Although I never did track down that album (The Oracle, long out of print), I did develop an even greater appreciation for Jones’s music, and in turn for jazz in general.  So when I discovered, quite by chance, that he was scheduled for a run of shows at New York’s famed Birdland jazz club in celebration of his 90th birthday, there wasn’t even a thought of not going.  It’s not every day you get to witness a living legend perform, after all, especially these days.

In front of a packed house, Jones started things off with a tender solo rendition of “Alone Together” before he was joined by the rest of his band - bassist George Mraz, guitarist Russell Malone, and drummer Lewis Nash.   The quartet launched into a swinging version of “Stella by Starlight” before they unveiled what I consider to be the highlight of the show - a gorgeous and sophisticated take on the long-time standard “I Cover the Waterfront”.

What made this performance of the song great was not only Jones, but guitarist Russell Malone, of whom I was previously unaware.  His slow-cooking but strong fretwork immediately called to mind the great Wes Montgomery, easily my favorite jazz guitarist.  Hearing Malone (who also stood out during the hard-driving “Speak Low”) play was a revelation, and I will definitely be checking out his work more in the coming days and weeks.

As for the rest of the band - Mraz, who has collaborated with Jones on a number of albums and shows in recent years, was in fine form throughout the set and demonstrated why he’s one of the premiere jazz bassists around.  Nash displayed some serious talent, especially on the uptempo numbers.  I would’ve liked to hear a lighter touch on some of the ballads, but his was still a very enjoyable performance.

And what about the man I came to see?  I’ll admit that I had some concerns about Jones’s ability to play at a high level - after all, not many musicians manage to live to 90, much less perform at that age.  Happily, not only was he in good spirits and humor during the entire set, but played with the same fluid grace and style that drew me to him in the first place. To see and listen to Jones, you simply wouldn’t know he was born when Woodrow Wilson was president.  And as he joked to the audience, he doesn’t feel a day over 89.

During the last half of the set, Malone exited the stage and the trio of Jones, Mraz, and Nash tackled three Jones originals - one by Hank and two by his late brother Thad.  The gem of these was “Interface” - indeed, the very song that introduced me to Hank Jones in the first place.  Hearing it performed live by Hank himself is one of the great moments of my concert-going life.

Malone returned to the stage for two more numbers, and before I knew it the show was over.  But not before Hank was presented with a birthday cake and the audience sang a round of “Happy Birthday to You.”  In all, the entire evening was a display of top-flight musicianship and while I can’t speak for everyone in attendance, the crowd was more than thrilled to have witnessed it.

A quick note about the venue itself: This was my first trip to Birdland, and I highly recommend it.  There didn’t appear to be a bad seat in the place, and the acoustics were excellent.  On top of that, the staff was extremely friendly and the food was excellent (get the Cajun meatloaf!).

Setlist:
“Alone Together” (piano solo)
“Stella by Starlight”
“I Cover the Waterfront”
“Speak Low”
“A Child Is Born”
“Interface”
“Quiet Lady”
“Rhythm-A-Ning”
“Recorda-Me”

Note: “A Child Is Born”, “Interface”, and “Quiet Lady” were performed by the trio of Jones/Mraz/Nash.

In the case of Kiss, that was rectified when I caught them twice during their much-ballyhooed (and first) reunion tour in 1996. And now, just about 25 years after I became a fan, I finally witnessed an Iron Maiden concert on Saturday night at the PNC Bank Arts Center. I use the word “witnessed” because this wasn’t just a matter of a band playing music in front of a crowd. This was nothing short of pure synergism between performer and audience. Basically it was beautiful, man (but in a totally metal way, of course).

Before I forget, I must make mention of the rain. Because there was rain. LOTS of rain. And yours truly was in it, the whole damn time.

These are from my camera phone about 20 minutes before the show, as I huddled with my friends under a concession stand roof (notice, if you will, the people standing on top of the tables and under the umbrellas in the 2nd pic). It was like this pretty much the whole night. Oh yeah, and lots of lightning too. But you know what? I waited too damn long to finally see Maiden to let some precipitation ruin this night.

Happily for me (and I feel confident speaking for everyone else in attendance), they did not disappoint. After a brief opening video montage (showing the band jetting around the world in a jet captained by none other than Bruce Dickinson himself), the famous words of Winston Churchill’s rousing June 1940 speech played. Fans know that means only one thing - the classic set opener, “Ace High”, followed.

