A beautiful Saturday with lots of sun in NY today so I did some extensive walking, writes Matthias Kirsch.
I had the pleasure of visiting two concerts last night with two distinct legends coming from different corners of the music world.
At Dizzy’s, always a must-go on my visits to the city, the brilliant pianist Kenny Barron performed with his so-called Platinum Band. Consisting of only a few very long pieces, Barron started his set with Dizzy Gillespie’s “Bebop” and gave enough room for all his bandmates to solo. Barron is still ruling at the piano, whether he’s swinging in classy style or exploring more percussive sides. Marcus Strickland had some nice spots with his robust and well-rounded tone on his saxophone.
I took the 1 train downtown to the always brutally over-crowded Times Square to check out a band which is celebrating its 50th year in business next year: The Whispers. Yes, they are still around and twin brothers Walter and Wallace Scott still impressed with their signature voices. The concert was really a trip down memory lane to the 70s and early 80s with an equally sequenced mix of their uptempo classics like “Keep on Loving Me”, “In The Raw”, and “It’s A Love Thing” and beautiful ballads like “Lady”, Love Is Where You Find It”, and “Say Yes”. I just wondered why I was the only white guy (except for the waiters) at B.B. King’s last night.
So tonight, I’m checking out singer Roz Corral at an early set at 55 Bar in the Village, and the it’s back again to BB King’s for the one and only Michael Franks.A beautiful Saturday with lots of sun in NY today so I did some extensive walking.
I had the pleasure of visiting two concerts last night with two distinct legends coming from different corners of the music world.
At Dizzy’s, always a must-go on my visits to the city, the brilliant pianist Kenny Barron performed with his so-called Platinum Band. Consisting of only a few very long pieces, Barron started his set with Dizzy Gillespie’s “Bebop” and gave enough room for all his bandmates to solo. Barron is still ruling at the piano, whether he’s swinging in classy style or exploring more percussive sides. Marcus Strickland had some nice spots with his robust and well-rounded tone on his saxophone.
I took the 1 train downtown to the always brutally over-crowded Times Square to check out a band which is celebrating its 50th year in business next year: The Whispers. Yes, they are still around and twin brothers Walter and Wallace Scott still impressed with their signature voices. The concert was really a trip down memory lane to the 70s and early 80s with an equally sequenced mix of their uptempo classics like “Keep on Loving Me”, “In The Raw”, and “It’s A Love Thing” and beautiful ballads like “Lady”, Love Is Where You Find It”, and “Say Yes”. I just wondered why I was the only white guy (except for the waiters) at B.B. King’s last night.
So tonight, I’m checking out singer Roz Corral at an early set at 55 Bar in the Village, and the it’s back again to BB King’s for the one and only Michael Franks.
