Darren Johnston Quintet live at the Red Poppy

Another release from the vaults. BayTaper and I recorded this Darren Johnston Quintet show at the Red Poppy Art House on 23rd and Folsom in San Francisco in November 2011, but I didn't get around to editing it until a few weeks ago. Infinity's one of my favorite songs by Darren, and I still remember being floored by the written and improvised horn harmonies of this chordless (no piano or guitar) lineup. I later heard that this was one of the last SF gigs of this group as Darren focused on The Nice Guy Trio with accordionist Rob Reich and bassist Daniel Fabricant and then pivoted to his current projects, The Trans-Global People's Chorus, Letters to Home, and The Broken Shadows Family Band.

Personnel:
Darren Johnston - tr, Sheldon Brown - b. cl, Ben Goldberg - cl, David Ewell - b, Hamir Atwal - d.
Sound by BayTaper. Video by BayTaper and myself.

For more like this:

BayTaper's been documenting Bay Area musicians for almost 10 years. 
Darren's superb album Edge of the Forest on Clean Feed Records also featuring Ben Goldberg and Sheldon Brown.
Ben Goldberg School has the same rhythm section + Rob Reich on piano and accordion. Saxophonist Kasey Knudsen and trombonist Jeff Cressman round out the horn line.
The Nice Guy Trio recorded a version of this song on their album with strings: Sidewalks and Alleys / Waking Music .

And the stringless Nice Guy Trio video I produced with Adam Willumsen a couple of years back.

Melford, Bennink, Goldberg & Oliver play Misha Mengelberg

In January 2014 I found myself at 4 shows and one studio session featuring Ben Goldberg. I think I taped all five. I'm slowly working through the footage and will post some more this Spring.

Walking into Duende on January 23, I didn't know what musical direction the group would take. I first heard of Myra Melford and Ben Goldberg when they independently collaborated with The Nice Guy Trio in 2008, but I hadn't heard of Mary Oliver or Han Bennink, so I was in for a treat. In love with all the emotion Han wrings out of his drum set before settling into the hard driving swing in the second part of the tune.

I should have miked the piano. I didn't. I apologize.

Gaucho with Tamar Korn

This was my first real video shoot with two cameras and everything. In January 2010 we shot video of the entire Gaucho Pearl recording sessions at Amnesia bar, 853 Valencia street. You can still hear the band there every Wednesday night.

Personnel:

Ralph Carney - ts, Rob Reich - acc, Dave Ricketts - gt, Michael Groh - gt, Ari Munkres - b, Pete Devine - dr, with special guests: Tamar Korn - vocals, Leon Oakley - cornet.

Here are some other songs from the same sessions.

Dave Mihaly's Shimmering Leaves

I'm taking some time this winter break to edit footage I shot over the last couple of years. This is from November 2012. In 2010 Dave released Eastern Accents in the Far West with the trio version of this ensemble on Porto Franco Records.

Personnel:

Ara Anderson - tr, David Boyce - ts, Michael Cavaseno - gt, Dave Mihaly - dr