The Augmented Ear

The Jazz Celebration Big Band will mark the 105th birthday of Count Basie on Aug. 27, at the Temperance House, 5 S. State St. in Newtown, Pa. Stop by between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m., and for $10, you can return to the days of Kansas City swing. The band is hoping for another great turnout –they packed the house in July, so you know it’s catching on.

Thursday, Aug. 20
Jose Loo and Gordon James will be performing at Scampi’s Seafood in Somerville between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. Catch these two fine musicians and enjoy the atmosphere at Scampi’s.

Rio Clemente returns to the Bernards Inn, in Bernardsville, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. tonight for his regular Thursday gig.
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Friday, Aug. 21
Crossing Vineyards and Winery, in Pennington, will have bluegrass-jazz by Jericho Grass, beginning at 7 p.m. General admission: $10 per event, in advance, $15 at the gate.

The Marriott in Trenton, 1 West Lafayette, will have live jazz from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 22
Jared Gold and Bob Smith will share the stage at this week’s Jazz Disciples at the Candlelight Lounge, 24 Passaic St. in Trenton. The program starts at 2 p.m.

The Sixth Street Quaternion returns to Princeton’s Blue Point Grill.

Rio Clemente heads back to Richie Cicere’s Supper Club in Montclair.

Darla Rich Quintet returns to the Starlight Room at the Hopewell Bistro and Inn, from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

John Nobile’s SummerSwing Orchestra will be appearing at the Indigo Ballroom, 17 Division St., Somerville. A $20 cover charge includes swing dance lessons, refreshments, and an evening of dancing to live music.

Sunday, Aug. 23
The Salt Creek Grille in Forrestal Village jazz brunch with live music runs from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

The Somerset Jazz Consortium jam session at PJ’s Coffee on Raritan Avenue in Highland Park is a great place to meet musicians – or join the band. They play from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. every Sunday.

Monday, Aug. 24
Jim Jasion and His Jazz (the Somerset Jazz Consortium Horn Squad) will be at Home Town Buffet, 561 US Highway 1, Edison, beginning at 6 p.m.

Tuesday, Aug. 25
The Somerset Jazz Consortium jam session lead by Jim Jasion has moved to the Subterranean Recording Studios in Edison. Call Jim if you’re interested in joining — 732-325-7464.

Wednesday, Aug. 26
The Somerset Jazz Consortium Second Generation Band will be at Home Town Buffet on Route 1 in Edison, beginning at 6 p.m.

Monday marked the 50th anniversary of the recording of Miles Davis’ “All Blues,” one of the most distinctive and haunting tracks ever recorded. It seems to be one of those tunes people become aware of early in life that persists in memory.
Every time I play the song in my mind, I can’t help but be struck by the contrast between the opening notes of the solos by Adderley and Coltrane — they couldn’t be more different, yet both are sublimely perfect.
And Davis’ casual and almost careless playing, an unusual technique he perfected later, is also unseparable from the tune.
But what gives it the most power, I think, is the manner in which Bill Evans opens with a trill. It seems so out of place at first, so off-rhythm, something from classical music and not jazz-like, that it’s almost shocking.
And yet, can we envision “All Blues” without it?
It’s a tribute to the genius of the geniuses involved in the recording to know to leave it alone; to forego another attempt at a better solo; to let it flow …
Not many tunes can earn a spot in the collective psyche of a nation, but “All Blues” is firmly stuck as a cultural earworm.

Les Paul died earlier today — it’s almost impossible to recount his amazing lifetime without making him sound superhuman. Guitarist with Nat King Cole, hits with Mary Ford, creator of multi-track recording, and designer of one of the 20th Century’s most iconic creations: the Gibson Les Paul guitar.
Even up until recent weeks, the 94-year-old was a regular performer on Monday nights at Blue Note. A Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Paul was known as much for his gentle and approachable demeanor as for his considerable picking skills.
Remember that band in rock-and-roll heaven? It’s going to sound better — they’ve got a Les Paul now.

Jose Loo and Gordon James will be at Scampi’s Seafood in Somerville tonight, and they’re hoping for a great turnout this week and next week to show the owners people want to hear live music. Go out and show them quality musicians can draw a crowd. They’re playing from 8 p.m. and 11 p.m.

Thursday, Aug. 13
Rio Clemente is back on his bench at the Bernards Inn, in Bernardsville, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. He’ll be at Casa Bella on Route 46 in Denville tomorrow night.

Friday, Aug. 14
Crossing Vineyards and Winery will have fusion-jazz by Tres Compadres Band, beginning at 7 p.m. General admission: $10 per event, in advance, $15 at the gate.

The Marriott in Trenton, 1 West Lafayette, will have live jazz from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 15
Pot roast jazz: John Henry Goldman, Doug Miller, Tom McMillan and Dave Homan will be joined by percussionist Chuggy Carter for a special night at Looking Glass Pond studio at 800 Alexander Road, Princeton. Audience members are encouraged to bring something to share – a main or side dish.

Jason Marshall is this week’s Jazz Disciple at the Candlelight Lounge, 24 Passaic St. in Trenton. The program starts at 2 p.m.

The Sixth Street Quaternion returns to Princeton’s Blue Point Grill.

Shanghai Jazz will have Grammy-nominated Blues and jazz guitarist Dave Stryker Trio. He’s an exciting player and worth the trip.

Sunday, Aug. 16
The Salt Creek Grille in Forrestal Village jazz brunch with live music runs from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

The Somerset Jazz Consortium jam session at PJ’s Coffee on Raritan Avenue in Highland Park is a great place to meet musicians – or join the band. They play from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. every Sunday.

Monday, Aug. 17
Jim Jasion and His Jazz (the Somerset Jazz Consortium Horn Squad) will be at Home Town Buffet, 561 US Highway 1, Edison, beginning at 6 p.m.

