The Concert Crypt

McCoy Tyner & The Charles Tolliver Big Band - New York, NY - 2012-06-21

noreply@blogger.com (Lawrence Peryer) — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 03:59:00 +0000

Blue Note Jazz Festival: McCoy Tyner & The Charles Tolliver Big Band at the Blue Note, New York, NY, June 21, 2012 performing the music of Africa/Brass.

Lou Donaldson Quartet - New York, NY - 2012-01-19

noreply@blogger.com (Lawrence Peryer) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 04:35:00 +0000

Lou Donaldson Quartet at the Jazz Standard, New York, NY, January 19, 2012, early set.

01 Intro
02 Night Song
03 My Favorite Things
04 Frame For The Blues
05 Mellow Mood
06 Beehive
07 Pilgrimage

Lou Donaldson – alto saxophone
Randy Johnston – guitar
Akiko Tsuruga – Hammond B-3 organ
McClenty Hunter – drums
I pulled a nice recording. More here when I have a chance to listen.

McCoy Tyner Trio with Gary Bartz - New York, NY - 2012-01-11

noreply@blogger.com (Lawrence Peryer) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 04:08:00 +0000

McCoy Tyner Trio with Gary Bartz, Blue Note, New York, NY, January 11, 2012, second show.

McCoy played two nights and this was the second set of the second night. I pulled a nice recording...

01 Intro
02 Suddenly
03 I'll Take Romance
04 Moment's Notice
05 Ballad For Aisha
06 Mellow Minor
07 Uncle Bubba

McCoy Tyner: piano;
Gerald Cannon: bass;
Francisco Mela: drums;
Gary Bartz: saxophone.

Dr. Lonnie Smith Trio - New York, NY - 2012-01-11

noreply@blogger.com (Lawrence Peryer) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 04:02:00 +0000

Dr. Lonnie Smith Trio, Jazz Standard, New York, NY, January 11, 2012, Early Show.

Pulled a nice recording of this set. There is some room noise in the quieter spots - the sound of dishes clanking and such. I also recorded McCoy Tyner at the Blue Note later this same night (coming soon!) and it sounds much better.

The trio:
Dr. Lonnie Smith – Hammond B–3 organ, synths Jonathan Kreisberg – guitar Jamire Williams – drums

Intro
Night Song
My Favorite Things
Frame For The Blues
Mellow Mood
Beehive
Pilgrimage

Joan Stiles - New York, NY - 2012-01-05

noreply@blogger.com (Lawrence Peryer) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 04:55:00 +0000

Joan Stiles, Jazz Gallery, New York, NY, January 5, 2012, Second Show

There were two shows at the Jazz Gallery this night for the release of the Joan Stiles CD, Three Musicians. The three musicians are:

Joan Stiles - piano, arrangements
Joel Frahm - tenor and soprano saxophone
Matt Wilson - drums

O.W.
Everything's Coming Up Roses
In the Sunshine of My Funny Valentine’s Love
Introspection
Nutty
You Don't Know What Love Is
Lucky To Be Me
Knowledge
West End Boogie

Pulled a nice recording of this one...

Rez Abbasi's Invocation - New York, NY - 2011-12-07

noreply@blogger.com (Lawrence Peryer) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 04:59:00 +0000

Rez Abbasi's Invocation, Jazz Standard, New York, NY, December 7, 2011, Late Show

This was the second and last set of the second and last night of a two-night run. These were album release shows for the band's new record Suno Suno, which is well worth your time. I attended this show after interviewing Rez a few days prior for All About Jazz. You can dig that here.

Part of One
Onus On Us
Overseas
Thanks for Giving

Rez Abbasi, electric guitar; Rudresh Mahanthappa, alto saxophone; Vijay Iyer, piano; Johannes Weidenmueller, bass; Dan Weiss, drums.

I managed to pull a nice recording from this date, too.

Wilco - New York, NY - 2011-09-22

noreply@blogger.com (Lawrence Peryer) — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 03:07:00 +0000

Wilco with support act Nick Lowe, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, New York, NY, September 22, 2011.

"Nels Cline can conjure wind. He did so mid-way through the third song of Wilco's performance in New York City on September 22. There were several thousand witnesses.

