Atlanta Jazz Notes

Here are your Atlanta Jazz Notes event listings for June 11th, 2021.

Friday, June 11th - Guitarist Jeff Ralston and Vocalist Dawn Michele Smith have an incredible musical connection on repertoire ranging from Billie Holiday to Lauryn Hill. They will play duo at The Beverly 790 Glenwood Ave SE from 7 to 10PM.

Also tonight, check out the great trumpeter Joe Gransden at Ponko Chicken in Decatur from 7-10 312 Church St, Decatur

Saturday, June 12th - The incredible jazz guitarist Trey Wright plays solo at The Third Door in Marietta from 6 to 8:15PM. 131 Church St. Marietta.

At the Velvet Note in Alpharetta, the Flugelhornist Ron Helman performs with a stellar Atlanta-based rhythm section featuring the great pianist Kevin Bales.

Monday, June 14th - Check out TEN ATL in East Atlanta for their amazing weekly jazz jam. The music usually lasts from 9 until midnight and features some of the very best jazz musicians in Atlanta.

Wednesday, June 16th - Stop by the Red Light Cafe for the weekly jam session. The great trumpeter and educator Gordon Vernick has led this session for a number of years and the house band is always incredible, as are the many guest musicians who stop by to play. 9 to midnight.

If you have a jazz event that you would like me to know about and possibly list here, please use the contact form at atljazznotes.com to message me.

Here are your Atlanta Jazz Notes event listings for June 4th, 2021.

Friday, June 4th - The Joe Gransden Big Band performs at the Rhythm and Bloom benefit concert at the Brightmoor-Southern Ground Amphitheater, in Fayetteville, GA. Proceeds from the concert go to supporting foster children, so you get to support a good cause while listening to great music. The concert begins at 7PM. https://bloomouryouth.org/rhythm-bloom-benefit-concert/?fbclid=IwAR1SB46BUMdeQxEhlFItBzy7G6gvR6o5biLQTFJk9ou22Jb0R4K8EugsOxw

Saturday, June 5th - One of the best spaces to hear music and see great artwork is Gallery 992 in the historic West End neighborhood. On Saturday, June 5th at 7:30, check out the incredible saxophonist Kevin Oliver with the equally great bassist Devon Gates. The duo will mix music and comedy in this unique show.

Also on Saturday, Bassist Lauren Seay brings her trio featuring the great woodwind artist Aaron Kruziki and drummer Jon Mills to Joy Cafe in Midtown every weekend. The music lasts from 6 to 9 on the patio and I hear the southern-style food is amazing.

Sunday, June 6th - Drummer Justin Varnes is back at the Velvet Note in Alphretta with another curated concert, this time featuring the music of John Coltrane’s immortal album Blue Train. I’m not sure of the exact instrumentation on this one, but I am assuming the great John Sandfort will be channeling Coltrane on tenor. This is going to be a great show. The show starts at 7PM.

Monday, June 7th - Check out TEN ATL in East Atlanta for their amazing weekly jazz jam. The music usually lasts from 9 until midnight and features some of the very best jazz musicians in Atlanta.

Wednesday, June 9th - Stop by the Red Light Cafe for the weekly jam session. The great trumpeter and educator Gordon Vernick has led this session for a number of years and the house band is always incredible, as are the many guest musicians who stop by to play. 9 to midnight.

If you have a jazz event that you would like me to know about and possibly list here, please use the contact form at atljazznotes.com to message me.

This week, I had the opportunity to interview the great guitarist Dave Frackenpohl. For more than twenty years, Dave has been a first call guitarist here in Atlanta and a sought-after jazz educator. He teaches at Georgia State University, plays throughout the city and country, and has published a number of jazz guitar method books. His 2012 album, Refractions, highlights Dave’s mastery of guitar and his diverse abilities as a composer, arranger, and bandleader.

In this interview, we discuss Dave’s upbringing in upstate New York, guitar techniques, the Atlanta jazz scene, advice for young musicians, jam sessions, practice techniques, and much more.

A quick note: We conducted this interview over zoom and our connection drops out a few times. The interruptions are minimal, however.

Here are your Atlanta Jazz Notes event listings for May 29th, 2021.

Saturday, May 29th - Catch the amazing vibraphonist and percussionist Jason Marsalis at TEN ATL in East Atlanta with Kenny Banks Jr. on keyboard, Michael Cruse on trumpet, Terrell Montgomery on bass, and Dave Potter on drums. Call  (404) 940-4777 for reservations. 8 to 10 PM. 495 Flat Shoals Rd. Atlanta, 30316

Sunday, May 30th - Each Sunday, bassist Fransisco Lora brings his trio with occasional special guests to Corner Tavern in Hapeville from 5-8PM. The food and drinks compliment the great music. 573 N. Central Avenue, Hapeville

Monday, May 31st - Head back to TEN ATL in East Atlanta for their amazing weekly jazz jam. The music usually lasts from 9 until midnight and features some of the very best jazz musicians in Atlanta.

Wednesday, June 2nd - Stop by another jam session, this time at Red Light Cafe. The great trumpeter and educator Gordon Vernick has led this session for a number of years and the house band is always incredible, as are the many guest musicians who stop by to play. 9 to midnight. 553-1 Amsterdam Ave. NE Atlanta 30306

If you have a jazz event that you would like me to know about and possibly list here, please use the contact form at atljazznotes.com to message me.

