New York jazz at The Camel

Tuesday night jazz at The Camel will sound a little different the next two weeks as groups from New York will be performing.

March 14, 2011; 6:00 AM • by Aaron Williams

Tuesday night jazz at The Camel has become an important part of the Richmond jazz scene. Every Tuesday, local groups like Use the Vastness, Brian Jones______ (fill in the blank), and Trio of Justice play. The next two weeks, two groups from New York will occupy this important free night of jazz.

On March 15th, the young and talented Mara Rosenbloom will make a stop in Richmond as part of her 2011 tour going everywhere from Wisconsin to Louisiana. At only 26 years old, she is a mature composer and a lyrical storyteller behind the piano. A graduate of New York University in 2008, she wasted no time releasing her first album in 2009 with entirely original compositions. Featuring Darius Jones, Maeve Royce, and Nick Anderson, (the same quartet that will appear on Tuesday), the album is full of personality. Darius Jones, known to many from his time in Richmond, is the perfect voice to play opposite of Rosenbloom. His willingness to explore the limits of the saxophone and his percussive nature compliment her lyrical piano playing.

Check out her unedited daily piano improvisations here.

On March 22nd the slightly louder and more electric Zevious will take the stage at the Camel. If any doubts exist, the following quote will effectively eliminate them quickly:

“The music of Zevious shrewdly juxtaposes order and its opposite: structural intensity pushed to its breaking point in the most appealing way. These boys are brilliant and fearless.”–Vijay Iyer

Angular, mathematical tunes with distorted guitar will leave you wondering if this group is progressive rock, but harmonic sophistication, dialogue and their past suggest jazz. One thing is for sure, this group is take no prisoners-leave no doubt-certifiably in your face. A group like this could easily lose control, especially with the loud volume and complex compositions, but their greatest skill is controlling the beast they have created from the down-beat to double bar line.

The next two Tuesdays will offer national talent for free. Two very different groups will bring some different sounds to Richmond for two different nights.
If you are too busy to make out on either of these dates, here are a few more Tuesday nights:

March 29th – Brian Jones
April 5th – The Millers Band
April 12th – Richmond musicians performing John Zorn’s Cobra
April 19th – Rattlemouth and Use the Vastness

March 14, 2011 6:00 AM 3