Interview in Le Soir

A very traditional Belgian scene at Le Pitch-Pin, at Place
Flagey— one of my new favorite places in Brussels.

At the start of the tour the band was interviewed by Jean-Claude Vantroyen for Le Soir, the major French-language newspaper in Belgium. Vantroyen also put a brief little note about the CD on the LS site.

The full piece:

“Todd Bishop habite à Portland, en Oregon. Une ville moyenne aux Etats-Unis : quelque 580.000 habitants. C’est là que vivent Todd Bishop le batteur américain et Weber Iago le pianiste brésilien. « C’est un grand centre musical depuis longtemps, explique Todd. Il attire plein de jeunes de tout le pays. » L’Oregon borde l’Océan Pacifique. La Columbia s’y jette. Portland est établie sur sa rive. Todd et Weber ne sont pas dépaysés quand ils arrivent en Belgique : « C’est le même type de temps : la pluie est souvent au rendez-vous. »

Todd et Weber viennent d’arriver à Bruxelles ce lundi matin. Dès mardi soir, ils jouent. Avec deux Belges : Jean-Paul Estiévenart à la trompette et Olivier Stalon à la basse. Tous quatre sont réunis dans un café, place Flagey. Les résident US sont un peu maqués par levoyage. « Mais c’est un peu notre première répétition », lance Weber Iago.

Todd n’est pas très connu encore chez nous, même s’il est déjà venu en tournée. « Je suis juste un musicien, dit-il, qui fait des disques et essaie de prester des concerts. » Depuis 1985, cet homme né en 1967 joue de la batterie en professionnel. Mais c’est aussi un artiste visuel : peinture et photo. Et il tient un blog : Cruise Ship Drummer où on trouve tout sur le « drumming ». Deux albums à signaler : l’un consacré à la musique de Serge Gainsbourg, l’autre à celle d’Ornette Coleman. Le premier s’appelle « 69 Année érotique », l’autre « Little playes little bird ». Weber Iago joue dans celui-ci. Todd et lui se connaissent de longue date.”

Continued after the break:

Review: show at Flamingo/Brussels

Here's a French-language review of the last date of the tour, at Flamingo, a very hip place in the center of Brussels. The writer, Michel, a very nice cat, gives us a blow-by-blow gig report:

“Rue de Laeken, un dimanche de novembre, en fin d'après-midi, entre chien et loup!
Mihaela: tu montes, chéri...
Euh.. bonsoir, madame, sans façon, merci!
T'es pédé?
Je m'appelle Michel, vais au Flamingo , un concert jazz!
T'es un intello, alors...
De gauche, tendance NVA...

Menu: Todd Bishop's Group plays the music of Ornette Coleman!”

Continued after the break:

Review: Jazz Scan

Ric Bang, of the Jazz Scan jazz blog, has written a little review of Little Played Little Bird:

“Little Bird” was a nickname given to Ornette Coleman, an American-born saxophonist, violinist, trumpeter and composer who was one of the major innovators of the free jazz movement of the 1960s.

Why the “little played” in the album title? Because, as often is the case with artists ahead of their time, Coleman was a polarizing talent; the kindest descriptor would be “unorthodox.” Some listeners became immediate fans; others were outspokenly critical. That latter group included Miles Davis, who initially declared that Coleman was “all screwed up inside”; Roy Eldridge, who said, “I think he’s jivin’, baby”; and one reviewer, who described Coleman’s group style as “nobody solos, everybody solos.” 

Other musicians felt he played out of tune; and he had difficulty finding like-minded musicians to jam with. But as time passed, Coleman’s fan base increased and he found work in jazz clubs and concerts, and as a composer for film soundtracks. He’s still performing today, and has become more respected, playing with many name artists and securing contracts with prime studios such as Atlantic, Blue Note and Origin. In 1969, he was inducted into the Downbeat Jazz Hall of Fame. 

Drummer Todd Bishop is a fan, and this album includes nine Coleman compositions. So, as stated in the liner notes, “Little played = an album of Ornette Coleman tunes that you don’t hear, because nobody plays them.”

Continued after the break:

Best of 2009: 69 Année Érotique

69AE makes another best of 2009 list on AllAboutJazz.com- thanks C. Michael Bailey!

Here's the complete list:

Martial Solal
Live at the Village Vanguard: I Can't Give You Anything But Love
Cam Jazz

Enrico Pieranunzi
Enrico Pieranunzi Plays Domenico Scarlatti
Cam Jazz

Todd Bishop's Pop Art 4
69 Annee Erotique
Origin Records