Kool Kat of the Week: Scott Glazer Takes Listeners Backstage with Rock, R&B and Country Greats on AM 1690
Posted on August 18, 2011 by Anya99
Music Review: Klugh takes audience on a smooth jazz ride
Saturday, May 14, 2005
By Rick Nowlin, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Thursday was smooth jazz night at the Manchester Craftsmen's Guild. I mean that literally, by the way.
Acoustic guitarist Earl Klugh, bringing bassist Scott Glazer and drummer Yonrico Scott along for the ride, is certainly not the type to bash you over the head with sheer sound.
Klugh, largely eschewing the pop-oriented material that has endeared him to contemporary jazz fans since the late 1970s, instead romped through a 17-tune set comprising mostly standards and heavy on romance -- "The Night Has a Thousand Eyes," "All the Things You Are," "The Girl From Ipanema," a solo rendition of "Love Theme From 'Spartacus.' "
Thankfully, no one became self-indulgent, as each selection lasted on about five minutes on the average. You didn't really have time to be bored.
The one minus about the concert was that it at times was hard to hear Klugh clearly over the rest of the band. Of course, that may have had something to do with my being seated directly in front of the drummer.
But performing in an all-acoustic setting does have its advantages. Klugh's pickup malfunctioned during the opening "Autumn Leaves," so his sidemen simply brought their respective volumes down so that the leader could still be heard. (Try that with an electric guitar!)
I was especially impressed with drummer Scott's restrained performance throughout because it's occasionally tempting simply to "do your thing." In particular, his solo on "Road Song" stayed within the character of the show.
As for other material, "Heart String," one of only three originals Klugh performed, certainly tugged at mine. Klugh paid homage to a couple of local legends with "Poinciana," of course popularized by Ahmad Jamal, and Stanley Turrentine's "Sugar" and finished off with poignant solo renditions of "Like a Lover" and "Angelina," the latter the first tune he ever recorded as a leader.
nighthawk- 05-14-2005
I was never much into Earl Klugh. He's an undeniably talented guitarist, but his recordings always seemed too popish and never caught my attention. When it was announced that he would close out this year's Manchester Craftsman's guild season with a rare run of Trio shows I was intrigued, but not nessescarily overwhelmed. Afterall, this season included trio sets by Jim Hall, Monty Alexander and Ahmad Jamal so Klugh would have to play well above my expectations to even warrant notice with those folks. The good news is that Klugh did play well above my expectations and, while he isn't quite in the same realm as Jamal and Hall creatively, he was excellent in the trio setting, so much so, that I wish I could get my hands on tickets for one of the final shows tonight and tomorrow afternoon, which, as usual are sold out.
Leaning almost exclusively on standards, Klugh, bassist Scott Glazer and drummer Yonrico Scott were incredibly in sync, playing as one. So much so that when Klugh's amp cut out mid song his rhythm section dropped the volume so quickly and smoothly that it seemed like part of the act until the guitar tech came out and adjusted the guitarist's cordless transmittor. The MCG's acoustically perfect sound allowed Klugh to continue playing his acoustic guitar without missing a note. Klugh's finger picking style was both fluid and filled with emotion. I honestly would have never known from his recordings I've heard that he was capable of what he shown here. His interplay with Scott was especially effective. Scott, who is also the drummer for Derek Trucks' Band plays every square inch of his kit and can use the brushes to great effect as well as pounding the skins when the situation calls for that. Scott Glazer played the right runs and fills and injected the proceedings with an appropriate bluesy feel. Many artists release live recordings from the MCG, here's to hoping that the tapes are rolling this weekend.
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August 14, 2003
BRINGING ALL THAT JAZZ TO BUFORD: Scott Glazer
Rendezvous at the Mojo Dojo
37 Main Street brings jazz and more to Buford
by Bryan Powell, Creative Loafing - Atlanta
Don't look now, but -- for one night a week, at least -- jazz has come to Buford.
It's a Thursday night in downtown Buford. Main Street is only a few minutes from the Mall of Georgia and the hubbub of I-85 and I-985, but at first glance, it looks like it could be 50 years in the past. Purposefully, no doubt, Buford's main stem is a once-upon-a-time-warp bubble of small-town nostalgia.
It's in this setting, at a tapas restaurant named 37 Main Street (the exact address is 37 E. Main St.) that some very fine jazz is taking place. The band, dubbed Mojo Dojo, is a rotating cast of Atlanta's finest, under the direction of upright bassist Scott Glazer. On this night, tenor saxophonist Sam Skelton, alto saxophonist Tony Carrere, keyboardist Randy Hoexter, drummer Keith Runfola and guest vocalist Audrey Shakir join Glazer. The performance has a loose, spontaneous air as the band romps through such standards as "Cherokee" and "Yardbird Suite" and lesser-known tunes such as the Duke Ellington/Don George composition, "Tulip or Turnip."
On a typical night, Glazer handles most of the vocals himself, but tonight he's added Shakir to the bill. She's fully up to the role of jazz chanteuse, whether it's scatting over a blues improvisation or skillfully wringing every drop of nuance from the Sarah Vaughan ballad, "If You Could See Me Now."
The Mojo Dojo musicians are quite plainly enjoying themselves. "Some of the nights have been really good experiments," Glazer says. "One night we had Bill Hatcher on six-string bass, myself on upright bass, Keith on drums and Randy Honea on guitar. It was a combination I wouldn't have been able to put on the bandstand in most places."
A mojo, for those not up on voodoo lore, is a magic charm designed to bring power and success to its holder -- usually, but not always, in sexual relations. Dojo is a Japanese term which, at its most basic, describes a martial arts training facility. "However, dojo embraces other concepts as well," says Glazer, "including a sense of place, learning, community, respect for the art. I approach the gig in this spirit."
Players vary from weekly, Glazer explains. Other participants have included pianist Cody Stine (who's there most weeks); trumpeter Gordon Vernick, director of jazz studies at Georgia State; trumpeter Joe Grandsen; and drummers Clay Hulet, Justin Varnes, Lawrence Jennings, Matt Turnure and Phil Smith.
Opened in May, 37 Main Street is a nonsmoking venue, open Tuesday through Saturday, with music each night. The Tuesday and Wednesday offerings vary; Fridays and Saturdays are devoted to flamenco music, of all things, which has been very well-received. On Fridays, guitarist Rouzbeh (pronounced ROOS-bah) Hosmandi performs solo; on Saturdays, guitarist Sasha performs with two percussionists. They don't perform as background music. "We opened it to be a music venue," Attaway explains.
Glazer, an Atlanta native, is glad they did, and pleasantly surprised at the opportunity to plant the jazz flag in Buford.
"One of the best musical experiences of my life is to have this weekly opportunity to not only play, but to watch these guys play," Glazer says. "I'm as big a fan of the musicians in this town as anybody, so at the same time we're doing our thing, I'm happy to be listening to them and honored to be up on the bandstand and do this thing every week."
