Mission Mission

Our pal Joshua checked out the free jazz show at Explorist International and had this to say:

At one point a dog wandered in, the drummer paused to pet the dog and the other musicians sorta filled in for the missing beats only to have the drummer jump back in at the right moment, free jazz at it’s best.

Hear that jazzbos? Don’t let a little thing like “being in the middle of a performance” keep you from taking care of business. Work it into your solo. Read on for the full typo-ridden review.

Last night at Amnesia, Emperor Norton’s Jazz Band introduced this as a 1930′s Louis Armstrong classic, but you probably know it as the 90′s remake “Buddy Holly” by Weezer.

They perform every first Sunday at Amnesia if you want to catch them next time and join the sing-a-long.

If you were in high school band, you know that a “Coda” refers to the musical passage that brings a song to it’s conclusion. Now it looks like the Mission jazz venue Coda Supper Club will come to it’s own conclusion on January 1st, unless they get some miraculous financial help.

There were some truly epic moments there, including the night Stevie Wonder sat in with the band in September of last year and the Nico tribute show, featuring Liz Phair. One thing about Coda that I appreciated over Yoshi’s (which receives city tax subsidies to stay afloat, by the way) is that they predominantly featured local musicians.

Local venue closings are always a bummer. Drop them a line if you’re an angel investor willing to help, or stop by in the next couple of weeks to enjoy the club before it’s gone.

The world-renowned Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey is performing at Coda Lounge (you know, that place Stevie Wonder sometimes hangs out) on Mission and Duboce this Friday 2/12. They are a super-fresh modern jazz group out of Oklahoma that now features an instrument you don’t usually see in this genre: lap steel guitar. Check out the video below for a sample.

These guys don’t just pound out standards, they write a lot of original music and their sound is really unique, blending rock, middle-eastern, hip-hop, country, and experimental influences. It’s modern, yet still rockin’ and accessible. No diss to lots of other modern/experimental jazz stuff, but I don’t always like to hear squeaking saxophones and see dudes hunched over effects pedals.

That and any band who uses a Spinal Tap reference in their name is fine by me.

They start at 10pm and the show is $15.