From there it was staple after staple, classic after classic; all played with so much energy and skill that you’d swear it was still 1988 (only a few receding band hairlines broke that illusion). Leading the charge was Dickinson, whose voice sounds as good as it has in many years. He was animated the whole evening and his in-between song banter was as cheeky as always. And of course he added a dash of theatrics to the proceedings, employing song-appropriate wardrobe for select numbers - a 19th century British army tunic for “The Trooper” and the somewhat cheesy feather mask for “Powerslave” are a few examples.

Speaking of theatrics, the set was quite impressive as well, done up in the Egyptian motif used during the Powerslave era. The revival of that stage was made complete toward the end when a giant Eddie sarcophagus head split open to reveal an even bigger Eddie mummy, which of course shot streams of sparks from its eyes (just like the old days). The only deviation from the look was a giant scrolling fabric backdrop that changed to indicate the albums touched on for the show. And the best of all - an eight-foot tall Eddie (from the Somwhere in Time era) strode on stage and lumbered around for awhile. Folks, it doesn’t get much more metal than that.

But back to the music - in addition to Dickinson, the rest of the band was also keyed in - the triple guitar attack of Dave Murray, Adrian Smith, and Janick Gers was on fire all night, although Murray and Smith of course got the lion’s share of solos. Nicko McBrain was solid behind the drums as always, and what can I say about bass legend Steve Harris that hasn’t been said already?

Greatest hits jaunts like Maiden’s current Somewhere Back in Time World Tour are either cynical cash grabs or a great opportunity for a band and its fans to say “thank you” to each other and bask in some past glories. It all depends on your perspective I guess. But regardless of Iron Maiden’s motivation, I got every penny’s worth and then some. The best part was that even though the concert was all about celebrating the past, the band is still so great that I didn’t have to pretend or mentally fudge over any ugly realities as fans so often have to do for older groups.

Setlist
“Aces High (w/ Churchill’s speech)”
“2 Minutes to Midnight”
“Revelations”
“The Trooper”
“Wasted Years”
“The Number of the Beast”
“Can I Play with Madness”
“Rime of the Ancient Mariner”
“Powerslave”
“Heaven Can Wait”
“Run to the Hills”
“Fear of the Dark”
“Iron Maiden”

encore
“Moonchild”
“The Clairvoyant”
“Hallowed Be Thy Name”

Other than perhaps Guns N’ Roses, few current rock groups routinely test the patience of their fans more than Stone Temple Pilots. I’m not going to call out any one band member as being to blame for this, but I can tell you that his name rhymes with Scott Weiland.

As the capacity crowd last night at the PNC Bank Arts Center waited for what seemed like forever (and actually turned out to be about 90 minutes) for STP to emerge after supporting band Filter ended their set at 9 p.m., I half-expected an announcement that Weiland was in fact either arrested, en route to the hospital, or dead and that the show was canceled.

Alas, Weiland and bandmates Robert DeLeo, Dean DeLeo, and Eric Kretz did finally take the stage, and the growing chorus of boos quickly turned to roaring approval. Weiland offered a brief apology and STP launched into “Big Empty”.

From there, it was a basically a revue featuring some of the greatest hard rock of the ’90s, delivered with power and conviction. The only weak link in what was otherwise an excellent performance was the aforementioned lead singer. Pretty early on, it was obvious that Weiland was not only off his game, he wasn’t even on this planet. He seemed to have trouble moving, he mumbled and/or missed lyrics, and the less said about his crowd interaction the better.

But even with a lead singer running on half the cylinders, the rest of the band was on in a big way. The rhythm section of Kretz and Robert DeLeo laid a rock-solid foundation for Dean DeLeo, one of the great guitarists of the last 20 years. They seemed to propel the band and the show forward by sheer force of will and musical muscle. They were aided, thankfully, by an excellent sound mix and attractive visual presentation.

As for the setlist - hardcore fans may bristle at the lack of deep cuts (although many of the attendees acted as if they were hearing the face-melting “Coma”, from the criminally overlooked Shangri-La Dee Da, for the first time), but being that this was my first STP concert I had no complaints. OK, I would have peed my pants had they played “Army Ants” or “Seven Caged Tigers”, but that’s small potatoes.

A quick note about the opening acts - Ashes Divide was quite good (I got a bit of a Queensrÿche vibe from them, which is a compliment from me), and I’ll probably check out their stuff further. Filter went over very well with the crowd, and damn Richard Patrick has a killer set of pipes, but they’re not really my bag.

