Anthology: Behind the Scenes

… But Kal David & Tommy Castro Made Them All Better

by: Casey Pukl

I feel the need to do some apologizing in this post. Why? Because I had all intentions of writing the most mind-blowing, geeked-out, musical review of all time. Two blues legends were playing back to back Friday and Saturday night. This was my moment. I created notes in my iPhone for all of the performers this weekend in preparation for reviews for today’s post. I finally arrived at the office this morning, sat down at my desk, and was ready to start writing. I opened my phone and clicked the “Kal David” note. What did it say? One word.

“WHOA.”

Seriously? I scrolled to the “Tommy Castro” note. There had to be something useful and genius in that one.

“HE PLAYED ‘SERVE SOMEBODY’!!! KILLER!!!”

What kind of music blogger/social media coordinator goes to a show and takes super terrible, non-descriptive notes? I’ll tell you what kind- one who was far too excited and caught up in the show to remember to take any notes. Just picture this: girl standing at the side of the stage, mouth wide open, eyes like a kid at Christmas, staring up at Kal David as he’s playing “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” and the only thought in my supposedly musically educated mind is… whoa. Bring her back the next night and repeat. I promise to get better at this as time goes on. Read the rest of this entry »

by CHASE PADO | The Poway High School Iliad

As I ventured downtown for my much-needed dose of jazz culture, I again found myself in the fine-tuned atmosphere of Anthology. The venue presented its classic impressions upon me, and every element, from the grandeur of the entrance to the stylish dishware, significantly contributed to my feeling of content.

After scraping down the final scraps of a delicious meal, I remained satisfied. The background music was cool and classy, and the vibraphone gently melted my stress away. I was ready for a typical Anthology evening of relaxing, easy-going jazz from a renowned group, Dr. Lonnie Smith Trio.

When the doctor came on stage, my excitement was hardly augmented. The band played a simple rhythm with curious textures of synthesized strings and synthetic drum sounds. Although I was enjoying the music, it was incredibly subtle and simplistic, and a continuance of such structure for multiple hours would result in intolerable amounts of anxiety.

Only five minutes in, I reached an apex of excitement, not only because my entrée had arrived, but also because of the sudden transformation of the music. The subtle organ that had previously been stressing me out was suddenly screaming with incredible exhilaration. The whispering drums grew to a bang as the smooth guitar suddenly erupted with distortion. Through that song, I realized the genius ideals that Smith and the band had been cleverly presenting to me all along.

The band utilized the elements of tension and fear, along with tone and volume to create an incredible feeling of surprise and excitement. Without break, the band transitioned into an upbeat tune with incredible guitar and organ solos.

Such a change was dramatic, and as the style transitioned from a cool blues that simulated Miles Davis’s tone to “Beehive,” an incredibly fast, unique portrayal of buzzing insects, I realized the musicality of this group was well beyond the retrospective of the average band.

Smith’s refusal to simply start a swing chart without presenting his own twist was also refreshing. His interpretation of “I Didn’t Know What Time it Was” delivered a much-needed departure from the typicality of such tunes. However, his unique approach was not at all a hindrance to the tunes, but an inspirational expansion of ideals.

In the band’s encore, I was amazed by the transformation of Smith and the band. The quiet, tense elements had progressed into an incredibly new performance. The quietly calm figure’s stage presence was comparable to that of Elton John, despite his modest approach. Smith’s love of music was evident through his expressions, singing his solos and smiling more and more widely with every note.

I departed in a state of confusion. The combined elements of the trio’s performance were seemingly revolutionary. The contradictory essences of time, tone and dynamics constructed a complete departure from the normality that we assume to be jazz or pop music.

The band represents a refreshing edge to music. In a world plagued by monotonous tempos and dynamics, the trio is different. I haven’t witnessed such a dramatic use of moods in any form besides the classical portrayals in movie soundtracks. I was relieved to find that an artist could create such an emotional response.

From the sense of fear and anxiety in the beginning of the performance to the total elation produced from the incredible blues tones of the B3 organ in the encore, the doctor had purposely implanted each of these moods into the hearts and minds of the audience members. Smith is an architect of feelings, and his concert was an incredible example of his revolutionary work.

As I look to the future critique of other bands and works, I have been reminded of the essential essences of musicality through such dramatic devices as dynamics. Too often we expect our music to blast through the speakers at a constant level. It was a relief to experience intense emotions through dramatic changes of dynamics that have only been understand by a select few, such as Queen and Beethoven. I hope that these nuances can be developed further in music to create more depth, emotion, and intensity in our music.

