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10/17 Friday

7:00 PM The Wee Trio

Out of the uber-fertile creative music scene of Brooklyn, NY, The Wee Trio, featuring James Westfall from Houston, TX (vibes), Dan Loomis from St. Louis, MO (bass) and Jared Schonig from Los Angeles, CA (drums), joined forces for a one time tour (and a university artist residency), that quickly mushroomed into a brilliant collaborative musical exploration. Like many of the most revered ensembles in jazz that have thrilled audiences and critics over the years, The Wee Trio came together simply to work, yet emerged from this time together with an instantly identifiable sound, and a prodigious rapport. On their debut recording, Capitol Diner Vol. 1 (in stores and online on September 8, 2008), their superb original compositions, and “standards” by composers Kurt Cobain, Sufjan Stevens, and Thelonious Monk, are brought to life with an ingenious combination of jazz, rock, fusion, post-punk, and references to other genres thrown in for good measure. The best part is, it all “swings” like nobody’s business. This is a band born and raised in Brooklyn, with their first recording brilliantly embodying the borough’s energy, eclecticism and excellence.

The album you hold in your hands, Capitol Diner Vol. 1, came together in a very special place over some very special placemats. That’s right, placemats. Loomis sets the scene of The Wee Trio’s first gig in Harrisburg, PA.; “we stayed on the outskirts of town in a dodgy Travelodge run by Rimsha. He gave us a great deal on our room (not really, “55 dollars, last offer!!!”). Up the street was a beautiful looking place called Capitol Diner. Their placemats kept us entertained for a while before we played our first gig, as all the state capitols were left blank. After several hours of making cold calls to our friends and relatives for help, we finally had the whole map filled in. We’ve kept the tradition alive and now know not only all of capitols, but also the state mottos, and some state birds. More than anything, it was a very unifying experience for us as a band.” This promising first gig resulted in the band getting short shrift to the tune of $1000, on drummer Jared Schonig’s birthday no less. Loomis explains the aftermath of that somewhat shaky start, “despite being screwed out of money, the gig was unbelievably great and the music we made on that first tour inspired us greatly to keep the group going. There was an immediate personal and musical camaraderie between the three of us. The minute we were back in Brooklyn from the tour we recorded the album in about 4 hours!”

The Wee Trio is unlike any other band around, simply, but not completely, based on what each member brings to the table and how that blends with the other two. The group’s attitude (that reveals itself in the music) is unique in that they use a trio of approaches to music that are native to specific regions of the U.S. Bassist Dan Loomis explains, “the cool thing about this group is how it uses the New Orleans aesthetic of just going to the gig and hitting . . . listening and making it work on a ‘street’ level, i.e. connecting right to the audience, which is also a Midwest/St. Louis aesthetic too; and then combining that with the more New-York/Brooklyn aesthetic of getting in the music on an intellectual/artistic level and moving things forward.”

Vibraphonist James Westfall has since moved back to New Orleans after living in Los Angeles while attending the Monk Institute (becoming the first vibraphonist to have ever been accepted), and a productive spell living in Brooklyn, NY (during this time he released his debut CD Independent on Bionic Records and of course recorded and toured with The Wee Trio).

For Westfall, New Orleans is where he feels most at home, and most needed, in terms of being a part of the rebuilding of the cultural vibrancy of the city, and being part of a strong community. “New Orleans people are my people. I feel that I wanted to help rebuild the community I was a part of,” said Westfall. He added, “My fiance is from here and we both want our kids to be raised in a community environment of looking out for one another. We learned about how Harry Connick Jr. and Branford Marsalis developed 90 homes surrounding a Performing Arts Center specifically for Musicians, we applied and were accepted and that helped seal the deal for us.” Westfall will now be a home owner in the Habitat for Humanity’s Musicians Village, living amongst the many immensely talented artists helping to bring New Orleans back to life. He will be meeting his Wee Trio bandmates at their many national tour destinations.

Shortly after recording the music for Capitol Diner Vol. 1, the trio headed back into the studio to record new music for Capitol Diner Vol.2, slated for release in the near future. This is a band that plays music and operates its business as if there’s no tomorrow, creating music that is vigorous and sublime.

10:00 PM Abe Ovadia Quintet

Abe Ovadia - Guitar
Alex Raderman - Drums
Jacob Yackshaw - Bass
Stephen Chaplin - Piano
Jordan Maley - Saxophone

$10

Growing up in Central, NJ, Abe Ovadia (guitar, leader) came to the Berklee College of Music in Fall 2005 as a fusion/classical guitarist. As cliche as it sounds, when he first heard the music of John Coltrane, Abe decided he wanted to change paths and play traditional jazz. The only jazz Abe had played before Berklee was in his high school jazz ensemble, but now he was determined to taking his playing to the next level. At Berklee, Abe had the privlege of studying with guitarists such as John Thomas, Garrsion Fewell, Tim Miller, & Curt Shumate. He also studied with jazz masters such as Jackie Beard, Dave Santoro, Bob Pilkington, & George W. Russell Jr. When he was 19, Abe joined Carnival Cruise Lines and did two long-term contracts playing in their orchestra as well. In his quintet, Abe is joined by bassist Jacob Yackshaw & drummer Alex Raderman who he has been playing with since the beginning of his studies at Berklee. New to the group are pianist Steve Chaplin & saxophonist Jordan Maley. This concert will include a repertoire of original music (The Fire of Swing), standards, and modern tunes by artists such as Kenny Garrett. Abe has found a quintet of stellar musicians and this concert will definitely be SWINGIN'
Alex Raderman (drums) is an active performer in all musical genres primarily on the east coast. While at Berklee, Alex has been mentored by Ralph Peterson, John Ramsay, Francisco Mela, & Victor Mendoza. In addition to playing with Abe Ovadia, Alex has performed with his brother Sam Raderman, as well as groups such as The Dig & Shoot the Messenger.
Stephen Chaplin (piano) began playing the piano when he was 10 and had his first regular gig by the age of 14. By the age of 15 he was performing at least twice a week with his quartet, a group that would go on to cut three records (and counting) and still performs throughout New England. In fall of 2006 Stephen began his studies at the prestigious Berklee College of Music and will finish in the spring of 2009 with a degree in Music Business/Management and the intent to pursue an advanced degree in the years to come.
Jacob Yackshaw (upright bass) is an active bassist in many musical settings. Growing up in Seattle, he won the Outstanding Bass Soloist at the Essentially Ellington Festival at Lincoln Center. He came to Berklee to 2005 where he studied Bruce Gertz and John Lockwood. Now based in Boston, he performs with a variety jazz, funk, and rock groups.
Jordan Maley (saxophone) was born in Aurora, Illinois in 1988. Over the course of his eight years of studying saxophone, he's played in various big band ensembles, jazz combos, orchestras, funk, and blues groups. Currently, he lives in Boston where he studies Music Performance and Music Education at the Berklee College of Music. Jordan also plays clarinet, flute, and guitar.