The bottom line is this: Once the annoying 90-minute wait was over, I had a blast. I know already from reading other reports that some people are pretty indignant over Weiland’s antics. Reports from earlier shows on the tour have been positive, and this may just be a slip-up on his part. I certainly hope so. I would recommend seeing them on this tour - just don’t blame me if things implode before they even get to your town (or during the concert).

Misc. observations:

• $13 for a Snapple and basket of chicken fingers (2) and very salty fries? What a ripoff! (I’ll take one of each, please.)
• What exactly was the point of trotting out radio personalities Opie & Anthony to introduce STP? Unless you’re a hardcore fan, their in-show references made as much sense as Weiland’s stories but were even less funny.
• I think at one point Weiland tried to tell a story that was supposed to bring up the DeLeo brothers’ local ties (the two were born in Glen Ridge, NJ and grew up in Point Pleasant Beach, about 25 miles south of the arena on the New Jersey Parkway), but Robert DeLeo got tired of his rambling, cut him off, and talked about it himself.
• Richard Patrick dedicated one of Filter’s songs to Army of Anyone (the band he was in with the DeLeo brothers a few years ago), which led to a brief stage appearance by Dean DeLeo.
• As thousands of concert-goers made their way back the parking lot and overwhelmed one particularly flustered Arts Center employee with a vest and glow cone, I was reminded of the scene in Animal House when Kevin Bacon’s character gets trampled (”Remain calm! All is well!”). It put an amusing capper on the evening.

Setlist
“Big Empty”
“Wicked Garden”
“Big Bang Baby”
“Vasoline”
“Lady Picture Show”
“Lounge Fly”
“Crackerman”
“Sour Girl”
“Creep”
“Plush”
“Interstate Love Song”
“Coma”
“Down”
“Sin”
“Sex Type Thing”
“Trippin’ on a Hole in a Paper Heart”

encore
“For the Love of Money” (partial O’Jays cover, instrumental)
“Dead & Bloated”
“Wet My Bed”

Frehley and his band (rhythm guitarist Derrek Hawkins, bassist/vocalist Anthony Esposito, and drummer/vocalist Scot Coogan) kicked off the Rocket Ride Tour in earnest in late December and rolled into New York City’s Nokia Theatre last night for the conclusion of the tour’s first leg (the American portion anyway). While reported attendance at some of the tour’s earlier dates was spotty, the line snaking around the block before the doors opened indicated that this would be a packed house, a good sign for a great night of rock ‘n’ roll.

The festivities got underway with an introduction from radio/TV personality (and Frehley pal) Eddie Trunk, who apparently parachutes into any New York-area venue with electric guitars. After a ridiculously long setup time, the Trews came out for the opening set. Hailing from Canada, they were one of the more impressive openers I’ve seen in some time. They played a strong blend of power pop and straight rock, augmented by solid if not spectacular playing and some very good vocal harmonies.

After yet another long wait and a restarted intro piece, Frehley and his band (decked in black jumpsuits) took the stage some time after 10 p.m. From the opening chords of “Rip It Out”, the energy level never waned while the crowd of about 2,000 and the band clearly fed off each other. The set list was an Ace fan’s delight, featuring just about every notable song he wrote as the lead guitarist and sometimes vocalist of Kiss, as well as a healthy dose of solo favorites and other Kiss chestnuts.

Frehley, who is reportedly clean and sober after a decades-long battle with the bottle, was in full control throughout the show and played with fire and intensity. He made a few veiled references to his past troubles and was in good humor all night (his jokes are just as dry and un-PC as they’ve always been).

Thanks to the aforementioned setlist, the evening was full of highlights. Frehley/Kiss classics like “Shock Me”, “2000 Man”, “Parasite”, and “Cold Gin” were all performed with aplomb, as were deeper cuts such as “Hard Times” and “Strange Ways”. Coogan proved to be an excellent addition as a vocalist, taking the lead on “Breakout” (dedicated to late Kiss drummer Eric Carr) and “Love Gun”.

There were some pleasant surprises as well - “Torpedo Girl” made its way into the set as part of a four-song medley, while “Love Her All I Can” (performed only once ever by the original Kiss lineup) came from out of nowhere during the encore. Otherwise all the Frehley trademarks were present, the light-up guitar during “New York Groove” and the smoking guitar during the “Shock Me” solo among them.

In an era where old-time rockers large and small are taking their show on the road to varying degrees of popularity and success, Ace Frehley quieted all the naysayers with his performance last night. My puny foam ear plugs were overmatched by the raw intensity of Frehley and his band, and the long-anticipated release of his next album (and perhaps the accompanying tour) can now be met with excitement rather than apprehension. At one point he remarked that he couldn’t believe he didn’t take his show on the road earlier, to which I can only agree wholeheartedly.