I sincerely enjoyed the Dr. Lonnie Smith Trio’s ability to create such passion and vigor and I will certainly jump at any opportunity to see them again.

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Via The Poway High School Iliad

by CHASE PADO | powayiliad.com

Although the Grammy’s may have come and past, there is one obsession of mine that continues to last.

Many new topics have since arisen in our daily gossip. While most of us have since moved on from Lady GaGa’s egg to talk about the Academy Awards and Christina Aguilera’s drunkenness, one Grammy award does not belong in the back of our minds.

As millions watched the nominees for “Best New Artist,” most viewers were preparing themselves for the calling of Justin Bieber’s name. Some were jubilant over this idea, while others felt that same frustration that occurs when “Baby” infiltrates our local radio waves. Either way, nearly everyone was predicting his victory.

But Bieber lost to a complete stranger.

Esperanza Spalding, a jazz bassist, singer and Berklee grad, somehow beat out Bieber, Drake, Mumford & Sons and Florence + the Machine as best new artist of the year.

The reactions varied significantly. While thousands of young girls cried, trashing Spalding’s Twitter and Wikipedia pages, millions of others experienced overwhelming relief. The likelihood of a jazz artist beating out the indie, hip-hop or R&B “musicians” seemed almost impossible.

However, as Spalding accepted her Grammy, I couldn’t help but think of the possibilities, that jazz could live on, that jazz could be king as it once was.

So, for the first time, I write about jazz with a feeling of hope. I hope that this comeback will become a reality and I hope that the Beiber, Usher, B.O.B. movement can be replaced with the Esperanza, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock movement. Although the understanding of jazz may only exist among the older generations right now, young figures like Esperanza give hope that jazz will continue to survive throughout the next generations.

Last week, I ventured into Downtown to spend a Tuesday night at Anthology, one of San Diego’s premier jazz clubs. I witnessed an amazing show, Chick Corea’s concert, and a duet performance with jazz legend Gary Burton.

Corea was a pioneer for the jazz fusion movement. His keyboard playing abilities are some of the best in musical history.

Gary Burton, a fellow jazz pioneer, was one of the first to fully utilize four mallets when playing the vibraphone. His skills are also impeccable.

As the second hour of the show came to an end, the duo performed their final encore in which they traded solos, desperately trying to outplay the other. Their dueling talents were amazing. If Beiber and Usher tried to do the same, their auto-tune frequencies would probably interfere with each other, resulting in a painful cacophony.

I was especially pleased to find that Chick Corea’s concert was sold out. Although the crowd was full of senior citizens, I was still delighted to find that the jazz scene has not yet died out.

Living in San Diego, we have access to some of the nicest jazz establishments in the country. Places like Dizzy’s and Anthology are intimate and classy. As a plus, screaming girls are rarely found there.

While Esperanza Spalding’s victory over Justin Bieber may not suddenly turn an entire generation toward jazz, I remain optimistic that it will help people realize where true talent can be found. Spalding could easily become one of the most influential artists of the decade, just as Louis Armstrong was a century ago. With the help of other artists who have been fighting the same battle for generations, jazz can live on.

Jazz can become king once again.

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Via powayiliad.com

March 12, 2011. In many genres of music, the term ‘next big thing’ can often be over used. However, those at San Diego’s Anthology to witness the west coast debut of saxophonist Vincent Ingala may in time come to reflect that they were there at the very beginning. In town as part of Bruce Nazarian’s fabulous four hour Digital Guy Radio Show new music showcase, Vincent used the opportunity to provide welcome exposure to his debut CD ‘North End Soul’.

Under any circumstances this hot new album would be considered as an outstanding piece of work but given that at the time of its release Vincent was only seventeen years old, this classy collection can truly be regarded as little short of remarkable. The album derives its title from the North End of Waterbury, CT where many of Vincent’s family members grew up listening to the funk, R & B and soul of the day. With ‘North End Soul’ he has embraced these old school sensibilities in a way that belies his years and, in so doing, delivered what can only be described as a real gem.

At Anthology, in the choice company of keyboard player Greg Manning, Fattburger’s Evan Marks, bass-man Jervonny Collier, drummer Donnell Spencer Jr. and that tremendous percussionist Gary Stanionis, Vincent quickly made his mark with a rousing performance which not only demonstrated the richness of sound which he routinely generates but also (in the case of the Four Seasons 1966 classic ‘Working My Way Back To You’) displayed a singing voice that is far from shabby.