Tuesday, Aug. 18
The Somerset Jazz Consortium jam session lead by Jim Jasion has moved to the Subterranean Recording Studios in Edison. Call Jim if you’re interested in joining — 732-325-7464.

Wednesday, Aug. 19
The Somerset Jazz Consortium Second Generation Band will be at Home Town Buffet on Route 1 in Edison, beginning at 6 p.m.

Thursday, Aug. 20
Gordon James and Jose Loo will be back at Scampi’s in Somerville, 8 p.m. and 11 p.m.

Fill out your calendar with these morning, afternoons and night dates with Central Jersey’s fine, local jazz musicians. We’ve got lots of great local opportunities — and some dates worth driving to check out — this week.

Thursday, Aug. 6
The Darla Rich Trio will be at the Fedora Cafe in Lawrenceville from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The Princeton Public Library Jazz Trio series will feature the Tara Buzash Trio, with bassist Craig Thomas and drummer Joe Falcey, from 7:30 p.m. – 9 p.m. in the Community Room.

Jose Loo and Gordon James are back at Scampi’s Seafood in Somerville tonight between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m.

Rio Clemente is back on his bench at the Bernards Inn, in Bernardsville, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. He returns to Cicere’s Supper Club in Montclair on Saturday.

Arhythmia performs 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. tonight at Limelights in Doylestown

Friday, Aug. 7
The Marriott in Trenton, 1 West Lafayette, will have live jazz from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 8
John Henry Goldman, Doug Miller, Tom McMillan and Dave Homan got an early-morning gig at the West Windsor Farmer’s Market, Saturday. They’ll be playing at the Vaughn Drive event from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Lance Murphy is this week’s Jazz Disciple at the Candlelight Lounge, 24 Passaic St. in Trenton. The program starts at 2 p.m.

The Sixth Street Quaternion returns to Princeton’s Blue Point Grill.

Larry Tritel and Guy DeRossa will perform their blend of folk-jazz from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Halo Pub on Nottingham Way in Hamilton Square.

The “Bishop of Jazz” Rio Clemente will be at Richie Cicere’s Supper Club from 8 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. The club is at 2 Erie St. in Montclair – close to Trumpets, where you can go hear Kate Baker and Vic Juris before or after Rio. Her wonderful voice is a terrific match for Vic’s fresh and original arrangements on guitar.

Claudio Roditi’s Brazilian Quartet will be at Shanghai Jazz in Madison. I keep hearing CDs with trumpeter Roditi and am impressed. The shows should be top-notch.

Sunday, Aug. 9
The Salt Creek Grille in Forrestal Village jazz brunch with live music runs from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

The Somerset Jazz Consortium jam session at PJ’s Coffee on Raritan Avenue in Highland Park is a great place to meet musicians – or join the band. They play from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. every Sunday.

Monday, Aug. 10
Jim Jasion and His Jazz (the Somerset Jazz Consortium Horn Squad) will be at Home Town Buffet, 561 US Highway 1, Edison, beginning at 6 p.m.

Tuesday, Aug. 11
The Somerset Jazz Consortium jam session lead by Jim Jasion has moved to the Subterranean Recording Studios in Edison. Call Jim if you’re interested in joining — 732-325-7464.

John Pizzarelli and his wife, Jessica Molaskey, have a two-night date at Shanghai Jazz, tonight and tomorrow night. Should be a treat for fans of the American Songbook.

Wednesday, Aug. 12
The Somerset Jazz Consortium Second Generation Band will be at Home Town Buffet on Route 1 in Edison, beginning at 6 p.m.

Thursday, Aug. 13
Gordon James and Jose Loo retrun to Scampi’s in Somerville, 8 p.m. and 11 p.m.

The Antonow Trio, with Dave Antonow, electric and acoustic bass player Steve Varner, and drummer Tom Sayek, will be tonight’s performers in the Princeton Public Library jazz series, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the community room. This event will conclude the series, so be sure to stop by.

Pick any five favorite classic jazz recordings, and there’s a good chance most will have Rudy Van Gelder mentioned.
Whether it’s Art Blakey or John Coltrane, Blue Note or Impulse!, from the mid-1950s to the mid-1970s, Van Gelder’s Hackensack home was the place for recording. His studio — it actually was the living room in his parents’ home — gave a particular depth to the recordings that is recognizable.
Van Gelder’s gift was two-fold: he was a jazz lover and musician, so he was sensitive to the musicians’ performances, and he was a geek of the highest order.
He began making his own recordings in the 1930s, using a $8.98 home recording machine that sparked his life-long love of tinkering and a never-ending search for technical improvements. He claimed to have owned the second Ampex tape recorder sold in the U.S., as well as the first Telefunken microphones, which he tinkered with to enable them to be used for close-up miking.
But these technical achievements only improved on what happened when msuicians set up and recorded in the living room of the ranch house his parents had built. Knowing he loved to make recordings, his parents actually had builders place a glass partition between a third bedroom and the living room of the house so he could have a control room to work in.
The house featured 10-foot ceilings in the living room, with doors and hallways leading off that somehow benefitted its use as performance space. The walls were wood panelled, except for the cinder-block control room wall, all of which added to the lively and magical space.
By about 1957, Van Gelder’s was a preferred location for recording — many musicians recall the long drive from Manhattan, at all hours of the night, and the relaxed and comfortable setting they worked in.
Frankly, I think Van Gelder’s place should be a state historic site, along with Les Paul’s nearby garage. New Jersey may not be the birthplace of jazz like New Orleans, or the place where it spent its wild youth, like Kansas City, but it is where jazz grew up and became fine art.
And much of that art happened in the living room of a Hackensack home.