedigree, you can all but fill in the names yourself. Here's the scene: this is an open rehearsal. We are in the club to rehearse. It's not a gig. No cash exchanges hands save for from us and yourselves to the waitresses at food and beverage time. Now it's not like we're going to play the same four bars over and over until it's perfect, nor are we taking requests. But here's your chance to see behind the scenes of one of the greatest big bands around, if I do say so myself. We'll be going after it. And there will be full blown charts from front to back to listen to along the way. The doors are open, it's a new scene and we plan on joining you at the Iris once each month to work out new material and perhaps even surprise ourselves. Please join us.

Friday, 12/9 at the Iris Restaurant 8:00 - 10:30

Bobby Jones, Hammond B3 Bobby Militello, saxophone & flute yours truly, drum set

You know, if the gods musical were to ask me how I would finish off the perfect week, this is it. This Friday, I get to accompany one of the greatest Hammond B3 players of all time. Take me Lord, I'm done here. If you've heard Bobby Jones play his native instrument, you know I speak the truth. There are a few B3 players who have earned an international reputation, and deservedly so. But do any of them play pedals like Bobby Jones? Back in the day, Bobby was playing organ six nights a week all over town. You could go, have a taste, check him out, and go home knowing he'd be playing somewhere else next week. Those days are done. And no one gets to witness the genius of our friend and prodigy unless some fool rents the organ and books the space. This is indeed, a very special one night performance. If you want to witness history, you will be there. And as a bonus, the other guy on the bill has made a name for himself as well. Two world class musicians performing before their home town audience... Merry Christmas Buffalo.

next Tuesday, 12/13 at the Iris Restaurant 7:30 - 10:30

Phil DiRe & Bobby Militello, saxophones Richie Marlo, trumpet Matt Michaud, guitar George Caldwell, piano Sabu Adeyola, bass your host, drum set

upcoming at the Iris Restaurant...

Tuesday, 12/27 Rick Strauss

Tuesday, 1/17 Miles & Wayne Tucker

links...