The high-ceilinged, well-ventilated former Bootleg Theater (Beverly & Alvarado) has transformed into a duplex-plus, adaptable to switching shows quickly between the main room and the bar. The transitions go smoothly, the only downside being that some patrons of the sold-out house have gotten all their chakras cleansed by the first four ensembles before the closing set by Orenda Records chief Dan Rosenboom's quartet, which sees undeservedly lighter attendance. No good deed goes unpunished.
Jon Hatamiya's Big Band. Young trombonist-composer Hatamiya is a sound connoisseur who wants it all, not denying himself four trombones, four trumpets, five saxes, two guitars, piano/synth, bass and drums. Having absorbed the Arkestras (Sun Ra and Pan Afrikan), he blends his palette for dense physical impact on the one hand, and shifting harmonic delicacy รก la Gil Evans on the other. With the tweaky electronix of Adam Hersh and the scorching slides of Colin Cook and Yunus Yriboz on board for bright accents, Hatamiya impels a listener into his vortex and doesn't let go.
Bridge to Everywhere. Composer Derrick Skye conducts an 11-member ensemble in India-influenced drones, ragas and fusions. Violins riff, tablas percolate, vocalist Hanna Arista cries to the heavens, and an austere mood gradually gives way to a full-on dam-burst. Original for sure.
Cathlene Pineda Quartet. The quiet heartfulness of pianist Pineda's family-inspired compositions and the bucolic lilt of Kris Tiner's trumpet are balanced by the rhythmic drive of bassist David Tranchina and drummer Tina Raymond. Any time we start to drift, we turn an ear to the ever-alert Raymond, who's stirring it up inside-out nonstop.
Noice. Wry Strat man Alex Noice makes damn sure no one can accuse his sextet of copying, but try to imagine an overamped Devo flanked by a robot ABBA. Nervous energy flies off the rapid arpeggiated unisons of Noice and alto saxist Gavin Templeton, while vocalists Argenta Walther and Karina Kallas coo like staccato celestial artillery. Special notice to drummer Andrew Lessman and bassist Miller Wrenn, who make tight work of the fiendishly accented rhythms. Colored duct tape on shirts -- nice. Like Noice or not, we won't forget it.
Dan Rosenboom Quartet. Trumpeter-cornetist Rosenboom announces that he chose this band to "explode" his early Orenda compositions, and he ain't a-jivin'. Rosenboom sets the rhythmic and harmonic stage, then everyone goes nuts, not excluding Dan, who explores every tonguing technique, valve trick and scale variation he can think of. Bassist Richard Lloyd Giddens Jr., grinning with excitement, swivels his head back and forth as he responds with forcefully locked-in invention to the interaction between keyboardist Joshua White and drummer Mark Ferber, who are sparking up a storm. Ferber prefers to simplify and leave space, but White's furious rhythmic assault carries the drums with him, and they're instantaneously reading each other's minds on a level rarely heard. They can't keep that up forever, and the program calls for quieter intervals, so White just plain STOPS and puts his skull flat on his electric keyboard -- waiting, waiting, waiting until he feels the others withdrawing into their corners. Then White's head moves up, his fingers edge into the keys, and the group builds back into a whirlwind as fierce as the first. Damn, this is mother f*cking JAZZ.
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NOICE PHOTO BY FUZZY BAROQUE.