Cline, Wilco's guitarist-cum-audio mad scientist, was at the crest of an intense solo passage in "Ashes of American Flags" when a strong, crisp breeze blew in from the East, lifting the blanket of early evening humidity that was laid over the crowd gathered in Central Park's Rumsey Playground. Wilco is a live band of such extraordinary powers that a supernatural act of meteorological manipulation seems well within their grasp. Cline's was greeted with an appreciative roar from the devoted crowd..."

Read the rest of my review of this show on All About Jazz.

Setlist: Art Of Almost; I Might; Ashes Of American Flags; I Am Trying To Break Your Heart; One Wing; Bull Black Nova; At Least That's What You Said; One Sunday Morning; Shouldn't Be Ashamed; Born Alone; She's A Jar; Handshake Drugs; Standing O; Rising Red Lung; Impossible Germany; Dawned On Me; A Shot In The Arm; Hummingbird.

Encore Set: Via Chicago; Whole Love; War On War; Jesus, Etc.; I'm The Man Who Loves You; Monday; Outtasite.

Personnel: Jeff Tweedy: vocals, guitar; John Stirratt: bass, vocals; Nels Cline: guitar; Glenn Kotche: drums; Pat Sansone: keyboards, guitar, percussion, vocals; Mikael Jorgenson: keyboards.

Late Show with David Letterman taping - New York, NY - 2011-09-21

noreply@blogger.com (Lawrence Peryer) — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 03:35:00 +0000

Late Show with David Letterman taping, Ed Sullivan Theater, New York, NY, September 21, 2011.

Taylor Lautner, Minka Kelly and Wilco.

The full episode is available here on Dave's site.

Mark Olson & Gary Louris - New York, NY - 2011-09-21

noreply@blogger.com (Lawrence Peryer) — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 02:05:00 +0000

Mark Olson & Gary Louris at the RELIX Magazine Offices, New York, NY, September 21, 2011.

Mark & Gary were at the RELIX offices performing a few songs to be used as promotional content on the RELIX website behind the new Jayhawks record, Mockingbird Time.

15 - 20 people crammed into the publisher's office to watch the taping, which had the duo on acoustics two songs from the new record, one from the album they cut together a few years back before Mark re-joined the 'hawks and finishing up with their "hit" 'Blue'.

Setlist:
She Walks in So Many Ways
Tiny Arrows
When the Wind Comes Up
Blue

Renaissance - New York, NY - 2011-09-17

noreply@blogger.com (Lawrence Peryer) — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 03:59:00 +0000

Renaissance, The Concert Hall at the Society for Ethical Culture, New York, NY, September 17, 2001.

"Since forming in 1969, Renaissance has amassed a relatively small but passionate fan base. The intense affinity for the band, especially its "classic" line-up (which spanned 1971-1980 and resulted in six studio sets plus one live album), appears not to have diminished with time. The 21st century incarnation of the band, featuring guitarist and principle composer Michael Dunford and vocalist extraordinaire Annie Haslam, have focused on expanding from the core, visiting the band's traditional strongholds in the North East of the United States as well as Eastern Canada, two territories that have always welcomed progressive bands with open arms."

Read the rest of my review of this show at All About Jazz.

Set One: The Complete Turn of the Cards: Running Hard; I Think Of You; Things I Don't Understand; Black Flame; Cold Is Being; Mother Russia

Set Two: The Complete Scheherazade and Other Stories: Trip To The Fair; The Vultures Fly High; Ocean Gypsy; Song of Scheherazade

Encore: The Mystic and the Muse

Personnel: Annie Haslam: vocals; Michael Dunford: guitar, vocals; Rave Tesar: keyboards; Jason Hart: keyboards, vocals; Frank Pagano: drums, vocals.

McCoy Tyner Trio with Gary Bartz - New York, NY - 2011-09-01 - early & late

noreply@blogger.com (Lawrence Peryer) — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 03:59:00 +0000

QUINCY JONES PRESENTS: GENERATIONS OF JAZZ - McCOY TYNER TRIO w/ GARY BARTZ + ALFREDO RODRIGUEZ TRIO

Thursday, September 1, 2011. 8 and 10:30 sets. Blue Note Jazz Club, New York, NY

"With all of the thunder and lightning he has summoned for more than fifty years, pianist McCoy Tyner kicked off eight sets over four nights at Manhattan's Blue Note Jazz Club on Thursday, September 1, 2011."

Read the rest of my review of this show at All About Jazz.

