Around Town
The hard swinging tenorist Harry Allen roared back into Kerrytown Concert House in Ann Arbor on February 7 backed by Chicago guitarist Andy Brown, and our own bassist Paul Keller and drummer Pete Siers. He invited MSU student Jack Brandfield (on right) onto the stage for some lively tenor sax duels on “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore.”
Ziggy’s on Michigan Avenue in downtown Ypsilanti is a coffee house featuring jazz of different types. On February 1 saxophonists Piotr Michalowski (left) and Peter Formanek took the stage with their avant garde sensibilities. More is sure to come as the coffee house expands its operations with a liquor license in the near future.
Cuban drummer Yissy Garcia (right) visited the University of Michigan School Music Theater & Dance in early February where she was hosted by percussion professor Michael Gould and trumpeter Ingrid Racine. Gould started an exchange with Cuba last year and a concert/dance was held at the Michigan League Ballroom on February 9 featuring Garcia and her Bandancha band. Garcia’s group excelled in a fusion of jazz and Afro Cuban traditions started by Irakere in the 1970s. Yissy’s father Bernardo was a member of the original Irakere group, which also included Chucho Valdes and Paquito D’Rivera. Yissy is an impressive representative of Cuban music today.