I wasn't planning on going out tonight, but after getting a fair amount of work and practicing done, I looked online to see what was happening, and found this recurring gig at the Seamonster Lounge, a place I have only been once before, and as a performer at that. I decided that it was providence and hopped in the old Jetta and headed to Wallingford.

Drunken Masters is a trio comprised of Joe Doria, Mike Stone, and Thaddeus Turner. I've known organist Joe Doria (right) for over ten years, and I've always known him be a spark of energy in any musical situation he is a part of, from the early days with my group, the Marriott Jazz Quintet, to my more recent efforts with him in Marc Fendel's Swampdweller. Joe -- known to some as "Hernia Joe" -- is just a straight-up organ bad-ass; I know no other way to describe him. Mike Stone is a ultra-versatile drummer who can play any kind of music you can name, and then some you can't -- I first met Mike when I was 19 at the UW, and I'm always bumping into him across wide array of musical styles, from Wayne Horvitz to punk-rock-jam to whatever. And of course there's Thaddeus, who most people know from Maktub, but he's a guitar force to be reckoned with in any band. I remember seeing and playing with him at the 700 Club back in the late 1990s doing all kinds of things with Vocoders and synths and lots of other toys and goodies.

If you have yet to visit the Seamonster, be sure to stop by on a Thursday. Drunken Master has a great vibe with a real improvisatory aesthetic that keeps every tune flowing from a fresh energy and place. Tunes? Who needs tunes! These guys just need a point to jump off from and they are good to go. Can you say Drunken Master Bandwagon?

I love this place, ToST. It's got a funky vibe, not too yuppie but not too grungy, and lots of great music. Last time I was here was the first time, and for my second visit -- well, let's just say I'll be here ALOT.

Mark Bordenet (see right) is an old friend from here in Seattle and the jazz deparment at the University of Washington. He's been living in Zoo York for a while now, and hopped back into town to play some of the music from his upcoming recording, Everything is Changing...All the Time. Backed by Ryan Burns, Mark Taylor and Geoff Harper, the group made their way through many Bordenet originals, as well as some music from Led Zeppelin. The originals had a great mix of pop-sensibility with jazz phrasing and concept; the simple, folk-like melodies that Bordenet has written work well in his hybrid jazz-pop-groove gumbo. I'll be playing some of Bordenet's new album on the 10th episode of my podcast, Seattle Jazzscene, so be sure to check that out if you'd like to hear what I heard.

And if that set of music wasn't enough, I got to hear Being John McLaughlin for the first time! While they started with Miles' Eighty-One, the rest was all Mahavishnu -- Rick Mandyck looked and sounded like he was channelling that 1970s rock-jazz thing (one might even say possessed!). With Matt Jorgensen and Rick Mandyck added to the already solid group (and Bordenet getting a chance for a drink), Being John McLaughlin, despite other claims, is still and always will be the first and best Mahavishnu cover band. And you know what -- I'll put money down on that! Take me up on it! I double-dawg dare ya!

It's always nice when a local series like the Origin Mondays at the Triple Door's Musicquarium bring in a new artist from outside our Northwest scene, and Christian Eckert was a very welcome surprise. A talented guitarist from Germany and a recording partner of drummer Matt Jorgensen, Eckert's group was finishing up their second set with the classic standard, Invitation. With Jeff Johnson and Mark Taylor rounding out the quartet, I was virtually assured a great third set of music.

Sadly, the crowd was a particularly unappreciative group, with barely an applause when a given tune completed. It even got to the point where during a bass solo on Monk's Rhythm-a-ning, a group of people launched into a loud and racous version of Happy Birthday -- RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF JEFF'S SOLO! The short third set of Rhythm-a-ning, an original minor blues by Eckert, and the Hank Mobley swinger, This I Dig of You, were fabulous, to say the least, with each player shining in their own way. I can only wonder exactly what audience the Musicquarium is trying to cater to: the listener, or the drinker...

With that said, I found Christian Eckert to be a solid and entertaining guitar player. I'm not sure that the style of this band best fit the way that he plays, as the more up-tempo bop-oriented fare didn't seem his forte, but he left me wanting to hear more and investigate his depth further. I hope you will do the same: check out his trio CD with Matt Jorgensen and Gary Versace, or visit his website (I hope you can read German).

People, people, people. I know somebody out there reading this will join me in helping to support Rick Mandyck's OddJazz project at the Ballard Oddfellow's Hall. I made it for the second set to find a yet again empty room -- DAYUM! The stellar set of Chick Corea's 500 Miles High, Jim Pepper's Witchi Tai To, Wayne Shorter's This is For Albert, and Jeff Johnson's Machu Picchu was fabulous, but one has to ask the question: if a musician plays a note in the forest and nobody is there to hear it, will the forest listen? Next OddJazz: December 4th -- BE THERE!

It's the week before Halloween, and with my dad in a bachelor mode tonight with my mom out of town, we headed to the Musicquarium to listen to four of our local favorites: Rick Mandyck, Jeff Johnson, John Bishop, and my brother Thomas. The Origin Mondays at the Triple Door's Musicquarium are always fun, and this night in particular, as a considerate, listening audience was present (as opposed to the potential inconsiderate, talking audience that tends to be present).

After scarfing down some Seven Flavor Beef, the band launched into a groovy version of Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise. They followed this with a saxophonist favorite, Take the Coltrane, side-stepped through a beautiful ballad (can't remember the name, now, of course), pounded away through Rick's composition, Side Air Bags, and ended the set with the Stanley Clarke composition that seems to make the rounds in every Seattle jazz group, Why Wait.

It should be noted that the Earshot Jazz Festival was in full effect in the large room with Dave Douglas and his Fatty Arbuckle tribute project. Dave took the time to check out a scorching trumpet solo by Thomas during the second set on Frank Foster's composition, Simone. He shoulda stuck around! The second set evolved with Rick's little ditty, Short Shorts, Wayne Shorter's This is For Albert, and closed the set off with more Wayne, this time something from the Miles Davis book, Fall. The short third set was made up of McCoy Tyner's The Greeting, Joe Henderson's Inner Urge, and Claudine Francois' Trapeze.

I love this band -- it presents four very unique, defined, and adventurous improvisors in one band, and yet they are all able to function in what seems like a position of comfort. Most of the time, the all-star concept doesn't work, for whatever reasons, but there is an air of mutual respect among these four that really makes for great music, and great music-making. John Bishop seems constantly involved with making something happen, even if that means taking himself out of the equation. Jeff Johnson, whether improvising from the melody or taking a more free approach, always contributes the right note for the soloist's melody. Thomas -- well, he is my brother, but I can't say enough about his playing of late; he sounds mature, confident, and fearless -- a winning combination for any trumpet-player. And then there is Rick Mandyck -- I've written so much about him on this blog already, but he keeps me coming back for more and more and more. If I haven't said it before (which I know I have), I'll say it again: go hear Rick Mandyck.