McCoy Tyner 8:00 Set: Fly With the Wind; Ballad for Aisha; Moment's Notice; Walk Spirit, Talk Spirit.

McCoy Tyner 10:30 Set: Mellow Minor; Suddenly; Blues on the Corner; African Village.

McCoy Tyner Trio with Gary Bartz Personnel: McCoy Tyner: piano; Gerald Cannon: bass; Francisco Mela: drums; Gary Bartz: saxophone.

Alfredo Rodríguez Trio Personnel: Alfredo Rodríguez: piano; Peter Slavov: bass; Francisco Mela: drums.

Marc Maron - Brooklyn, NY - 2011-06-01 early show

noreply@blogger.com (Lawrence Peryer) — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 03:30:00 +0000

Vanilla Fudge - New York, NY - 2011-03-19

noreply@blogger.com (Lawrence Peryer) — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 03:59:00 +0000

Vanilla Fudge with opening act Funky Knights at B.B. King Blues Club and Grill, New York, NY. March 19, 2011.

Marc Maron - Brooklyn, NY - 2011-03-10 early show

noreply@blogger.com (Lawrence Peryer) — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 04:59:00 +0000

Marc Maron, a live taping of his WTF podcast at the Bell House in Brooklyn, NY, March 10, 2011. The early show.

A live taping of my favourite podcast. You can download this and tons of other episodes from iTunes. More info on the show's website, WTFpod.com.

Roger Waters - East Rutherford, NJ - 2010-11-03

noreply@blogger.com (Lawrence Peryer) — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 03:59:00 +0000

"Roger Waters
Izod Center
East Rutherford, NJ
November 3, 2010

Source: Schoeps MK4 > actives > Nbox > R-09 (24/44.1)
Transfer: Wav file > Sound Studio > xACT > FLAC (level 8)
Recording location: 3rd row center
Recorded and transferred by: Tapehead2

Video to follow.

SET ONE: 57:07

01 Outside The Wall intro
02 In The Flesh?
03 The Thin Ice
04 Another Brick In The Wall (Part 1)
05 The Happiest Days Of Our Lives
06 Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2)
07 Mother
08 Goodbye Blue Sky
09 Empty Spaces
10 What Shall We Do Now
11 Young Lust
12 One Of My Turns
13 Don't Leave Me Now
14 Another Brick In The Wall (Part 3)
15 The Last Few Bricks
16 Goodbye Cruel World

SET TWO: 53:06

17 Hey You
18 Is There Anybody Out There?
19 Nobody Home
20 Vera
21 Bring The Boys Back Home
22 Comfortably Numb
23 The Show Must Go On
24 In The Flesh
25 Run Like Hell
26 Waiting For The Worms
27 Stop
28 The Trial
29 Outside the Wall

The Wall Live Tour Musicians:

Drums: Graham Broad
Guitars: Dave Kilminster, G.E. Smith, Snowy White
Bass: Roger Waters
Keyboards: Jon Carin, Harry Waters
Lead Vocals: Robbie Wyckoff, Roger Waters
Backing Vocals: Jon Joyce, Mark Lennon, Pat Lennon, Kipp Lennon

Intended for free distribution and trade only, never for sale.
Listeners down the line will appreciate it if you convert to mp3 only for your own personal use.
Enjoy!

Recorded and upped on Dime by Tapehead2, November 2010."

Download here

Rolling Stones: Stones in Exile - New York, NY - 2010-05-11

noreply@blogger.com (Lawrence Peryer) — Wed, 12 May 2010 03:59:00 +0000

Rolling Stones, Stones In Exile Premiere Screening at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY, May 11, 2010.

How many times can you hear these songs in one lifetime and still love them? Listening to "Tumbling Dice" - loud & remastered - in a movie theatre, set to images of early-70's-era Stones...well, all I can say is I never heard the song before...

Let's get it out of the way: Stones In Exile leaves out a lot. How can you discuss in depth the making of Exile and not so much as mention Gram Parsons? There are other obvious quibbles but there always are when the Stones or any other band puts out anything "official". This is their version of the story and they're entitled to it. We have wikipedia for the rest...Let's instead focus on what is in the movie...

Bobby Keys, man. The interview bits with him will leave you, um, rolling...wait 'til you see the part about him "teaching Charlie Watts to play drums" and coming up with the epic drum part on Ventilator Blues (which you should go listen to right now).

