[drwhippet]

I just found out that the "Umbrella Music Festival" will be happening at different clubs around Chicago this weekend. The Chicago Reader bills the Fest as: "Five Nights of the Finest Avant-garde Jazz in the World: Tim Berne, Ab Baars, John Butcher, Odean Pope, Mary Halvorson, and many more."

Here are the highlights (AKAIK) for reed men:

Thursday, Nov. 3, 2011
Chicago Cultural Center (free)

6:30 PM - Jan Maksimowicz Quartet
8 PM - Francesco Bigoni Trio

Friday, Nov. 4, 2011
Elastic ($15)

8 PM - Nick Mazzarella Trio
10 PM - John Butcher
11 PM - Tim Berne

Saturday, Nov. 5, 2011
Hideout ($15)

9 PM - Jason Stein's Locksmith Isidore (bass clarinetist)
11 PM - Odean Pope Trio with Marshall Allen

I know it's short notice, but would any of our Chicago members be interested in meeing up at any of these shows? I was thinking mostly along the lines of the Odean Pope show, you know, meeting at Hideout around 9 pm to catch Stein (and the group at 10 PM which I believe is a guitarist) and then Pope.

Just an idea, as to my knowledge we've never had a Chi-Town Meet Up. Feel free to respond here if interested!

 

[drwhippet]

A (relatively) recent video of Mr. Pope; sounds like he's the "real deal" and definitely worth the 15 bucks admission they're charging this Saturday:

 

[drwhippet]

I was just reviewing the above video and started to reassess Mr. Pope's abilities. As a practitioner of free jazz, is he one of those who's prone to, as one of our members recently (and rather humorously) quipped, "move his fingers until it sounds like jazz?"

So what do you think? Is Odean Pope any good? Or is he one of those who's now finally being recognized from the standpoint that he's been around a long time and is one of the few guys from way back when (who played with X, Y, Z) who's still with us? In short, could he suddenly now be a touch overrated because he's one of the "last men standing" so to speak?

What say you all? Is he worth the time and price of admission?

 

[John_Dikeman]

Funny to hear someone ask if Odeon Pope is any good. I was just reading in the Lewis Porter biography of Coltrane about the two of them being practice buddies in Philly. Michael Moore was playing me some tracks of a pseudo fusion-free jazz band he had in the 80s I believe, very virtuoso and somewhat humorously dated sounding. Yes, Odeon can play for sure. But then that quote you read was referring to my playing so I guess pick your sources! Coltrane used to like him,
enough to practice with him anyway.

 

[John_Dikeman]

Jason Stein is also an incredible player!

 

[John_Dikeman]

Also Jon Irabagon from the band with Mary Halvorson was the Thelonius Monk saxophone winner. If that's not good enough I don't know what is.

Though is see now this is over. Did you go, what did you think?

 

[drwhippet]

'S'ok--in the interim I answered my own question. Saw Odean on Saturday night at the Hideout with Marshall Allen and he was killin'. Gorgeous, room-filling tone that reminded me a lot of Trane's now that you mention it.

The only problem: It was sold out for the first 1/2 of the show and then SRO once we were able to enter when some others left. I felt bad for these guys whom I met outside who'd driven all the way from Kansas City and left right away when they announced the sell-out. I guess the old adage "persistence pays" applies here....

But Marshall Allen (of Sun Ra fame) seemed to be there more for the sake of appearances. Because he played very softy and sparingly, while Odean carried the pieces (not tunes--this is not that kind of music LOL--very heavy, atmospheric stuff). But OTOH he is like 88 years old! Made Odean seem young at 73!

BTW isn't it natural to ask if someone's any good when they've never seen them and they're kind of an obscure player for whom only scant recordings are available online? With that being said, have you ever seen Odean live?

 

[John_Dikeman]

Glad you saw it and enjoyed it. That's a great festival with incredible players all around. It's a pity you missed Ab Baars with Jeb Bishop and Mike Reed. Great guys and amazing musicians. Ab is also one of weirdest saxophonists around and I would have been quite curious what you thought of him.

Sure, nothing wrong with asking if a guy is good or not. To me Odean's rep seems pretty solid but I am guessing we are coming from very different scenes. I think it was just your word choice that seemed a bit dismissive. Assuming you're a modern jazz fan it could be like asking if Greg Osby or Gary Thomas can actually play or something... Anyway, stupid comparison but maybe you see what I mean.

I haven't seen Odean live which is a pity. I was living in Philly for a while but I somehow never found the chance. Have seen Marshall Allen a couple times recently though. I agree, he's sounding old sometimes, but I've also heard him playing great. I saw a duo with Han Bennink about a year ago that was excellent. I even enjoyed his funny EWI device.

I'm guessing based on the sold out statement you weren't able to see anything else. I'm curious, do you check out many of the Chicago free jazz saxophonists? Keefe Jackson, Dave Rempis, Nick Mazzarella... All first rate musicians who are very active.