Fo Flash Mob flash

Posted on April 10, 2014 by markweiss86
Forrest Bryant, the KZSU jazz deejay and author, reviewed Anton Schwartz’ recent release “Flash Mob”, the tenor’s fifth, all on his own diy label. I had heard a track — and was digging it — a few days ago on Clifford Brown’s show at KCSM, a show called “American Jazz Countdown” and he had it number one with a github (I admit I don’t know what a “github” is, but I understand it is very disruptive of the bullet industry, but not as disruptive of the guy who barged into Tom Parkinson’s office fifty years ago and stole his face, literally, and killed the Berkeley English professor’s assistant — sorry to be so macabre, on a lovely spring afternoon, on my way to a nice lady’s birthday party, a a museum).

I like to think of Anton as “Antwon” like the fat piano player from New Orleans, so I was glad to see that Fo thinks track number 8, a Monk cover, is also kinda 504. (“five oh fo'” > “fi’ oh Fo'” — I smell chicory either way).

I will check this out Fo sho.

(And when I drop sounds and syllables I still do the Keeney Jones test and make sure I do not sound like a founder of the Dartmouth Review — not to digress again, any more than is typical in or on Plastic Alto — but I read a good couple pages in a book on censorship in the schools and boned up on the defense of “Adventures of Huck Finn” which is sometimes challenged for its language, even at a Mark Twain Middle School in Virginia – and maybe I mention Keeney Jones or whatever his name is cuz I just mentioned William F. Buckley in a previous post: I wish I was channeling Lord Buckley instead).

KZSU is 90.1 on your radio dial for those of you who remember terrestrial radio.
STRAIGHTAHEAD JAZZ – The 5th release from this Bay Area tenor saxophonist (who abandoned a Stanford Ph.D. in artificial intelligence to follow his muse) is easy to like, full of catchy, satisfying original material. The band includes Menlo Park native Taylor Eigsti on piano, and trumpeter Dominick Farinacci is a really good fit too.

Fo’s Picks: 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9 

1. 6:09 – upbeat churning groove; bright piano & sax solos
2. 5:09 – slinky melody, dragging swamp feel, nice trumpet, hopping sax
3. 7:48 – drum intro; tight horns & rolling turbulence; piano takes sudden flight
4. 6:49 – cute little melody with a celtic drone, gets perky in middle
5. 6:33 – lazy, bluesy, so nice: trumpet/bass duo break, soulful sax
6. 7:52 – upbeat odd-meter tune, light driving groove becomes forceful
7. 7:19 – lovely Kenny Dorham ballad, muted trumpet leads, eloquent solos
8. 4:28 – perky Thelonious Monk riff theme gets a New Orleans feel
9. 6:07 – relaxed, meandering tune, flowing toward mystery
10. 4:14 – upbeat swing with a bit of swagger, sax lays it out
11. 4:29 – slow romantic ballad, just sax & piano 

 
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About markweiss86

Mark Weiss, founder of Plastic Alto blog, is a concert promoter and artist manager in Palo Alto, as Earthwise Productions, with background as journalist, advertising copywriter, book store returns desk, college radio producer, city council and commissions candidate, high school basketball player, and blogger; he also sang in local choir, fronts an Allen Ginsberg tribute Beat Hotel Rm 32 Reads 'Howl' and owns a couple musical instruments he cannot play
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