OCT 31-NOV 3 | Tributes & Salutes
Oct 31, 2024
Joe Henderson Lab
For this Halloween Hotplate, Bay Area master drummer Smith Dobson and his superb band featuring trumpeter Erik Jekabsen, tenor saxophonist Matt Renzi, pianist Keith Saunders and bassist Eric Markowitz play drumming legend Philly Joe Jones’s late 50s classics Blues for Dracula and Showcase.
Recorded in September 1958, Blues for Dracula was Philly Joe Jones’ debut album as a leader after working for several years in the “first great quintet” of trumpet giant Miles Davis. Saxophonist Johnny Griffin’s title composition that kicks off the session features Jones’ hilarious voiceover narration in a thick Bela Lugosi accent and includes a version of his former bandleader’s standard “Tune-Up” with a band including Griffin, Nat Adderley, Julian Priester, Tommy Flanagan, and Jimmy Garrison.
Jones’ third album, 1959’s Showcase, is a septet session with trumpeter Blue Mitchell and baritone saxophonist Pepper Adams.
An invaluable contributor to the Bay Area jazz scene for more than two decades, the Santa Cruz-raised Dobson brims with creativity. His late father was a beloved pianist known as a first-call accompanist who spent years working with Bobby Hutcherson. His mother, jazz vocalist Gail Dobson, was a tireless mentor of young musicians, and his older sister Sasha Dobson is a highly creative New York vocalist. He hasn’t fallen far from the family tree.
For this Halloween Hotplate, Bay Area master drummer Smith Dobson and his band play drum great Philly Joe Jones’s late 50s classics.
His daunting facility on drums, vibes, and alto and tenor saxophones means he can be found in any number of situations
Berkeleyside on Smith Dobson
His daunting facility on drums, vibes, and alto and tenor saxophones means he can be found in any number of situations
Berkeleyside on Smith Dobson
Personnel
Smith Dobson drums
Erik Jekabsen trumpet
Matt Renzi tenor saxophone
Keith Saunders piano
Eric Markowitz bass
Drummer, vibraphonist and scion of one of the region’s most illustrious jazz families
San Jose Mercury News on Smith Dobson
Personnel
Smith Dobson drums
Erik Jekabsen trumpet
Matt Renzi tenor saxophone
Keith Saunders piano
Eric Markowitz bass
Drummer, vibraphonist and scion of one of the region’s most illustrious jazz families
San Jose Mercury News on Smith Dobson
Watch & Listen
Philly Joe Jones
trick Street
Philly Joe Jones
Minor Mode
Philly Joe Jones
trick Street
Philly Joe Jones
Minor Mode
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