Benjamin Lyons, the intrepid entrepreneur behind Valid Records, sends me info every week about creative music happenings in the city. I try and spread the word about some of the shows every now and again. Well, this week looks to be an extra special one, so I thought I would pass on his suggestions.
The Open Ear Music Series is celebrating five years of music upstairs at the Blue Nile on Tuesday nights. Tonight, they have a special show featuring two stalwarts of the Dutch music scene—Ab Baars (pictured) on saxophones, clarinet, and shakuhachi and Ig Hennemann on viola. Benjamin says, “As anyone who caught the Ullmann/Swell 4Tet last week can attest, when international new music figures arrive in our little town, you should pay attention.”
Also, Tuesday night over at the Dragon’s Den, saxophone maniac Skerik is joined by James Singleton on bass, cornet and loops and Simon Berz on drums and electro-acoustic percussion. This should be an out-there show and will still be going on after the show at the Blue Nile, which typically ends by midnight.
Check out this lineup that is appearing Friday evening at the Voodoo Music Experience. It’s the Trio on steroids. Johnny Vidacovich and George Porter, Jr. are featuring Kidd Jordan (pictured) Skerik and Mike Dillon.
Benjamin writes, “This pop music festival booking of free jazz legend Kidd Jordan strikes me as 80% great, if unexpected programming and 20% offbeat commercial calculation.” Either way, it’s going to be great seeing this band before Neil Young.
Saturday night, music and a movie are on tap at the Mudlark Public Theater on Port Street. Swiss filmmaker Michelle Ettlin is presenting her documentary, Liquid Land. I had the good fortune to run into James Singleton on Saturday and he was raving about this film. I couldn’t find a trailer, but the video below is another work of hers.
Here’s the blurb: “In the fall of 2010, filmmaker Michelle Ettlin joined Swiss musician Simon Berz and Dutch artist Kaspar Koenig and came to New Orleans for an art project: building instruments from trash and inviting local musicians to improvise with them. The film uses these concerts, interviews with the musicians and scenes of New Orleans street life, rituals and celebrations, to explore the confluence of creative music, the creative process and the creative energy that draws these musicians and keeps them in New Orleans in the wake of disaster.”
There will be music after the film showing, which begins at 7:30 PM.
