Friday, December 23, 2011

Musical Ambassador ....

Clay Ross is an Ambassador of Jazz.

No, he really is.

He has that title from the State Department.

He's a talented young man from Anderson, SC who has made a name for himself on the music scene.

Clay blends Brazilian folk with American Bluegrass and wraps it all together in a jazzy package.

Clay brought his 6-man band to the Pour House last Tuesday and had the place jumpin'.

Many here remember him from Gradual Lean as he honed his jazz chops.

Then he headed up to New York, traveled back and forth to Brazil and created a sound and style he calls Mantuto.


Ze Mauricio was the Percussionist who played everything in sight to make amazing sounds.

Edward Perez was on bass (with cowbells?!) and Richie Barshay was excellent on drums.

Rob Curto on accordian and Rob Hecht on fiddle held center stage with Clay for a glorious evening.



The second set began with a quiet salute to Jack McCray who died last month.

Jack was the founder in 2008 of the JAC, Jazz Artists of Charleston and a close friend of Clay.

"We'd meet for brunch at Joesph's and he always asked me to play 'Melancholy Baby.'"

"I never did so this one's for you Jack."

(Click on the pictures to see more detail.)

The sound - as usual - was just perfect. Not easy to do with the varied percussion instruments, balanced with strings.

Clay made a point to walk around and chat briefly with everyone in the place during the intermission. Have not seen that before.

Nice guy. Very ambassadorial.

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posted by chuckography @ 9:57 PM 0 Comments

Friday, June 05, 2009

From The Bayou to Bohemia...

"You people in Charleston make me feel like I'm playing at home," exclaimed Tab Benoit at the Pour House Wednesday night.

Born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, he's a singer and guitar master of swamp, soul and Chicago blues that reflects his Cajun roots.

He "thanked" a very hoarse couple in front who had shouted along with him all night and told "Tequila Man" he would be remembered. Vaguely.

Then he asked how many people had a trailer hitch on their cars?

He said he wanted to be on a boat next time he came to town "..to get out on the water and I get to drive it - FAST," he added. "We know how to do that down in Louisiana."

There was not really a Scandal In Bohemia. That is the name of the 5-piece jazz group that played upstairs at Mistral on Thursday.

And play they did!

Take a fairly typical jazz makeup of drums and bass and add a flute, a soprano sax and have the leader squeezing an accordion. This produces a very nice mix and sound.

Nathan Koci, accordion, was the spokesman.

He said he was pleased with the progress of the new JAC (Jazz Artists of Charleston) and the recognition the city was gaining as a showcase of musical talent.

Nathan led the band through an hour and a half of French, Hungarian and American music.

And all that jazz.

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posted by chucker @ 9:21 PM 0 Comments