Other standouts of Vincent’s Anthology apperance included the sax driven ‘It Is What It Is’ and, with both Dave Koz and Kim Waters looking on from the side, his own composition ‘Midnight Pass’ served up more of the delightful smooth jazz same.

During a set that everyone wished had gone on longer, Vincent’s rendition of ‘What Does It Take’fitted the mood of the day to perfection and when only a few hours later he re-emerged at the Hard Rock Hotel in a collaboration with Peter White, it was White’s own version of the same tune to which the pairing turned. Not only that, White paid Ingala the ultimate honour by tasking him with the Grover Washington Jr part on his seminal ‘Midnight In Manhattan’. The fact he totally nailed it was no surprise to anyone who had watched him in action throughout the day and gave cause to think that maybe Vincent Ingala really could be ‘the next big thing’.

For more news on Vincent Ingala go to www.vincentingala.com

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Via smoothjazztherapy.typepad.com

By Matthew Shoaf | examiner.com

The Brubreck Brothers Quartet stopped in San Diego this week at Anthology to play a set. Individually, each player is outstanding, and this band has that rare level of musical communication that only time playing together allows. In homage to Dave Brubeck, they’ve chosen to use their virtuosity to showcase odd time signatures and forms.
Chris Brubeck wore the MC hat, sharing anecdotes as he introduced the tunes. He held it down on his fretless bass, and was also given ample room to create grooves himself using tapping techniques like on “Dance of the Shadows” from their last album Unclassifiedas well as taking melodic solos. Dan Brubeck contributed the rhythmic patterns for “Dance” that he learned while traveling in Argentina.

“The Girl from Massapequa”, a Chuck Lamb composition, was interesting in that is a 10 bar phrase that wraps around itself that energizes that song and propels the soloist through their verses. Mike DeMicco’s impeccable guitar playing was a treat to listen to on this tune especially.

“7th Sense”, funk tune in 7, convinced me that funk might live best in that time signature. The concert ended with the Dave Brubeck classic “Take 5”. It was only fitting to see the brothers share the stage together on their father’s tune during the extended drum solo Dan has tastefully mastered.

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Via examiner.com

By ROBERT BUSH | allaboutjazz.com

Chick Corea (left) and Gary Burton

Pianist Chick Corea and vibraphonist Gary Burton first met in the late 1960s, as Burton was leaving, and Corea was joining saxophonist Stan Getz’s band. Together, they released one of the most astonishing records of the 1970s, Crystal Silence (ECM, 1973). Since then, they have reunited several times, expanding their original concept of piano/vibes duet to a new plateau.

Tuesday’s concert at Anthology was the first of a two-night residency, which is somewhat unusual for the San Diego venue. The building was almost sold out, and filled with boisterous, enthusiastic listeners. Anthology has almost a million dollars invested in its sound-system, and it’s rigged so that every seat in the house is provided an equally stellar audio experience.

Corea approached the microphone, dramatically slimmer than he has been in recent years; whatever he’s doing, diet and exercise-wise, is working. The two began with a look at a chart from Corea’s My Spanish Heart (Polydor, 1976), “Love Castle,” which the duo also recorded on Native Sense: The New Duets (Stretch, 1997). This one had two distinct themes: the first, a sort of rolling, arpeggiated pastoral statement; the second, the archetypal Corea Latin groove. Both men navigated the tune’s quirky structure like Jedi warriors, with an expert, fearless and joyful attitude. Burton took the first solo, and here, as elsewhere, he stuck to his modus operandi: tell a story. Burton’s solos always have a beginning and an ending, as well as a real-time improvised theme in the middle. Corea followed with a masterful, multidirectional solo of his own, periodically referencing the sly Latin melody.

Native Sense’s title track followed, another Corea original, with the pianist setting up an insistent left-hand ostinato while Burton began laying out the melody, which seemed to extend every time he repeated it. The vibraphone master took the initial solo, painting a long melodic landscape, colored by bits of bluesy brushstrokes. Corea opened things up with winding thematic flourishes, intervals based on fourths, and bits of chromatic material.

