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Photos and three audio tracks from the Steven Lugerner Sextet Live at the Red Poppy Art House on August 15, 2008. Download audio file (2008.08.15.StevenLugernerSextet.RedPoppy.1.mp3) Download audio file (2008.08.15.StevenLugernerSextet.RedPoppy.3.mp3) Download audio file (2008.08.15.StevenLugernerSextet.RedPoppy.6.mp3) Featured Musicians Steven Lugerner, Alto/Soprano Saxophone Jesse Scheinin, Tenor Saxophone Darren Johnston, Trumpet Adam Shulman, Piano Matt Wohl, Bass Michael Davis, Drums

I recently had the pleasure of photographing and recording the Dan Zemelman Quartet live at the Red Poppy Art House on August 15, 2008. The group featured Dan on piano, Fred Randolph on bass, Erik Jekabson on trumpet and flugelhorn, and Sean Hutchinson on drums. The band has been rehearsing for some upcoming recording sessions lately, so they were playing pretty tight, but it s worth mentioning that Sean was actually subbing for their usual drummer Alan Hall although it s not really a bad thing when your sub is the drummer for New Monsoon, even if he did have to sight read all night, heh. I d also like to thank Dan and the guys for letting me share a couple of live tracks from their performance that night. So enjoy the music! Download audio file (2008.08.15.DanZemelmanQuartet.RedPoppy.2.mp3) Download audio file (2008.08.15.DanZemelmanQuartet.RedPoppy.3.mp3) Download audio file (2008.08.15.DanZemelmanQuartet.RedPoppy.4.mp3) Tracks 1. Jeff en Paradiso 2. One Way or Another 3. Hersch s Bars

It s been a long wait since my last post, but it s been well worth it on multiple fronts. First, I m pleased to be able to share a few brand new tracks and photos from an amazing performance by 8 Legged Monster live at what turned out to be one of the final shows at Pearl s on July 13, 2008. We re sorry to see this venue disappear from the scene, but at least these guys (and many others) helped it go out with a bang during its final weeks. Besides featuring some great music, this post also celebrates the completion of a major new website redesign for BayTaper.com. We ve upgraded our look and feel, made the interface more user-friendly, and added an audio archives page and a slick new random slideshow generator that pulls from a pool of nearly 300 photos and audio tracks. So, if you haven t explored the depths of our website in a while, make sure to take another look! Download audio file (2008.07.13.8LM.Pearls.19.web.mp3) Download audio file (2008.07.13.8LM.Pearls.16.web.mp3) Musicians Erik Jekabson, Trumpet Mike Olmos, Trumpet Danny Grewen, Trombone Rob Barics, Clarinet Tenor Joe Cohen, Alto Noel Jewkes, Tenor Fil Lorenz, Baritone Vince Lateano, Drums Eric Markowitz, Bass Graham Connah, Piano Mike Irwin Johnson, Guitar/Arr.

What we have here is an outstanding audience recording (and photos) of the first public performance of The Invaders live at the Red Poppy Art House on June 28, 2008. The group featured the compositions and piano playing of Mitch Marcus with the rhythm section of Dr. Ban-Weiss on bass and Jeff Marrs on drums.

Here s a fabulous audience recording of 8 Legged Monster playing live at Club Deluxe in the Haight on May 7, 2008. Although they don t play live together that often, when they do, it s a must-see event. So go out and support these guys the next chance you get! You can learn more about the band and their upcoming schedule on MySpace, and you can find their studio album for sale at CD Baby. I d also like to give a big shout out to the band for letting me post a few tracks for you to enjoy, thanks guys! Rob Barics, Clarinet Tenor Joel Behrman, Trombone Ian Carey, Trumpet Tom Griesser, Bari Sax Mike Irwin-Johnson, Guitar Arranger Noel Jewkes, Tenor Sax Vince Lateano, Drums Eric Markowitz, Bass Mike Olmos, Trumpet

Here s a video clip from the second set of the Jarrett Cherner Trio live at the Red Poppy Art House on April 12, 2008. This outstanding trio has local Jarrett Cherner on keys, and all the way from New York, Jorge Pérez-Albela on drums and Jorge Roeder on bass. In addition to the video above, there s also some bonus footage of Jorge rippin a sweet bass solo here.

A little more than a week ago, I was lucky enough to attend the first annual Switchboard Music Festival live at Dance Mission Theater on March 30, 2008. It was a full day of inspired music that s best described in their own words: The Switchboard Music Festival is an eight-hour music festival bringing together composers and musicians who are all pushing the boundaries of their respective genres. No other Bay Area music festival or concert series is dedicated to the idea of bringing together such an eclectic, genre-crossing/-breaking/-bastardizing group of experimentalists, innovators, and musical omnivores. Some of the finest musicians in the Bay Area played over the course of the eight-hour music marathon, including Aaron Novik, Amy X Neuburg, Christopher Adler, Dan Becker, Del Sol String Quartet, Jeff Anderle, Edmund Welles, Erik Jekabson, Gamelan X, Ian Dicke, Ian Dickenson, Inner Ear Brigade, Jonathan Russell, Robin Estrada, Ryan Brown, and Slydini. This really turned out to be a tremendous day of live original music, so please enjoy the photographs and this audio sample of Erik Jekabson s trumpet solo (using a delay) called Opening Fanfare, which was the appropriately-named first song played at the festival (thanks Erik!). And don t forget to help support this very-worthy festival when it comes around next year.

