Tom Kennedy - Mike Stern Band

[lowdown]

Looks like a good one....

Friday 25th March

Mike Stern , Dave Weckl, Tom Kennedy on electric and acoustic bass and saxophonist Bob Malach.
[url="http://www.mikestern.org/"]http://www.mikestern.org/[/url]

Union Chapel, Compton Terrace, London N1 2UN
[url="http://www.unionchapel.org.uk/"]http://www.unionchapel.org.uk/[/url]






Garry

Edited February 28, 2011 by lowdown

[Doddy]

They are in Manchester on the 28th too.
Got my tickets a couple of weeks ago,and all being well I should be having a lesson with Tom Kennedy

[BottomE]

[quote name='Doddy' post='1144719' date='Feb 28 2011, 05:59 PM']They are in Manchester on the 28th too.
Got my tickets a couple of weeks ago,and all being well I should be having a lesson with Tom Kennedy [/quote]
What you gonna teach 'im Doddy?

[lowdown]

[quote name='Doddy' post='1144719' date='Feb 28 2011, 05:59 PM']They are in Manchester on the 28th too.
Got my tickets a couple of weeks ago,and all being well I should be having a lesson with Tom Kennedy [/quote]


Whey Hey.....
Yep i am looking forward to the gig.



Garry

[Doddy]

[quote name='BottomE' post='1144781' date='Feb 28 2011, 06:47 PM']What you gonna teach 'im Doddy?[/quote]

Haha

Hopefully I'm going to get my ass kicked again.

[BottomE]

[quote name='Doddy' post='1144807' date='Feb 28 2011, 07:04 PM']Haha

Hopefully I'm going to get my ass kicked again.[/quote]
+1 to that

[Mike]

Holy crap, thanks so much!

[gjones]

I was in a small bar called 55 Bar in NYC in 2006 on holiday when a guy walked in and set up in the corner near the door to the lavvy with his band and started playing. The guitarist and his band completely blew me away! I hadn't heard anything that good since I saw Jeff Beck back in the 80's. I just assumed they were a really, really good bar band until I had a quick chat with the amazing young female drummer (Kim somebody or other). She was standing outside having a cigarette and I asked her where she was playing next and she said L.A. I asked who with and she said casually 'Beyonce'.
It was then that I realised this wasn't some amazing bar band but obviously something a bit more special than that.

The guitarist was Mike Stern - Who up until then I had never heard of. If you're ever in New York I recommend 55 Bar in the Village where Mike plays regularly (he regularly nips in and plays when he's not touring). A fantastic night guaranteed! And amazingly it's all for free.

Aha a quick google and here's the lady herself playing in bar 55 with the man himself [url="http://jonmccaslinjazzdrummer.blogspot.com/2010/04/kim-thompson-kicks.html"]http://jonmccaslinjazzdrummer.blogspot.com...pson-kicks.html[/url]

Edited March 1, 2011 by gjones

[Doddy]

[quote name='gjones' post='1145302' date='Mar 1 2011, 12:40 AM']I was in a small bar called 55 Bar in NYC in 2006 on holiday when a guy walked in and set up in the corner near the door to the lavvy with his band and started playing. The guitarist and his band completely blew me away! I hadn't heard anything that good since I saw Jeff Beck back in the 80's. I just assumed they were a really, really good bar band until I had a quick chat with the amazing young female drummer (Kim somebody or other). She was standing outside having a cigarette and I asked her where she was playing next and she said L.A. I asked who with and she said casually 'Beyonce'.
It was then that I realised this wasn't some amazing bar band but obviously something a bit more special than that.[/quote]

That'll be Kim Thompson. Check her out on Stern's album 'Who Let the Cats Out?'. She splits the drum chair with
Dave Weckl.

[witterth]

[quote name='Doddy' post='1145315' date='Mar 1 2011, 01:26 AM']That'll be Kim Thompson. Check her out on Stern's album 'Who Let the Cats Out?'. She splits the drum chair with
Dave Weckl.[/quote]
Fat lass then?


J is for for joke, Grover

Sesame street 1976

Edited March 19, 2011 by witterth

[Rich]

Oh god
my favouritest guitarist in the world is back in the UK
and I can't make it.

Bum.

Have a great time, everybods.

[Faithless]

Janek Gwizdala (who also sits in for M Stern sometimes) also plays regularly at 55 Bar, so you might check him out if you're in NYC sometime.

Oh,and he's getting his new Fodera in two weeks

[Doddy]

I've just got the DVD of Tommy Igoe and the Birdland Big Band,Live, with Tom Kennedy doubling on
electric and upright.
He swings like crazy,and takes a couple of great solos too-my particular favourite being one on upright
where he just tears it up in thumb position.

