April 17, 2013 - 2:41pm
The Liner Notes: Upcoming shows from Bobby McFerrin, among others, and new jazz releases
BY ADAM DEPOLLO
- Sci Fidelity
If you need something to get you through the last few days of the semester, rest assured that this is already shaping up to be a big season for jazz. Fantastic new albums are coming out every couple of weeks from both up-and-coming artists and established acts and big names are going to be performing concerts around Ann Arbor.
Albums
Inland Emperor
The Greyboy Allstars
MRI
Acid jazz band The Greyboy Allstars got their start in the ’90s and you can definitely hear it on their latest release. “Better Get a Jump on It” sounds like something out of an episode of “Bill Nye the Science Guy” with robotic-sounding guitar distortion and vocorder, while “Bitch Inside Me” and other songs bring to mind the funky introductions to ’90s talk shows. At the same time, “Profundo Grosso” sounds a bit more like a slightly more trippy version of a Santana song with clear influences from psychadelic rock. Overall, this is a solid effort from The Greyboy Allstars and well worth a listen. You can find samples of two of the tracks here.
This Just In
Gilad Hekselman
Jazz Village
Somehow this album flew under my radar on its April 9th release date, but it’s so damn good I need to mention it this week. Israeli guitarist Hekselman gets just about everything right on this album — subtle composition, delicate, articulate guitar playing and clear cohesion and communication going on between the band members. His work on “Eye in the Sky” and “Dreams” in particular draws comparison with jazz guitar greats like Pat Metheny, demonstrating an impressive knowledge of harmony and creative improvisation on both electric and acoustic guitar. This is undoubtedly going to be one of the highlights of the year for jazz releases.
Live Music
This Thursday Bobby McFerrin — most famous as the guy that sings “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” — is coming to Hill Auditorium in support of his upcoming album Spirityouall. He’ll be performing soul-based numbers with plenty of the vocal improvisation and warm tone that have made his most-loved song so memorable.
This Sunday you can head down to see veteran jazz guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli playing at Kerrytown concert house at 8:30 p.m.
Or, if you’re going to be in Detroit this weekend, you can see Marion Hayden and her ensemble on Saturday at 9:30 p.m. Hayden, a University alumna, has been a fixture of the Midwest jazz scene for years, and this will without a doubt be a great show.