Coming off a huge week of rehearsals and a live album recording session at Bruno s, Realistic Orchestra was back at it again (and in rare form) for an impressive performance opening for Björkestra at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts on March 6, 2008. Since the obvious theme of the night was Björk-inspired, the band pulled out one of their old favorites an orchestral arrangement of Björk s Venus As A Boy. They completely nailed the performance, it was quite simply awesome, and that solo by Dave Scott in the final minute was just off the hook! There were also some kickin guest vocal appearances by Chris McGee and Joe Bagale on a few tracks, and their set was topped off by members of Björkestra joining Realistic for a monster-sized wall o brass blasting away their theme song Mountain Man. Now that was some crazy sh*t! So, make sure to click on the audio slideshow above for a taste of the night s outstanding performance, and you can also view more photos in this Flickr Set. Enjoy!

Here s a short video clip and some photos I shot from a recent recording session on January 5, 2008 at the House of Cubes. Mike Abraham, Guitar Sameer Gupta, Drums Henry Hung, Trumpet Darren Johnston, Trumpet Mitch Marcus, Tenor Sax Dayna Stephens, Tenor Sax Eugene Warren, Bass * Audio courtesy of the musicians, Producer Stephen Barncard, and Recordist Adrian Wong. Photography and Video by BayTaper.com

A few months back, I suggested to Mario Guarneri that he should play a gig at one of my favorite venues in town, the Red Poppy Art House. Well, that suggestion culminated in a fantastic performance by the Guarneri Jazz Quartet on February 1, 2008. The lineup featured Mario on trumpet and flugelhorn, and included Jeffrey Burr on guitar, Omar Clay on drums, and John Wiitala on Bass. Check out this video I shot of their song Baile from the second set of the night, and don t forget that you can catch these guys playing live at Cafe Divine in North Beach on most Sunday nights.

Here s a couple of live tracks from Smith Dobson s new band, the Lovecraft Ghostwriters, playing at the Red Poppy Art House on January 12, 2008. They performed a mix of new songs and old favorites from their recent release Basement Bloodlines. Smith Dobson, Vibraphone John Finkbeiner, Guitar John Hanes, Drums John Wiitala, Bass

Here s a real treat for everyone, a long video from what I think was the last jazz gig of the year at the Red Poppy Art House. I shot this on December 29, 2007 using two tiny MP4 pocket cameras plus a field audio recorder from the back of the room (with permission of course), and considering how dark it was and how low budget my cams were, the final edit still came out pretty nice! The performance featured Marcus Shelby on bass, Matt Clark on piano, Jeff Marrs on drums, and Howard Wiley on tenor sax. Although Jeff was the main drummer for the night, the video features the one track that Marcus s old friend Lorca Hart played on as a guest. Please note that I m trying out a new way of displaying video on my website that requires Flash 8, but also be aware that this is a huge video file, so it may require some patience while buffering. Thanks!

Here s a post from The Trio playing live at Chez Hanny in the Lower Haight on December 2, 2007. Chez Hanny is essentially Frank Hanny s living room and one hell of a cool venue if you re into listening to your jazz live in a cozy and extremely intimate space (check his calendar for upcoming shows). The band played two long sets and featured Denny Berthiaume on piano, Chuck Bennett on double bass, and Curt Moore on drums. The band was nice enough to let me pick one track from their performance to share with you, so please enjoy. And if you like what you hear, you can listen to more of their tunes and support the band directly by purchasing their new album Prayer for Peace.

Here s two very clean audio tracks of Inditranego and Joey Rubber Special from the amazing Mitch Marcus Quintet +13 big band who performed live on October 21, 2007 at the de Young as part of the museum s Cultural Encounters program and done in collaboration with Jazz at Intersection. Eight bands were commissioned to create and perform eight original compositions for what turned out to be an outstanding outdoor concert series at the museum. Although the series is now complete, the whole program will culminate in a combined performance by all eight bands playing each of their commissioned works at 6:30pm on January 18, 2008 at the museum. And best of all, the final concert is completely FREE to the general public! So, please enjoy these tracks, and I hope to see you all back at the de Young in a few weeks. Note: the photo is actually a video frame capture from the tiny pocket cam I had with me at the show. The audio was captured with one stereo pair in the middle up in front, and two additional condensers were placed off to each side of the band. Mitch Marcus, Tenor Saxophone Sylvain Carton, Alto Saxophone Sheldon Brown, Tenor Saxophone Marcus Stephans, Alto saxophone Cornelius Boots, Bari Saxophone Dave Scott, Trumpet Henry Hung, Trumpet Erik Jekabson, Trumpet Darren Johnston, Trumpet Mike Rinta, Trombone Jeff Cressman, Trombone Joel Behrman, Trombone Marc Bolin, Bass Trombone Tuba George Ban-Weiss, Bass David Ewell, Bass Jason Slota, Vibraphone Percussion Mike Abraham, Guitar Jeff Marrs, Drums