Mick Taylor and Bill Wyman. Great contemporary interviews.

Anita Pallenberg and drugs. No whitewash here. Lots of Anita photos & video, contemporary interviews, and loads of frank discussion about KR's descent into heroin and smack. He gives some frank talk about it, too. Sure, it could have been more detailed and lurid but there's enough of that shit out there. The room positively squirmed when one of the grown men, who was an eight-year-old at the time of the making of the record, talks about staying up all night, watching the totally open drug and alcohol use, and relates his role in it all: his job was to roll numbers for the adults...and by the way, Anita Pallenberg and Marianne Faithful are officially tied in my eyes for reigning beauties of the era...

Most surprisingly, the roles of Mick & Keith are handled more candidly than I expected (though those who claim to know will say Mick's input into making the record, at least the parts in France, are overstated - apparently he spent most of his time canoodling with Bianca in Paris as opposed to pulling all-nighters in Nellcôte...who can blame him?). The film comes off as a tribute to Keith, though. All of the band members, but especially Bill & Charlie, speak so lovingly and almost with a tone of awe concerning Keith's methods, madness and the making of these songs.

Perfect film? No way. But it succeeds in making me want to revisit the record, procure the reissue, and take in the band, record and era with fresh eyes and ears.

Dig it.

Help a brother out and order Stones in Exile on Amazon.

Check out what our friends at Wines That Rock had to say about the event.

Big Star - Brooklyn, NY - 2009-11-18

noreply@blogger.com (Lawrence Peryer) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:59:00 +0000

Big Star, with support from Tara Angell and Kurt Vile and the Violators, Brooklyn Masonic Temple, Brooklyn, NY, November 18, 2009.

So while I take some time hunting around for a recording of this show, you can check out these reviews....

Village Voice

Spinner.com

And David Fricke's epic on Rolling Stone's website.

There is already some decent YouTube action from the show:

Alice Cooper - Englewood, NJ - 2009-09-23

noreply@blogger.com (Lawrence Peryer) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 03:59:00 +0000

Alice Cooper, Bergen Performing Arts Center, Englewood, New Jersey, September 23, 2009.

Please let me know if you have recordings or photos. Thanks.

Paolo Nutini - New York, NY - 2009-07-21

noreply@blogger.com (Lawrence Peryer) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 03:55:00 +0000

Paolo Nutini, with support acts Erin McCarley and Matt Hires, Terminal 5, New York, NY, July 21, 2009

Nice review on blender.com....and some nice videos on Google Video...Here's one I especially dig:

Apollo Run - Brooklyn, NY - 2009-07-01

noreply@blogger.com (Lawrence Peryer) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 03:59:00 +0000

Apollo Run, Bell House, Brooklyn, NY, July 1, 2009, supported by The Hard Lessons.

Fun set by a local band from Brooklyn that a friend of mine manages...I find them very entertaining but what really stands out is how fully-formed they are...songs, arrangements, stage presence...the whole deal. I could see them right now as a very strong support act in a theatre or arena...any booking agents listening?

And the Bell House? Great room to see a show...

Photos and notes from the show on the band's website, www.apollorun.com.

The Dead - New York, NY - 2009-04-25

noreply@blogger.com (Lawrence Peryer) — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 03:59:00 +0000

The Dead, Madison Square Garden, New York, NY, April 25, 2009.

I kept my expectation low and was rewarded for it...not that this wasn't a thoroughly enjoyable show but its best to let these types of things stand on their own two (or twelve) feet as opposed to trying any comparing or contrasting with what came before...The setlist:

"(Set 1)
Cosmic Charlie
China Cat Sunflower>
Shakedown Street
Ship Of Fools
He's Gone
Cassidy
Sugaree

(Set 2)
Drums>
Cryptical Envelopment>
Other One>
Born Cross Eyed>
St Stephen>
The Eleven>
Uncle John's Band>
Unbroken Chain>
Gimme Shelter>
One More Saturday Night
Donor Rap

(Encore)
Brokedown Palace"

I purchased the official recording from the Dead's site but it is not ready for download yet. Check back, I will post it when they release it. In the meantime you can stream a nice audience recording, courtesy of archive.org:

McCoy Tyner Trio w/Gary Bartz - New York, NY - 2009-02-25

noreply@blogger.com (Lawrence Peryer) — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 04:59:00 +0000

McCoy Tyner Trio with special guest Gary Bartz at the Blue Note, New York, NY, February 25, 2009.