Setlist:
Rip It Out
Hard Times
Parasite
Snowblind / I Want You (tag)
Rock Soldiers
Breakout
Into the Void
Strange Ways
medley: Torpedo Girl / Speedin’ Back to My Baby / Five Card Stud / Trouble Walkin’
Stranger in a Strange Land
New York Groove
2000 Man
Shock Me
Rocket Ride

Encore:
Deuce
Love Her All I Can
Love Gun
Cold Gin / Black Diamond (coda)

It was quite a big weekend for the Bad Plus – in addition to a two-night stand at Chris’ Jazz Café in Philadelphia, the Midwest-based jazz trio made an appearance on Late Night with Conan O’Brien on Friday. I caught them for the early set on Saturday (the 2^nd night), and if there was any post-Conan letdown it was not apparent. The band played a tight set that showcased their strengths – chops, melody, and humor.

The night started with the familiar “Let Our Garden Grow” before moving to a newer composition from pianist Ethan Iverson, “Who’s He?”, which was capped off nicely by a fiery drum solo by Dave King. King showed right away that he is not only the pounding heart of the Bad Plus, but one of the best drummers around today.

In a set full of high points, one of the more noteworthy was the group’s performance of the Reid Anderson-penned “Dirty Blonde”, an energetic number that showcases the bassist’s knack for melody. Anderson again stepped to the fore later in the evening with “Giant,” from the group’s latest album (Prog). It’s a slowly unfolding song, and one that demands and rewards close attention. Their rendition on Saturday was nothing short of a revelation.

Of course, no Bad Plus album or show is complete without at least one cover tune, and the audience at Chris’ was treated to two from the Prog album. First was the Tears for Fears hit “Everybody Wants to the Rule the World”, succinctly identified by Iverson as “a song from the ‘80s.” The Bad Plus treatment of the song arguably improves upon the original, as it gives the already strong melody much more breathing room.

The second cover was the crowd-pleasing Rush standard, “Tom Sawyer”. While the group’s jazz rendition doesn’t differ too much from the prog rock original, it’s such a great song and so well-performed that it can’t help but entertain. The set wrapped up in style with the final entry in the Dave King sporting trilogy, “1980 World Champion”. It’s a high-energy song anyway, and brought a fitting end to an evening full of fun and musical fireworks.

Setlist:

“Let Our Garden Grow”
“Who’s He?”
“Dirty Blonde”
“Everybody Wants to Rule the World”
“My Friend Mutatron”
“Cheney Piñata”
“Giant”
“Tom Sawyer”
“1980 World Champion”

(one encore was performed, but the name escapes me)

Listening to Robert Glasper’s albums is a good way to appreciate the Brooklyn-based pianist’s incredible talent for performing and composing. An even better way is to catch one of his live performances, such as Friday night’s concert at the 360-seat Berlind Theatre, located on the campus of Princeton University.

Glasper’s trio (with bassist Vicente Archer and new drummer Chris Dave) performed as a single organism, deftly playing off each other over the course of their set. While Archer is a solid (although not spectacular) bassist, the stars of the show were Glasper and Dave, whose instrumental prowess cannot be doubted.

Glasper, who split the set fairly evenly between his two Blue Note albums (2005’s Canvas and this year’s In My Element), showcased both his calm, meditative side and his bold, adventurous side. He opened the set with a new number entitled “No Worries,” which would be a welcome addition to his next release. Some of the other highlights were “G&B” and the Herbie Hancock/Radiohead cover of “Maiden Voyage/Everything in Its Right Place” from In My Element and “North Portland” and “Enoch’s Meditation” from Canvas.

There were a few moments of humor during the performance, although the seemingly uptight audience seemed more engaged by Glasper’s playing than his talking. As with his albums, he made use of pre-recorded sound clips to augment some of his music. In this case, a New Age-ish synthesizer effect and a sermon/speech by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. made appearances via an iPod Glasper controlled.

The band was coaxed by the appreciative (albeit restrained) audience into performing one encore, a spirited Thelonious Monk cover that may have been the highlight of the set. After the show, Glasper made himself available to sign copies of In My Element (conveniently for sale in the gift shop), of which I am now a proud owner.