From there, the duo featured some rarely heard standards, often radically re-harmonized, with arrangements that sometimes took the form of 8-12 page charts. A tribute to pianist Art Tatum, “Why Can’t We Be Friends?” was the first, with a truly startling approach like a virtuoso machine—mindboggling, but rarely swinging in the conventional sense. It wasn’t until the duo dispensed with the eight pages of written material that things loosened up. Burton’s solo reversed the absence of groove, while Corea took that move several steps further, locking into a semi-stride section complete with a left-handed walking bass line.

Burton comped for Corea with all four mallets and, forty years after pioneering that technique, it was still amazing to watch his incredible dexterity, performed with such casual ease. Morphing back into the written material, an Asian theme emerged—the arrangement, at one point, taking on the nature of a Chinese Return To Forever.

After such tightly wound material, it was a relief to hear Corea announce Thelonious Monk’s “Light Blue” as the next piece. Burton commandeered the melody, and filled it with Monkish intervals. The composition has an ebullient, stumbling theme that reaches a release point where it dances. Corea alternated blues-based themes with florid, rococo explosions. Burton also referenced the blues in his solo—staking out, and sneaking up on spontaneous riffs in real time. “Light Blue” was also an instant, indelible highlight.

The pair continued, with a massive yet oblique arrangement of Antonio Carlos Jobim’s classic “Chega de Saudade,” where It was necessary to really strain to hear snippets of the original melody. It was all very impressive from a technical standpoint but, without its original melody—and absent the comforting bossa nova groove—there was a lot missing from this version. Nonetheless, Burton unwrapped a marvelous, complex solo that hit all the right spaces for a sensual experience.

The duo recovered nicely, though, with the second indelible highlight of the evening, a picture-perfect reading of Lennon/McCartney jewel, “Eleanor Rigby.” Corea chose a busy ostinato to set things up for his right hand, which plinked out the melody in single notes, and then harmonized it the second time around. Burton ripped into his best solo of the night, his mallets chasing after one another and crashing into lush chordal cloudbursts. It was highly reminiscent of his quartet work with guitarist Pat Metheny, circa Passengers (ECM, 1976). Corea’s solo kept up the left-hand vamping, while the right hand hammered out knotty, voice-leading and block-chord punctuations, broken up by seemingly infinite melodic story telling.

read more »

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Via allaboutjazz.com

By Dena Burroughs | examiner.com

The Johnny Polanco y su Conjunto Amistad concert at Anthology in San Diego was a great success.  The band, one of the best known Salsa groups in Los Angeles, performed as part of the Noche Latina (Latin Night) hosted by Radio Latina 104.5 FM. 

Anthology is hosting Salsa nights on a regular basis.  For these dates most tables are removed from the main floor to allow more space for the dancers.  The Gene Perry Orchestra will perform coming up March 5, and the Poncho Sanchez band will be there March 24 and 25.

For more information and to purchase tickets visit http://www.anthologysd.com Check out the attached pictures to see what you can look forward to.

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Via examiner.com

Al Stewart

by David Moye

If all you know about Al Stewart’s music are hit songs like “Year of the Cat” and “Time
Passages,” it’s like only knowing a hamburger from the ketchup.

Yes, Stewart’s two biggest hits are soft rock classics that tell evocative stories, but they
are just the tip of the iceberg.

Stewart, who played Anthology on February 4, knows as much about history as any
tweed-wearing professor. Except he puts his stories to music.

He also introduces many of his songs with explanations and lectures about the time
passage being covered.

This is the first concert I’ve ever been to where the singer introduced a song by
discussing the four major revolutions – and tying them into Egypt.

He also told stories about how he writes songs; very interesting to someone who enjoys
the songwriter process.

Stewart is an excellent rhythmic guitarist and was ably assisted by guitarist Mark
Rachmanoff, who played some excellent solos throughout and also worked as a comic
foil.

Because much of Stewart’s songs are based on classic folk melodies, even the songs that
are unfamiliar are very catchy.

However, truth be told, I was there to hear “Year of the Cat,” a song that always takes me
both halfway across the world and to my bedroom during seventh grade. It’s one of the
most romantic songs I know and, of course, being his best known song, he waited until
the end to play it.

Stewart has sung this song thousands of times in the 34 years since he recorded it, but
still found a way to keep it fresh. Even more impressive was Rachmanoff’s incredible
recreation of both an electric guitar solo and a sax solo.