Caught both sets. The early show was a little less focused and fiery. The drummer, Eric Gravatt, in particular, was a little out of sync. McCoy and Bartz were still terrific, it just wasn't spot on. They covered some ground, though..."Mellow Minor", "Walk Spirit, Talk Spirit", Ellington's "In a Mellow Tone", "Fly With the Wind" (joined by McCoy's big band tuba player Howard Johnson...), "Blues on the Corner", etc.

The late show got deep, though...As I sit here I am drawing a complete and total blank as to what they opened with...Was it a Coltrane number...? Damn...There goes that last brain cell...Anyway, when they launched into "Sama Layuca", everyone stepped it up. McCoy played a couple of out solos, the drums and bass took at least one or two solos each but Bartz...holy cow...all I can tell you is that he had something to say and he said it!

I will update this post if and as I come across reviews, photos or recordings...

Tony Bennett - New York, NY - 2008-12-16

noreply@blogger.com (Lawrence Peryer) — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 04:35:00 +0000

Tony Bennett, with the Count Basie Orchestra at the Apollo Theatre, New York, NY on December 16, 2008.

A night of firsts: never saw Mr. Bennett, never been to the Apollo, never ate at Sylvia's....All cool things to check off the list...

The show started a few minutes past eight with a 30 - 40 minute set by the Count Basie Orchestra. The Orchestra is now led by long-time band member Bill Hughes, who noted that he joined the band in 1956...they warmed up the room with a strong set of swing and with no real break to speak of (save for a couple of musicians entering and exiting their positions) Tony Bennett was introduced. I did not keep notes but he covered quite a bit of ground. For Once in My Life, The Best is Yet to Come, My Favorite Things, and of course....I Left My Heart in San Francisco. All told, about 60 - 70 minutes of Tony. The only tune missing for me was his take on Winter Wonderland, which appears on both of his Christmas records - this year's release with the Basie Orchestra and his last one, from 1968!

Cool side note: on the way in we were all handed laminates with a code on back to download a track from the show after Dec 23...

There was a fun post-show reception at Sylvia's, the classic soul food spot on Lenox Ave. You know its a party when Charlie Rangel's in the house...

12/18 Update: Great piece in the NY Times on the show. Spot-on...

12/23 Update: Here is the free download referred to above...

Neil Young and His Electric Band - New York, NY - 2008-12-15

noreply@blogger.com (Lawrence Peryer) — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 04:59:00 +0000

Neil Young and His Electric Band, with Wilco and Everest, Madison Square Garden, New York, NY, December 15, 2008

Everest...moderately interesting rootsy kinda band. Probably great in a bar...but Wilco...Fucking Wilco, man, how do they keep getting better? It is ridiculous. I have not seen them in a couple of years and I tell you, they were loud, crystal clear, and adventurous. I remember after seeing them for the first time 8 or 9 years ago I sent an email to my friends calling Wilco a cross between The Band and the Bay City Rollers. You might be able to add Pink Floyd to that list. Damn...I nominate them for Best Band in the World right now...Tweedy is unreal. I hope we're still seeing them 20 years from now. Impossible Germany and Spiders (Kidsmoke) were the highlights for me...

Neil's band for this tour is "His Electric Band": Ben Keith, Rick Rosas, Ralph Molina, Anthony Crawford and Pegi Young. Managed to scrounge a video from the show on offa YouTube:

Neil's set was heavy up on new songs...a lot of singing about green energy and recycling...idealistic lyrics, earnestly delivered, that's Neil, right? Cortez and Cinnamon Girl were worth the price of admission alone, though...Oh yeah, and Cowgirl in the Sand and Neil introducing Pegi as the "Unknown Legend" (which was beautifully played in its own right...). Neil's set list:

Love And Only Love
Hey Hey, My My
Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
Powderfinger
Spirit Road
Cortez The Killer
Cinnamon Girl
Oh, Lonesome Me
Mother Earth
The Needle And The Damage Done
Light A Candle
"Cough Up The Bucks"
Fuel Line
"Hit The Road And Go To Town"
Unknown Legend
Heart Of Gold
Old Man
Get Back To The Country
"Off The Road"
Just Singing A Song
When Worlds Collide
Cowgirl In The Sand
Rockin' In The Free World
"Get Behind The Wheel"
A Day In The Life

12/19/08 update: Wilco set list courtesy of Wilcobase:
Via Chicago
Impossible Germany
You Are My Face
Spiders (Kidsmoke)
Hummingbird
Jesus, Etc.
Forget The Flowers
Walken
I'm The Man Who Loves You

Please let me know if you have recordings of any parts of this show. I would love to post them here.

