list.in.to.chicago this week: 02.23.2015

Lots of jazz this week.

Pick of the week
Some solid options this time around, including Motion City Soundtrack at House of Blues on Thursday, and both Gov't Mule with John Scofield and the Funky Meters on Friday at the Riv and Concord Music Hall, respectively.

list.in.to.COZ
It's the Open Jam at Vaughan's on Tuesday, and then come watch a drummer get a year older at the stroke of midnight during this week's Diver gig at Fado on Saturday night.

Recap
Tony went a bit Van Halen during the solo at the end of "American Girl" last week, which will surprisingly NOT be the only reference to two-handed guitar tapping technique in this week's edition. That's all I've got. I need to go see some shows.

2.24   tuesday
Open Jam (Vaughan's)   COZ SINGS!
I haven't been to a lot of open mic nights in the city, but of the ones I've been to, none of them have the relaxed, low-pressure vibe that Vaughan's has managed to maintain for going on twenty years now. To the extent that I've been part of that, I think it's something to be proud of.

Hundred Waters with Suno Deko (Lincoln Hall)
One of those indie bands who I see written about a lot, but have only just heard snippets of.

Leon Russell with Kory Quinn (City Winery)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
Nice opening slot for Kory, who has been playing quite a bit in both Chicago and Portland over the last year.

2.25   wednesday
Hozier with Asgeir (Riviera Theatre)   SOLD OUT!
I think we've finally passed the peak of "Take Me To Church" being massively overplayed. If you didn't get tickets for this, he's going to be back at Millenium Park at some point when it's finally warm out.

Leon Russell with Kory Quinn (City Winery)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
See Tuesday's listing.

2.26   thursday
Motion City Soundtrack with William Beckett, Brick & Mortar (House of Blues)
I'm basing this on exactly one live set and one or two listens to one album, but this post-emo pop-punk band strikes me as much better live than on record, where the rawness seems to get polished out.

Pat Martino Trio (Jazz Showcase)
The jazz guitarist has been recording since 1967, and it wouldn't surprise me if he's been playing the Jazz Showcase for at least one week a year for nearly as long.

2.27   friday
Gov't Mule with John Scofield (Riviera Theatre)
The offshoot of the Allman Brothers burnishes its jam band credentials even further by adding jazz guitarist John Scofield to the mix.

Scott Weiland and the Wildabouts (Double Door)   SOLD OUT!
So there was this headline recently where Scott Weiland disavowed that he was part of some "supergroup" that included the bassist from Disturbed, a Guns N' Roses guitarist who was about fourth or fifth on the depth chart, and two brothers that weren't part of any previous bands. That's just a group. At best.

Hugh Masekela & Vusi Mahlasela (Old Town School of Folk Music)
I don't know if the South African trumpet player quite qualifies as an African music legend, but he's somewhere on the legend side of that continuum at the very least.

Funky Meters with Woo Park, Zaramela (Concord Music Hall)
Back before Galactic and Trombone Shorty, the New Orleans funk torch was carried by the Funky Meters. And still is, even if those other bands have helped the genre expand.

Big Head Todd & the Monsters (House of Blues)
I'm sure they've got a song other than "Bittersweet," but that's pretty much the only hit I can readily identify from the relentlessly middle-of-the-road band.

Dana Hall’s Black Fire Quintet (Andy's Jazz Club)
Persistence pays off, as I've seen at least a few critics call out Dana Hall as a prominent drummer in the local jazz scene. I've seen his name for well over a decade now.

Pat Martino Trio (Jazz Showcase)
See Thursday's listing.

2.28   saturday
DIVER (Fado Irish Pub)   SEE COZ LIVE!
So after that initial stretch of different versions of the band, I think the core trio is settled in for a while now. Which makes me think I'm missing something in my calendar. And then it's my birthday once we officially reach Sunday.

Bela Fleck & Abigail Washburn (Old Town School of Folk Music)
If you think the phrase "great banjo players" is an oxymoron, then I'm guessing this show is not for you.

Ed Kowalczyk (City Winery)   SOLD OUT!
I fell like the former lead singer of Live has been touring solo for a while now, but he only just started releasing records on his own in 2010. The last one came out on Sony/V2 back in 2013, so full credit for keeping his audience engaged enough since then to sell out a couple of shows.

Dana Hall’s Black Fire Quintet (Andy's Jazz Club)
See Friday's listing.

Pat Martino Trio (Jazz Showcase)
See Thursday's listing.

3.01   sunday
Nettwork Trio featuring Charnett Moffett, Stanley Jordan & Dana Hall (SPACE, Evanston)
After two nights with his own group, the aforementioned Hall will anchor an all-star trio. I'd be really curious to see how Stanley Jordan has progressed, since his breakthrough back in the 80s relied heavily on the novelty of his two-handed tapping style--sort of the jazz application of Eddie Van Halen's thing.

Ed Kowalczyk (City Winery)   SOLD OUT!
See Saturday's listing.

Pat Martino Trio (Jazz Showcase)
See Thursday's listing.