Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Rosenwinkel Standards Trio Live at Athenaeum Jazz

Last night, the Athenaeum Jazz at the Studio concert series struck gold with the debut San Diego performance by the highly acclaimed guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel and his Standards Trio, featuring veteran bassist Ugonna Okegwo, and young drum phenomenon Justin Faulkner.

Referring to Rosenwinkel as a virtuoso hardly seems adequate. He possesses an encyclopedic sense of harmony, and he must have played hundreds of intricate chord voicings in a maddeningly casual fashion.

The guitarist often comes off sounding more like a pianist--such is his ability to communicate with long strings of single-note passages, frequently ornamented by block-chords and inversions that traverse the entire geography of his fingerboard.

Bursting out of the gates with Clifford Brown's "Sandu," Rosenwinkel broke the blues down into prismatic dissections, playing with such relaxed confidence, you could actually see him trying to make mistakes by tossing in completely non-related material. In his hands, however, everything made sense, and swung.

He was ably supported in this pursuit by the atomic-clock-like precision of Okegwo's bass lines, and the clear ride cymbal articulation of Faulkner, who also turned in several intense drum solos.

Although he performed in front of a plethora of effects pedals, Rosenwinkel stuck for the most part, to tasteful use of multiple delays and reverbs, giving his sound a decidedly modern edge.

He opened Monk's "Ask Me Now," by rippling skeins of chromatic arpeggios that refracted the melody with blues hues and a cavernous legato that made them sound like they were chasing each other up the guitar neck and into the night.

Claire Fischer's "Pensativa," grooved with the cushion of Okegwo's throbbing bass and the rim-shot magic of Faulkner's chattering drum set, while the guitarist dropped a few jaws with his inventive organization of chord melody themed ideas.

Things hit a high with the disarmingly subtle reading of "If I Loved You." For the first time, Rosenwinkel's musicality and taste exceeded his gargantuan chops, and the result was sumptuous. Joe Henderson's "Serenity," closed the first set, and by then, the trio couldn't miss.

Buoyed by the joyous swing of Okegwo, Rosenwinkel ripped into the unusual form with controlled abandon--firing tangentially related lines that snaked around the changes, and, when the band distilled into a vamp, Faulkner ratcheted up the drama with a roiling solo.

Opening the second set with Monk's "Ruby My Dear," and Benny Golson's "Along Came Betty," the Standards Trio was hitting on all cylinders. By the time Rosenwinkel began to sketch out the theme to Bill Evans' "Turn Out The Stars," there seemed to be nothing the guitarist couldn't transform into his own personal statement.

After more than two hours of hard core jazz exploration, Rosenwinkel again turned to the writing of tenor saxophone legend Henderson to take the concert out, on an ecstatic run through "Inner Urge," which brought the capacity house to its feet.

Dan Atkinson, the force behind the Jazz at the Athenaeum series has been trying to make this concert happen for five years. Perseverance paid off in a big way for the San Diego jazz community, who reaped the rewards of his efforts.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

Filmora 14’s AI Tools Streamline Content Creation for Marketers

Last night, the Athenaeum Jazz at the Studio concert series struck gold with the debut San Diego performance by the highly acclaimed guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel and his Standards Trio, featuring veteran bassist Ugonna Okegwo, and young drum phenomenon Justin Faulkner.

Referring to Rosenwinkel as a virtuoso hardly seems adequate. He possesses an encyclopedic sense of harmony, and he must have played hundreds of intricate chord voicings in a maddeningly casual fashion.

The guitarist often comes off sounding more like a pianist--such is his ability to communicate with long strings of single-note passages, frequently ornamented by block-chords and inversions that traverse the entire geography of his fingerboard.

Bursting out of the gates with Clifford Brown's "Sandu," Rosenwinkel broke the blues down into prismatic dissections, playing with such relaxed confidence, you could actually see him trying to make mistakes by tossing in completely non-related material. In his hands, however, everything made sense, and swung.

He was ably supported in this pursuit by the atomic-clock-like precision of Okegwo's bass lines, and the clear ride cymbal articulation of Faulkner, who also turned in several intense drum solos.

Although he performed in front of a plethora of effects pedals, Rosenwinkel stuck for the most part, to tasteful use of multiple delays and reverbs, giving his sound a decidedly modern edge.

He opened Monk's "Ask Me Now," by rippling skeins of chromatic arpeggios that refracted the melody with blues hues and a cavernous legato that made them sound like they were chasing each other up the guitar neck and into the night.

Claire Fischer's "Pensativa," grooved with the cushion of Okegwo's throbbing bass and the rim-shot magic of Faulkner's chattering drum set, while the guitarist dropped a few jaws with his inventive organization of chord melody themed ideas.

Things hit a high with the disarmingly subtle reading of "If I Loved You." For the first time, Rosenwinkel's musicality and taste exceeded his gargantuan chops, and the result was sumptuous. Joe Henderson's "Serenity," closed the first set, and by then, the trio couldn't miss.

Buoyed by the joyous swing of Okegwo, Rosenwinkel ripped into the unusual form with controlled abandon--firing tangentially related lines that snaked around the changes, and, when the band distilled into a vamp, Faulkner ratcheted up the drama with a roiling solo.

Opening the second set with Monk's "Ruby My Dear," and Benny Golson's "Along Came Betty," the Standards Trio was hitting on all cylinders. By the time Rosenwinkel began to sketch out the theme to Bill Evans' "Turn Out The Stars," there seemed to be nothing the guitarist couldn't transform into his own personal statement.

After more than two hours of hard core jazz exploration, Rosenwinkel again turned to the writing of tenor saxophone legend Henderson to take the concert out, on an ecstatic run through "Inner Urge," which brought the capacity house to its feet.

Dan Atkinson, the force behind the Jazz at the Athenaeum series has been trying to make this concert happen for five years. Perseverance paid off in a big way for the San Diego jazz community, who reaped the rewards of his efforts.

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Kurt Rosenwinkel Standards Trio Feb. 24

Next Article

Nate Jarrell CD-Release Party in North Park

Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader