Jamie Saft has collaborated with the greatest masters of music including Iggy Pop, Bad Brains, Roswell Rudd, Hamid Drake, Wadada Leo Smith, Steve Swallow, and Bobby Previte. The Jamie Saft Trio has performed at legendary venues in the US including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the Village Vanguard. Saft’s trios have been featured at major festivals worldwide including in San Sebastián, Spain, Moscow, all over Europe, South America, Australia, Canada, and Japan. Saft was the pianist for the John Adams opera “Ceiling/ Sky” and has been featured on recordings by a diverse array of artists including the B52s, Beastie Boys, Marshall Allen, and Cyro Baptista.

For this special concert at The Dance Hall, Saft’s trio will feature a diverse array of music from the Great American Songbook including compositions by Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Miles Davis, and John and Alice Coltrane. This formation of the trio first played together in 1990!!! A rare opportunity to see the Jamie Saft Trio right here in Maine!   

Jamie Saft- Fender Rhodes

Tim Kelly- bass guitar

John Mettam- drums 

About Jazz Casual:

Jazz Casual is dedicated to the preservation of a distinctly American art form and related improvised musics. Showcasing an eclectic array of local, national and international talent, the series supports the advancement of this art form by programming artists who are writing original works and uniquely arranging traditional music in progressive and imaginative ways.

$15 advance | $18 day-of | $10 student

*fees not included ($2 facility fee per ticket + cc processing fees)

Sad Bastards / Loose Standards 
Record Release Concert

A killer record. A deep, moving, swinging hybrid of sacred music, blues, and jazz, that at times verges into something akin to gospel noir.  "We Pass for What We Are" echoes the Charlie Haden / Hank Jones masterpiece "Spirituals," but also brings listeners back to Albert Ayler, in its acknowledgement of suffering and promise of a joyful transcendance. Time and Mercy offers an uncommonly cathartic musical experience well suited to hard times like these.

- Joe Keohane, music journalist for the Boston Globe

The trumpet and piano duo Sad Bastards / Loose Standards are proud to release their sophomore album "We Pass for What we Are" to the world this Fall.  The record is a celebration of the unlikely intersection of Spirituals, grunge and indie rock, hymnody, and avant-garde jazz.  Equally featuring the music of Nirvana and Big Thief alongside early Christian chant and Appalachian sacred melodies, the duo brings the listener along for the joyride of their constant pursuit of a musical grand unification theory.

Area men Chris Klaxton and Mike Effenberger join forces to plumb the depths of the great American songbook of jazz standards, the lesser American songbook, Spirituals, new standards, and the good and bad news of this post-tonal musical world.  “To plumb the depths” comes from the concept of lowering a lead weight into the ocean on a long rope to establish the water’s distance downward. To do so one would be required to drop the weight to the very bottom, extending the line entirely until the answer is found.  May it be so.

Preview the record here: Preview: We Pass For What We Are

Chris Klaxton
chrisklaxton.com
@klaxto

Mike Effenberger
theletterf.org

About Jazz Casual:

Jazz Casual is dedicated to the preservation of a distinctly American art form and related improvised musics. Showcasing an eclectic array of local, national and international talent, the series supports the advancement of this art form by programming artists who are writing original works and uniquely arranging traditional music in progressive and imaginative ways.

$15 advance | $18 day-of | $10 student

*fees not included ($2 facility fee per ticket + cc processing fees)

Miles Ahlstrom's "DCA"

DCA is a modern electric jazz trio. It began with the spark of instantaneous chemistry through a shared love of listening and bold communication. Each member inhibits a deep sense of supportive musicianship that grants the confidence to walk on their own musical tightrope. Based in New Hampshire and New York, the group blends original compositions with explorations of tunes by artists ranging from Steve Swallow and Pat Metheny, to Death Cab for Cutie and Radiohead. Their sound is energetic, fearless, and conversational, with a focus on dynamic interplay. DCA is committed to displaying the arc of composition through the playfulness of improvisation.

About Jazz Casual:

Jazz Casual is dedicated to the preservation of a distinctly American art form and related improvised musics. Showcasing an eclectic array of local, national and international talent, the series supports the advancement of this art form by programming artists who are writing original works and uniquely arranging traditional music in progressive and imaginative ways.

$15 advance | $18 day-of | $10 student

*fees not included ($2 facility fee per ticket + cc processing fees)

Man on Land ft. Lihi Haruvi

“Man on Land displays not only individual virtuosity but a kind of group composure that comes from deference to form, narrative, and a warm ensemble sound.”

--Jon Garelick, Arts Fuse

Man On Land is a jazz collective formed in 2009 by longtime musical cohorts Greg Loughman, Austin McMahon and Brian Friedland. For their new album, Echo The Hills, they have teamed up with Lihi Haruvi on sopranino and soprano saxophone for a collection of engaging and melodic modern jazz featuring compositions from each band member.

“For the last 15 years Man On Land has been demonstrating that the musical whole can be even greater than the sum of the parts. All three write beautifully and their rapport is uncanny. Adding a new melodic voice to this rich ecosystem, Lihi Haruvi's dextrous sopranino sounds like it belongs, in the best way. The delight the four share in playing together is its own lively presence on the bandstand. I can't wait to hear more.”

––Mark Redmond, Presenter, Mandorla Music

About Jazz Casual:

Jazz Casual is dedicated to the preservation of a distinctly American art form and related improvised musics. Showcasing an eclectic array of local, national and international talent, the series supports the advancement of this art form by programming artists who are writing original works and uniquely arranging traditional music in progressive and imaginative ways.

$15 advance | $18 day-of | $10 student

*fees not included ($2 facility fee per ticket + cc processing fees)