12/27/08 update: Here is a link to download the Neil set~~...send along Wilco, please, if you have it...~~

01/05/09 update: Here is a link to the torrent page for this show on Trader's Den or you can download the FLAC folder directly from me here soon.

Oh, and here is an MP3 of the Wilco set...

McCoy Tyner - New York, NY - 2008-12-09

noreply@blogger.com (Lawrence Peryer) — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 04:19:00 +0000

McCoy Tyner, Blue Note, New York, NY, December 9, 2008.

Let's get discussion of the line-up out of the way first:

McCoy Tyner, piano
Gerald Cannon, bass
Eric Kamau Gravatt, drums
Savion Glover, tap dancer
Gary Bartz, MC (and more importantly, saxophone)
Marc Ribot, guitar

McCoy Tyner is my favorite living musician, jazz or otherwise. For over a year I have been on an uber-nerd quest to gather every recorded note of his I can find. It is an on-going project, something I think and hope will take years to finish. You can follow the progress with these links:

1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s (haven't posted any of those yet...stay tuned)
2000s

Anyway, McCoy is in the midst of a run of shows at the Blue Note to mark his 70th birthday and to promote his new record, Guitar. Two sets and a different special guest each night. The guests include Ribot, Joe Lavano, Ravi Coltrane and Bill Frisell. I would go every night if I could but I can't so the Ribot night was a no-brainer for me. Ribot is the Forrest Gump of musicians...every time I get into an artist, Ribot shows up as a collaborator or sideman...

McCoy covered so much ground in the Ribot sets...He hit some of his own best compositions, nodded to the Msaters (Coltrane, Monk and Duke), and displayed a phenomenal level of musicianship on what is arguably one of the most physically demanding instruments to play well in old age.

McCoy still has the intense left hand he is known for as well as the nimble right. For the first set we sat just over his right shoulder and had a great view (his hands were reflected in the finish of the polished Steinway which was a treat as well)...The set started with his own Sama Layuca (from the album of the same name) and ended about 70 minutes later with Trane's Moment's Notice. In between, Ribot ripped some wild solos (after the second set I told him he doesn't have a cliche in his body and he replied, "well, I'm trying to learn some") Gary Bartz proved his relevance and Savion Glover...well...he tap danced...when it worked (and it often did) there was a tremendous interplay with the other players. When it didn't, he seemed oblivious to the dynamics and stomped through their playing. My biggest complaint with the set was not his presence, but the fact that the board he tapped on was mic'ed and way too prominent in the mix. The taps were going to ring out, they did not need to be amplified...

For the second set, which opened with an absolutely smoking take on McCoy's Fly With the Wind (a good 10 - 15 minute airing), Savion was only present for two songs and seemed to fit in much better. This set was much more fiery and intense as well. McCoy and the rest of the band were clearly loosened up.

70 is young these days but McCoy will not be around forever. I can't see how he can continue to play at this level much longer...though he takes his personal care very seriously, he even adheres to a special diet which he discusses here so who knows...the point is, see McCoy while you can. As the last living member of the classic John Coltrane quartet he is an important figure in jazz history. It is amazing, he was only 27 when his time with Trane came to an end. he could have never worked again and been a jazz giant. But he kept going and became an innovator in spiritual jazz, Latin, big band, in his use of strings and other instrumentation...he avoided embarrassing fusion (ignore the record with Santana from the 80s, we all make mistakes)...played with the cream of the horn players, from Pharoah, to Joe Henderson, Gary Bartz, Azar Lawrence, to Joe Lovano today...The guy is the shit!

If you come across recordings of these sets please let me know. There are some absolutely lovely photos here and the Blue Note's site has some video from soundcheck posted.

Download:
Commercially released version of some of the tracks he played last night...
Sama Layuca
Moment's Notice
Fly With the Wind