Here are your Atlanta Jazz Notes event listings for May 14th, 2021.

Friday May 14th - Catch the great Joe Gransden on trumpet and vocals with Kenny Banks Sr. on keyboard at Ray’s on the River on the banks for the Chattahoochee in Sandy Springs. Joe and Kenny have developed incredible chemistry as a duo over their years playing together and play a wide-ranging repertoire that spans Sinatra to Basie to Glen Campbell.

Saturday May 15th - Enjoy brunch from 11-2PM at the Original Pancake House at 2964 Peachtree Rd. in Buckhead while listening to the incomparable vocalist Tia Rix accompanied by the great tandem of guitarist Dave Frackenpohl and bassist Neal Starkey.

Sunday May 16th - Head up to Alpharetta to the Velvet Note to catch the Jayden Richardson Quartet from 7:30 to 9PM. Richardson is among a vanguard of young musicians associated with the Rialto Youth Jazz Orchestra who are making serious waves on the jazz scene while still in their teens. Joining him will be a band of equally talented young jazz musicians.

Stay tuned next week for the next installment of the Atlanta Jazz Notes podcast featuring an interview with the incredible guitarist Dave Frackenpohl. Please remember to leave a five star review wherever you get your podcasts and subscribe. Thanks!

Friday May 7th - Big Band Jazz is back after a year-plus of covid lockdowns. The Joe Gransden Big band will play at 7PM at Oak Street Bottle Shop in Roswell. The show will take place outdoors and tickets are available at Joe’s Website: joegransden.com

Saturday May 8th - The incredible drummer John Roberts will bring his Earth Wind and Fire Tribute band to St. James Live. Roberts is one of the best drummers in the world and his band is equally talented. The show starts at 7PM

Sunday May 9th - Celebrate Mothers Day at the Commerce Club in downtown Atlanta with 9th Street Duo, a band that I play saxophone in along with my partner, guitarist Jeff Ralston. The brunch lasts from 10AM until 3PM and the music will feature pop hits along with jazz standards.

Monday May 10th - Check out the TEN ATL jazz jam, organized by Sam Yi, the former owner of Churchill Grounds Jazz club. Many of the greatest jazz musicians show up at this open mic session and it’s a great way to start your week. Music starts at 9PM.

Here are your Atlanta Jazz Notes event listings for April 30th 2021.

Friday - Tonight, the dynamic and swinging drummer Dave Potter brings his band Retro Groove to Venkman’s for a live-streaming only show from 9 to 11PM. Featuring bassist Terrell Montgomery and saxophonist Miguel Alvarado, Retro Groove celebrates the jazz tradition while incorporating tunes from the 80s in thoughtful, swinging arrangements. Go to volume.tv/venkmans to watch.

Saturday, May 1st - I don’t have a recommendation for Saturday, so I will use this space to ask you to send in recommendations at the website atljazznotes.com. Use the contact link.

Sunday, May 2nd - Drummer Justin Varnes brings his quartet featuring the incredible saxophonist Mace Hibbard to the Velvet Note in Alpharetta to perform Kenny Garrett’s 1997 album Songbook. Varnes regularly presents shows like this that feature the very best jazz musicians playing a curated set of music. Interspersed throughout, Varnes discusses facts about the featured artist and details about the album. As the Velvet Note website explains: It’s like taking in a concert and taking a jazz history class at the same time.

In an effort to provide in-depth coverage of the Atlanta jazz community, I will be releasing weekly listings every Thursday of jazz events in the Atlanta area. This will not be a comprehensive list, but rather curated listings with a brief description and details of weekend jazz happenings.

If you have a listing that you would like to tell me about, please use the contact link at atljazznotes.com to let me know.

Friday - April 23rd - Trumpeter Joe Gransden will be performing and hosting an open mic jam session at Oak Street Bottle Shop in Roswell. Joining him will be a stellar rhythm section featuring Tyrone Jackson on Keyboard and Chris Burroughs on drums. The music starts at 7PM.

Saturday - April 24th - The amazing saxophonist Greg Tardy will be in Atlanta, playing the immortal music of John Coltrane outside of TEN ATL in East Atlanta Village. Joining him will be the incredible Louis Heriveaux on keyboard, along with the great tandem of bassist Terrell Montgomery and drummer Dave Potter. The group will perform from 8 to 11PM.

This week, I interviewed one of the most amazing musicians I have ever met, multi-instrumentalist and composer Morgan Guerin. Despite being in his early 20s, Guerin has achieved widespread acclaim for his work with artists like Esperanza Spaulding and Terri Lynne Carrington and for his work on original recording projects like the Saga I, II, and III.

Since moving to New York City from Atlanta in 2016, Morgan has become one of the most important voices in a music scene that is awash with talent from around the world. In this interview, we discuss the music scene in New York, Guerin’s musical roots in Atlanta and New Orleans, building a thriving career in the midst of a pandemic, and new work that Guerin plans to release this year.

Here is part 2 of my interview with the incredible pianist, composer, and educator Gary Motley. His virtuosic piano work and captivating compositions have led to numerous recordings as both a leader and a side man.  Additionally, Motley is the Director of Jazz Studies at Emory University.

Be sure to check out Gary's amazing catalogue of records and catch him live as soon as you can. You won't be disappointed!

Thanks for listening!