In an era of artistic decadence and television based talent shows so clearly absent of what they advertise to contain (any talent at all), one such young talent has largely gone unnoticed. The fact is, that most people in this country cannot deal with the breadth of artistry and facility that Eldar Djangirov is showing at the ripe age of 19!

Ok, I'll be fair, Eldar does lack the polished touch of pianists such as Teddy Wilson or Tommy Flanagan, but that is nearly all that stands between him and the greatest ever! Let's face it, it doesn't make us feel good about our own abilities and accomplishments to compare ourselves to Eldar right? But that's not the point. It's time for America to deal with freaks like Eldar, and the God given talent that trumps our own pragmatic accomplishments. The truth is Americans live for this dream that "we can do anything we put our minds to". That is just not so. There is almost a hint of blasphemy in that statement. No, the truth is, almost no one could do what Eldar is doing, even if they devoted their first 18yrs of life to the task. It takes more than just willpower alone. It takes a gift, that is unique to the individual.

CLICK HERE to hear what I mean (18 yr old Eldar Djangirov).

Last night, thanks to Greater Houston Interfaith Ministries, $15 got myself a ticket to see The Branford Marsalis Quintet. Or:

• Branford Marsalis (saxes)
• Joey Calderazzo (piano)
• Eric Revis (bass)
• Jeff "Tain" Watts (drums)

The event was Interfaiths annual fundraising gala. The BMQ only played one set, so I would say that $15 was "just OK" price. The set list as I remember was as follows:

• Citizen Tain
• The Ruby and The Pearl
• It Don't Mean A Thing
• Bullworth
  
• Do You Know What it Means to Miss New Orleans?
• Blue Tain
• When the Saints...

(It's weird that I remember that off the top of my head.) All in all, not a bad week for music listening. Brice Winston last weekend and Bran last night. I think I like Brices playing a little better than Brans as far as creativity goes. Bran is still one of the most stylistically diverse musicians on the planet.


As far as the BMQ performance goes, it was pretty much what you expect with Jeff "Tain" Watts playing drums. It was the Jeff "Tain" Watts quintet. And the funny thing is, it doesn't seem to bother Bran at all.

Friday I found out that Brice Winston (one of my top five tenor players) was playing a restaurant gig out on the west side of town. It was thus that I re-prioritized my entire weekend. Thank goodness I am single. (I did fudge a little after my a friend gave me 4 club level seats at Saturday's Astros game.)

Anyway, back to Brice. Friday night featured Brice, my friend Clyde Adams (who in my mind has recently made himself to be the best drummer in Houston) and New Orleanian transplants Matt Lemler (piano) and Kimberley Longstreth (vcl). The arrangements and set were mostly Matt's. He has some of the hippest arrangements for standards. I am going to have to make the 20 mile drive more often so that I can study his chord substitutions. Kimberley is well trained, but I realized later on that this mix was making her sound a little bright (winey). Brice was the perfect combination of lyricism, risk and facility. He reminds me of a kind of cross between Branford Marsalis and (60s) Joe Henderson. He and Bran had a few of the same teachers. You just can't detail this level of artistry from a record. Brice played chorus after chorus and painted new idea after new idea. This guy is a titan! It looked like a tenor saxophone, but was really a weapon of mass destruction! Why half of Houston wasn't in there studying this guys stuff is beyond me. ...which gets me to my rant.

{rant lock on}
Here's a tip: If great musicians are playing a gig (any gig), SHUT THE HELL UP! I didn't know the loud party from Adam, but it clearly annoyed the musicians. The fact is, I was sitting maybe 10 ft from Brice and there were times I couldn't hear him! Ironically, I have noticed that Christians are particularly bad about this (that is why I don't often ask them to go to jazz clubs with me). I have Christian friends who literally brag about how their band affords people the ability to sit 5 feet away and carry on a conversation. (In their defense, I realize they're being critical of those awful, dynamically inarticulate, garage cover bands.) But, the thing is, that is not music! That is just background noise (ambient). There are a million places in Houston that you could chose to have a conversation besides 25 ft away from Brice Winston. Get a clue, what Brice has to say is way more important that what you have to say. It's called art. This hidden, mysterious thing. It is not merely some blob of relative, subjectivity. God reveals himself through living creation.
{rant lock off}

Just so you don't think I'm all talk... here's a live recording of Brice (and Nick Payton).