I’ll admit up front that I’m not what you would call an überfan of Cold War Kids. I first heard their debut LP, Robbers & Cowards, about six months ago and have dug it ever since. I whiffed on a chance to see the band earlier this year, so I was definitely looking forward to last night’s concert at the venue now known as Fillmore at the TLA.

So we (me, Mrs. Suit, Jeff and Sara) loaded up the trusty Corolla and made it to the venue (after some trouble finding a parking garage and other navigational difficulties) in time to catch the last few songs of opening act We Barbarians. They seemed somewhat interesting I suppose, but we were busy scoping the place to get a Douchebag Hat count (don’t ask).

Up next was Derrick Brown, poet. I am certainly not educated enough in the world of poetry to offer an educated opinion on Derrick’s skill but throughout his performance I couldn’t get visions of Dane Cook out of my head. Not a good thing.

Cold War Kids took the stage after a brief delay, and played what I would estimate to be a 60 to 70-minute set. As expected, they hit most of Robbers & Cowards, with the early highlight being a rousing rendition of “Passing the Hat.” The coda on this song was easily the hardest the band rocked on the night, in what was otherwise a relatively low-key concert (but by no means boring).

Two new songs made their way into the set - “Look out Below” and another one whose name escapes me. They sounded quite good and I can only assume they will be on the group’s next album. Those two excepted, there were probably 4 or so songs I didn’t recognize, which are probably on one of the band’s many EPs. As I said, I’m not an überfan.

From the moment they took the stage the band was definitely “on” and had lots of energy. They seemed to connect well with the audience, although there were definitely more than a few annoying twerps who couldn’t stand in one place for more than 5 minutes. That’s the trade-off for an inexpensive general admission show I suppose.

One big plus was hearing the group’s vocals in concert, which I think worked better than on record. Lead singer/pianist/guitarist Nathan Willett has one of the most distinctive voices in rock today, and I for one really like it. I know he turns a lot of people off, but that’s to be expected. He was in fine form last night for sure, though. Guitarist Jonnie Russell handled the high harmony parts with aplomb.

Highlights of the set for me - the aforementioned ass-kicking rendition of “Passing the Hat,” “Robbers” (the house lights went off and the band used flashlights, a nice touch), “God, Make up Your Mind,” and of course standout songs “We Used to Vacation” and “Hang Me up to Dry.” A rousing version of “Saint John” ended the evening, and the band brought out a gaggle of people to help them with it.

All in all, Cold War Kids put on a very good show and whetted my appetite for another album with their new songs. Recommended.

So with that out of the way, here are some random thoughts that popped into my head during the day:

Pre-Show

• It’s pretty much a social contract that when you tailgate at a concert and play music from your car stereo you either play the band you’re there to see or something in the same style/genre. If you don’t want to play Police songs before a Police concert that’s fine - some acceptable substitutes would be the Cars or XTC. What is not acceptable is Fergie, Kelly Clarkson, Christina Aguilera or anything of that ilk.
• For all the money charged for tour merchandise, Sting better be saving a hell of a lot of rain forest.

Show

• I had my doubts as to how good the sound would be for a stadium show, but it was at least as good as I’ve heard some indoor arenas. Very nice stage setup and video displays as well.
• I’m terrible at remembering song order or anything like that, but I do know there were more than a few moments where the performance felt really “locked in,” for lack of a better phrase. “Drive to Tears” in particular rocked my world. “Synchronicity II” kicked major buttocks as well.
• The band changed the arrangements of some of the songs enough to make them sound fresh, but not so much that they became unrecognizable.
• Hats off to the piss-drunk frat boy jerkoffs in section 328. I don’t think I’ve seen a simian mating ritual that laughably pathetic since the last hour of my Freshman Mixer in college. Seriously, the friggin’ Elephant Man had better moves than these clowns. The fact that they got any response at all from the ditzes next to them is a testament either to the power of the human sex drive or the brain-numbing effects of alcohol.
• “Walking in Your Footsteps” has never been a favorite of mine but it translated very well in concert.
• Stewart Copeland remains one of the finest percussionists of the last 25 years and I am really glad I got a chance to see him in concert.
• “Weird Al” Yankovic has officially ruined me for “King of Pain.” I could not stop the lyrics to “King of Suede” from popping into my head the whole song.
• I would’ve loved to hear “Tea in the Sahara” and “Canary in a Coalmine” but other than that the setlist was spot on.

Post-Show

• I’ve now seen the reunited Kiss and reunited Police kick ass live. If Genesis (with Hackett and Gabriel) and Pink Floyd can get it together I can die happy.