Very impressive on both counts.

by Daniel Knighton | examiner.com

The Fabulous Thunderbirds

Prelude

Melony and I started out the evening with a trip to El Indio taco shop, one of my all-time favorites. Though my family and I had been frequenting this gem since the 1970′s, it recently gained national fame by being featured on the hit Food Network show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives with host Guy Fieri. Mel had the San Diego burrito, a monster burrito made with grilled chicken, guacamole, sour cream and loads of cheddar cheese. Well, she had half of it, saving the rest for later. I passed on my usual enchilada plate in order to feed my craving for tacos, deciding on the two taco plate with rice and beans. A good choice! Plenty of parking, freeway close, wonderful food and excellent service! Despite their being a line to the door when we got there, we were actually in and out of there in about 30 minutes, tummies full and ready to rock out at Anthology.

The Supper Club

Anthology is one of the places that I had not had the pleasure of seeing a show at, now I can scratch them off my concert bucket list. The best way I can describe Anthology is a “supper club”. Nestled just south of San Diego’s Little Italy section near downtown, there is plenty of street parking and a few lots nearby. Most of the seating is at tables or booths, either on the floor, one of the many booths around the edges, or upstairs on the 2nd and 3rd floors. Beautifully decorated, decent lighting, excellent food, attentive and gracious staff. A real class act.

That class comes with a price though, in addition to your ticket cost, be ready to shell out an additional $15 in mandatory food and beverage per person. We weren’t aware of this policy beforehand, or we would have skipped El Indio and given the food there a try. Just make sure you consider this in your budget (and dinner plans) before going.

As we waited for the show to begin, we got to know a very nice gentleman at the next table named Keith. As it turns out, Keith is also a photographer and does some pretty decent surf photography in addition to his day job at the Old Globe. He lives within walking distance of Anthology and frequently attends shows there. Later in the evening, with the band in full swing we enjoyed some crazy people watching, poking fun amongst ourselves at the drunken revelry all around us. I hope he’s sitting next to us next time we are there, that was a blast!

The Show

The Fabulous Thunderbirds performed two sold-out shows Saturday night, the first at 7:30 and the second at 9:30. We caught the late show. Kim Wilson is one of the best, his soulfull voice and smooth harmonica riffs are the Thunderbirds. Though the lineup has changed many times over the last 30 years, it’s always been Wilson’s band. And Wilson knows the blues.

Guitarist Johnny Moeller, while sharing duties with Mike Keller, handles the lion’s share of the lead. Moeller was definitely on his game tonight, and I found myself watching him more than any other member, even Wilson. Eyes shut, grimacing with each bent string, teeth gnashing as his fingers worked their way up and down the frets, all I could do was smile. Keller was on target as well, but Moeller was the star of this show.

The second of two Moeller’s in the band, brother Jay handles the drumming duties. A capable drummer, but lacking in passion and energy and it seemed as if he was just going through the motions tonight. Bassist Randy Bermudes held up his end though, providing a solid bass track throughout the show.

One thing I noticed early on, is that the band does not use set lists. I normally try to get a copy for reference after the show, but not this time. According to stage manager Steve Thomas, Kim Wilson just calls out a song and the band plays it. Totally old school, love it! I would have loved to provide a run-down of songs they played, but honestly I only recognized two, “Wrap It Up” and “Tuff Enuff”. But even without knowing all the songs, I enjoyed every one.

Something about a good blues band just seems to lift the blues from people. The crowd at Anthology was no different. Despite minimal dance room, all available space was taken for most of the show. When I wasn’t mesmerized by Johnny Moeller’s licks, I was hypnotized by the antics of the ways people attempted to dance to the blues. There was the tall, thin, extremely intoxicated brunette who’s moves looked like a cross between yoga and the Grateful Dead. There was an overly enthusiastic, rubenesque blond who seemed just moments away from a tragic wardrobe malfunction. Oh, I could go on… but you get the picture. If you like to people-watch like we do, concerts are an all you can eat buffet for the eyes!

All in all it was a great night. A gorgeous venue, a good band, and fantastic company. Let’s do it again, and soon.

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Via examiner.com

Thanks to the Citybeat readers who voted Anthology the No. 1 place to hear jazz and the No. 2 blues bar.

We were also No. 3 for overall live music destinations.

We won’t let these hallowed honors go to our heads (unless you’re talking about heads of beer).

In fact, we are striving to be No. 1 in every category for next year (we mean the appropriate ones, not like “Best Place to Buy Jewelry.”)

Thanks to all the San Diegans who voted for us.

Sincerely,

Your friends at Anthology.

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Check out The 2010 Best Of Readers Poll