Pyeng Threadgill, Dee Bridgewater Ready for Bay Area Concerts

By Jim Harrington, Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif.

Jun. 11–IT’S THE TIME of year when you really don’t have to pay to hear live music. You still can, if you want, drop hundreds of dollars to see a show, but there are other options. For one, try the Summer Jazz Series at the Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto. This seasonal event, now in its 22nd year, always offers an abundance of worthy shows for cost-conscious music lovers. Here’s the schedule of the free shows, with my comments added at no extra cost:

–June 19 — Anton Schwartz Quartet (Schwartz is one of my favorite local saxophonists.)

–June 26 — Pyeng Threadgill (She’s a jazz-inspired vocalist who labels her style as “progressive pop.” She also performs at Yoshi’s San Francisco on June 24.)

–July 3 — Maria Volonte (With a Latin Grammy nomination to her credit, this Argentine jazz vocalist is certainly worth your time.)

–July 10 — Jane Getter Trio with special guest Mimi Fox (Guitar-heads will enjoy a double dose of excellent fret work with Getter and Fox.)

–July 17 — Mads Tolling Trio (This two-time Grammy winning violinist is known for his work with the Turtle Island Quartet.)

–July 24 — 8-legged Monster featuring Noel Jewkes (Bay Area combo delivers new twists on everything from swing to free jazz.)

–July 31 — Harvey Wainapel Quartet (Wainapel has played sax with such greats as Ray Charles, McCoy Tyner and Joe Lovano.)

–August 7 — Tanaora (This jazz quartet fuses musical styles from Brazil and the Caribbean.)

Concerts are held Thursdays, 6 to 7:30 p.m., at the shopping center’s Clock Tower Plaza (near Neiman Marcus and Williams-Sonoma Home). For more information, call 650-617-8200 or visit www.stanfordshop.com.

‘A Malian Journey’: I’ve long found Dee Dee Bridgewater one of the more interesting jazz vocalists on the scene. The singer only strengthened that perception with the release of 2007′s “Red Earth: A Malian Journey.”

The Grammy-nominated CD was the result of Bridgewater’s quest to find her African ancestry. She’ll perform selections from this work, which blended Malian musicians and African instruments with American jazz traditions and vocals, during a six-night stand at Yoshi’s in Oakland and San Francisco.

These should be great sets of music, as Bridgewater performs with a large ensemble that includes “Red Earth” contributors, Malian musicians and her regular trio. Bridgewater and crew perform 8 and 10 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday at Yoshi’s San Francisco, 1330 Fillmore St.; 8 and 10 p.m. Thursday through June 21, 7 and 9 p.m. June 22 at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, 510 Embarcadero West. Tickets are $20-$30. Call 415-655-5600 or 510-238-9200, or visit www.yoshis.com.

Have a ‘Blues Blast’: One listen to “Blues Blast,” guitarist-vocalist Debbie Davies’ most recent offering on the Telarc label, and you know she has a healthy respect for blues history. The disc is full of tributes and other tips-of-the-hat to blues legends.

The “West Coast blues” star, born in Los Angeles but blessed with a true “Texas shuffle” sound, opens the new album by paying tribute to her guitar mentor, Albert Collins, on the track “A.C. Strut.” Later on, she’s joined by labelmate (and fellow guitar pro) Tab Benoit in homages to two legendary blues masters: John Lee Hooker, on “Crawlin’ King Snake,” and Howlin’ Wolf, on “Howlin’ for My Darlin.”

This W.C. Handy Award-winner and her band will showcase the “Blues Blast” material in concert at 8 p.m. June 25 at Biscuits and Blues, 401 Main St., San Francisco. Tickets are $15. Call 415-292-2583 or visit www.biscuitsandblues.com.

Mehldau’s ‘Bay Area’ band: Just the other day, I told a friend that I would stop referring to R.E.M. as a Georgia band and start claiming the group as California property, because two of its three members (Mike Mills and Peter Buck) actually hail from the Golden State.

Likewise, I’m now calling the Brad Mehldau Trio a Bay Area band, given that bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jeff Ballard are from, respectively, San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties. So what if the band leader was born in Florida and was raised in Connecticut? Details, details.

Last week, I had the opportunity to catch Mehldau’s Bay Area band at the lovely Herbst Theatre in San Francisco. The concert, part of the tail end of yet another successful SFJAZZ spring season session, was quite enjoyable. Still, it left me with the feeling that I haven’t seen a truly great Brad Mehldau Trio performance since drummer Jorge Rossy left the band a few years backb — and, yes, I’ve attended quite a few BMT gigs in recent years.

I hate to pick on Ballard. He’s a fine drummer, but he’s just not the right fit for this trio. Mehldau is one of the most brilliant and innovative pianists in jazz, yet to fully appreciate his playing style, built on subtle nuances and perhaps the most effective use of spacing that you’ll find in the genre, the band leader needs the right sidemen.

Grenadier understands this and plays to Mehldau’s strengths. Ballard, however, crowds Mehldau to the point where it’s hard to fully enjoy and follow the piano work. He’s an energetic, powerful drummer who goes for 10 beats when a simple brush stroke might suffice, delivering busy runs that Neil Peart might find excessive.

Don’t take this as a too big of a knock against Ballard. I just believe he’s not the guy who should be setting the beat for Mehldau.

Reach Jim Harrington at jharrington@bayareanewsgroup.com. Read his Concert Blog at www.ibabuzz.com/concerts.

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