I was hoping to close out 2025 with one more post, looking back on the year a little and talking about a couple shows that happened earlier in the month. But, of course, fate and time had other plans yesterday. So here we are today.
Happy New Year! Anyone reading this take that Polar Bear Plunge this morning in the beautiful Mon River?
One of my resolutions for this year is to stay focused on projects at hand, and not to get distracted by little things. As 2025 moved on, I, like many people, got infuriated by the sweeping cuts our clueless leaders made to programs they didn't like and didn't adhere to their kowtowing standards.
But I also often got locked into reading social media comments from people who rehashed tired lines about the current administration doing a good job and "well, you know/but what about...." comments about previous administrations. It's only been recently that I have started to wonder if many of these are bots or the result of AI. I'd like to think real people can't be that naive. ("Naive" being a generous description here.)
So as 2026 begins, I am going to try to avoid my time responding to manufactured rage and more time trying to find and celebrate the good. As my late mother would say, "We'll see."
Having said that, let's go back a few weeks to a show that Kente Art Alliance presented at the New Hazlett Theater.
The Dwayne Dolphin All-Stars was something of a hometown celebration/homecoming for half the band. Dolphin himself has been a fixture on the local jazz scene for several decades, leading several of his own groups and playing with Roger Humphries in RH Factor. (Both of those gentlemen once dropped in for an interview at WPTS when I did a morning jazz show in the early '90s). Drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts grew up here before moving on to become a significant leader and sideman (with both Branford and Wynton Marsalis). Orrin Evans was originally slated to be the group's pianist but the spot was taken by David Kikoski, a dynamic player himself. Trombonist Fred Wesley was the extra guest that night.
The night started with just the rhythm section. After a laidback blues, things shifted into a rubato piece that eventually segued into what I'm pretty sure was the classic "Alone Together." Tain excelled at this flowing opening, creating excitement as Kikoski dug in for two-handed ripples. An animated guy, it seemed like throughout the evening, he could have slipped off of his piano bench.
When Dolphin introduced Fred Wesley, he said he had been playing with the trombonist in the New JBs for 35 years, more than half his life. Dressed in a gray suit and silver shoes, Wesley didn't quite look like a guy who might have once played in a group known as the Horny Horns, with Funkadelic. But looks can be deceiving. His first tune with the band was a sweet rendition of "Like Someone In Love" which had authority and lyrical depth.
Later in the set, he dug into "All the Things You Are." At the end of the night, for those who wanted to hear him get funky, he and the band kicked it up with a groovy version of the JB's "Pass the Peas."
I don't normally like being asked to sing along but I couldn't say no during "Snooky," a Dolphin original about a character he knew from his young days in the Hill District. Over a sharp vamp, the bassist had us singing:
"I remember Snooky
Snooky wasn't smart
Snooky kept his bottles in a cart"
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Reggie Watkins (trombone), Ian Gordon, JD Chaisson (trumpets), Paul Thompson (bass)
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On the day after Christmas, Opek played what is starting to become their annual show/gatherting at Kingfly Spirits. The ensemble has been around for about 25 years, started by saxophonist Ben Opie to dig into the repetoire of Sun Ra. Over the years, he has added the works of other composers to their book - Charles Mingus, Thelonious Monk, Anthony Braxton.... This show also included a reading of Led Zeppelin's "Since I've Been Loving You," which really lends itself to a big band setting; Pittsburgh's Billy Strayhorn and Akira Ifukube, the latter who wrote a piece that was sung in Godzilla vs. Mothra.
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| Ben Opie (alto), Chris Parker, John Purse (guitars), Lou Stellute (tenor) |
I had an upfront seat,which was a great place to get shots of the horns, but I didn't get a shot of Kelsey Wooley Jumper, who sang a couple songs with the band, the first vocalist to ever sit in with the band. She also added some tap dancing to the sweet version of "We'll Meet Again" towards the end of the set. Last year, Opie sang this song, and the feeling was a little bittersweet, and the thought of a future Opek show not being a guarantee. When Jumper sang it, it felt like a promise and an acknowledgement that we need to do this again.
Apologies to drummer Dave Throckmorton and baritone saxophonist Rick Matts for not appearing in the pictures. They were definitely felt that night.
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