The Music of The Supplicants is so much more than an intricately woven framework of sounds, beats, and melodies. It is an experience. The level of emotion with which they play is so deep, so personal, and the energy so pure that it is almost as if existence, or being itself, creeps most surprisingly yet receptively into our souls. … The Supplicants personify the spirit of jazz in its purest form. It is fitting that their members—David Boyce, tenor and soprano sax, bass clarinet; Richard Howell, tenor and soprano sax; David Ewell, bass; and Sameer Gupta, drums—have not chosen a leader; rather, they all lead in their own right. This humility is both at once rare to find in the age of individual jazz and a perfect epitome for their art. The purity of their music is just as rare to find in a time in the history of jazz where its staunch supporters, critics, and historians have crystallized an art form which is still very much alive and placed it behind the glass displays of museums as an untouchable antiquity. ~ Drew Foxman, All About Jazz After a year hiatus, the four original members of The Supplicants got back together and put on one hell of a live show at the Red Poppy Art House on November 25, 2007. It was a great Sunday evening of improvised music in the Mission, and one that I m pleased to be able to share with you. So download and listen to these two spontaneously-created audio tracks, and make sure to support these fine musicians whenever you have the chance. David Boyce, Tenor Soprano Sax David Ewell, Bass Richard Howell, Tenor Soprano Sax, Talking Drum Sameer Gupta, Drums

On Friday, October 27th, 2007 I was invited to record the incredible FOCUS Trio live at the Red Poppy Art House in the Mission District of San Francisco. The trio featured Marc Cary (all the way from New York) on keys and synth, Sameer Gupta on drums and tabla, and David Ewell on double bass. They played a few new tracks as well as songs from their 2006 album FOCUS. The audience was also treated to a guest appearance by Marcus Shelby who stepped in to play bass on Elephants s Eye and Minor League. The recording is a bit ambient because I set up in the back of the room, but it s positively worth a listen, so you can thank Marc, Sameer, David, and Marcus for letting me share some of the tracks with all of you! “The concept of FOCUS Trio is a collaboration between three cultures. Aside from that, playing our asses off the in the tradition of the great Duke Ellington, Max Roach and Paul Chambers, is the focus. … The live show will expand on the concepts developed since the recording of our 2006 album, FOCUS. The recording is the seed and the performance is when the plant grows.” ~ Marc Cary

Scott Amendola (percussion) and Wil Blades (B3) recently invited Jeff Parker (guitar) to San Francisco to play a couple of gigs. I was lucky enough to catch the trio performing live at the Red Poppy Art House on August 12, 2007. Jeff hails all the way from the Chicago music scene, and it was a real treat to have him play with Wil and Scott in such an intimate venue in the Mission. It s also worth noting that Wil just released his first CD titled Sketchy, so make sure to check that out sometime. Below, I ve included a few photos from the trio s show at the Poppy as well as one sample audio track from the first set of that night s performance a composition by Scott called Slow Zig, which can be found on his 1999 album The Scott Amendola Band.

I m finally getting around to posting this excellent recording I made nearly a month ago of the Mitch Marcus Quintet s first set at this year s Fillmore Street Jazz Festival on June 30, 2007. The band was celebrating the recent release of their new album The Special, and they played a ripping set no doubt. I totally regret not catching the second half, but there was so much going on at the festival, I couldn t help but move along. This performance had the usual lineup of late, with Mitch and Sylvain Carton on the saxes, Mike Abraham on guitar, George Ban-Weiss on double bass, and Jeff Marrs on drums. The quintet also brought in special guest John Gove who blasted out some amazing trombone solos. So don t hesitate to take a listen because this tape came out spectacular, and how about those reflection photographs off the bell of John s trombone and of George off the inside lid of the piano!

On Tuesday, June 5th Realistic Orchestra presented it’s Second Annual Prince Birthday Tribute at Bruno s. The orchestra was in full effect and guest vocalists like Joe Bagale, Chris McGee and Emily Schmidt ripped it up with the band as the night progressed. DJ Daymitreeus was also in the house spinning crates of rare Prince related records all night long, not to mention busting some sick Prince-themed freestyles with the band. The good news is Adam and the guys gave me permission to post my entire audio source, but the bad news is I ended up leaving before the end of the second set. Oh well, there s still twelve tracks of Realistic goodness available for your listening pleasure! So please enjoy this eclectic mix of original compositions and unique arrangements of some classic Prince by everyone s favorite big band. And although I didn t bring my own camera, thankfully someone else did.