[Faithless]

Seems like Janek did a gig with her..

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GA3k9NRpcuk&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GA3k9NRpcuk...feature=related[/url]

So, guys, is this what's called 'modern drumming'?...

[phil625sxc]

A good gig let down by the sound I thought, which is a shame. I really like the Union Chapel but when the the volume reached a certian level last night it sounded pretty awful, as it would if you have a fairly loud amplified band playing in a church ! - not much anyone could do about it really, unless they draped off the roof beforehand or something...and I'd forgotten my earplugs too which would have made it sound nicer !
But some great playing - although I wasn't keen on Tom Kennedy's sound, but I guess it's his... :-) He's an outstanding player though.
Weckl however stole the show for me, he was absolutely on fire and was a joy to watch.
Anyone else go ?

[Doddy]

I've just come back from the Stern gig at Band on the Wall in Manchester.
Unfortunately my lesson with Kennedy fell through,but the gig was immense.

Tom Kennedy's sound was great-really clear and punchy-and what an awesome player.
He grooved like crazy and has killer chops.
Weckl,Stern,Kennedy and Malach playedwith some serious intensity at times and seemed to be
really enjoying themselves. They were a frighteningly good band.
I saw Stern the other year(in a much bigger venue) with Weckl,Chris Mihn Doky and Randy Brecker. That was a great gig,but
tonight was just so much better. One of the best gigs I've ever been to,without a doubt.

[phil625sxc]

Aaarrghh, that sounds like exactly how the London gig should have been if only they hadn't been playing in a massisve reverb filled church !! :-)
Interesting to hear you say Tom's sound was good, at the London gig I thought it was terrible, all really, really high mids but still very indistinct and almost muffled...so I guess that must have been down to the venue as well...but what a band !!

[Bilbo]

Kennedy is a marmite player. He is clearly very skilled but I just don't like what he does. I used to have a few Bill Connors cds with him on and found his playing cold and unemotional. Not heard him recently or at all on upright. Maybe I should give him another try.

I have loads of Stern cds on my ipod but not 'Cats' so I don't think I have heard Kim Thompson (can't watch the 'tube here). Jeff Andrews, Anthony Jackson, Patitucci, Jaco & Bona? But no Thompson or Gwiz.

[phil625sxc]

I hadn't seen him live before, and haven't heard anything he's done recently - I first heard him with Tania Maria years ago and really liked his playing so bought Basses Loaded on the back of that, which I thought was excellent, so I was really looking forward to seeing him on this gig.

[mcgraham]

I'm with Bilbo on this one. I've heard a little bit of Kennedy and think his tone is excellent - definitely one of my favourite tones. I also find he grooves very well and fits the song nicely. However I find his soloing to be a bit random and nonsensical, not in a 'I don't understand jazz' kind of way, but in a 'i'm a teenager in a guitar shop' kind of way. If you watch the video of Weckl band playing "The Chicken" on youtube, I just don't understand what he's doing with the solo. It just seems like sheer legato speed with the occasional riff thrown in the mix. I'm not professing to be better than Tom, he's clearly very accomplished, I'm just saying that this is what it reminds me of. Perhaps this solo isn't the best one to judge him by? I'd be happy to be shown I've misjudged him.

[Mike]

[quote name='phil625sxc' post='1177055' date='Mar 26 2011, 12:28 PM']A good gig let down by the sound I thought, which is a shame. I really like the Union Chapel but when the the volume reached a certian level last night it sounded pretty awful, as it would if you have a fairly loud amplified band playing in a church ! - not much anyone could do about it really, unless they draped off the roof beforehand or something...and I'd forgotten my earplugs too which would have made it sound nicer !
But some great playing - although I wasn't keen on Tom Kennedy's sound, but I guess it's his... :-) He's an outstanding player though.
Weckl however stole the show for me, he was absolutely on fire and was a joy to watch.
Anyone else go ?[/quote]

I was there, and I agree with every single point you made here!

[Bilbo]

Got to see videos of TK lunchtime at the local library. Not overwhelmed by the electric playing but the double bass playing was a little more interesting. Not a must see player, though.

[Doddy]

[quote name='Bilbo' post='1180972' date='Mar 29 2011, 04:14 PM']Got to see videos of TK lunchtime at the local library. Not overwhelmed by the electric playing but the double bass playing was a little more interesting. Not a must see player, though.[/quote]

I think he is a must see player. His whole approach just does it for me-I seriously put him up there with
guys like Patitucci.

[Bilbo]

No way!!!

[Doddy]

Way