new Combat Jazz line-up makes its debut

A new line-up for Combat Jazz made its debut at Freddy's Backroom in Brooklyn on Friday April 29, 2011: John McQueeney - tenor sax; John Turner (JT) - trumpet; Jon Keay - upright bass; Paul Corio - drums. An excerpt of the song "Candlelight Reading" from this performance can be seen on Youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SUq_ZPkjk4

Combat Jazz at Freddy's in Brooklyn 4/29/2011

Combat Jazz is playing at the new Freddy's in Brooklyn on Friday 4/29/11 at 8PM. If you haven't been to the new Freddy's, now is a great opportunity to check it out.

Combat Jazz booking shows

after getting the 2010 recordings with Paul Corio and Brian Dewan mixed and mastered, Combat Jazz is looking to play live.

Best sax player performance I saw in 2010

Before it gets too late into 2011, I wanted to write a short blurb about some sax performances I saw in 2010. I try to see live music in NYC once a week...though I usually skip a week if I have a gig that week. Anyhoo:

Best tenor sax - Chris Speed...I seen his name all over the place (Tim Berne's label?) but never caught him live until this summer in Red Hook. He had a great big sound, and while he was mostly playing hard-bop classics, he had great ideas in his solos that were melodic, inventive, and also incorporated some out sounds (or special effects.)

Best alto sax - Don Davis - I caught him as part of the Microscopic Septet reunion performances in Dec. 2010 in support of their Monk album. Don's solo's had amazing technique, were swinging and they were very melodic. I found them entracing. Unfortunately, the MS arrangements (and wackiness) were a bit dated...seemed caught in the 80's. I hope to see Don in another context.

Unsent & Don't being mixed and mastered

Unsent & Don't - the third Combat Jazz album, was recorded in Catskill NY in August 2010 with Brian Dewan on Hammond Organ and Paul Corio on drums. We recorded using three mics into Brian's last generation cassette TASCAM 8 track. The tunes on the cassettes were converted to Pro-Tool format at Old Soul Studios. Brian Wenner, a grad student at NYU is mixing the recordings.