The Crocker Art Museum’s Summer Jazz Series is starting up again this month, and you can expect to find soulful live jazz performances at the museum every third Thursday between now and the end of September. Jazz Night at the Crocker is Sacramento’s longest-running summer jazz series, and this year, the series will feature performances by a lineup of musicians based on recommendations by Capital Public Radio’s jazz music director, Gary Vercelli. The first evening of jazz will be on June 15, with Nashville-raised artist Nicolas Bearde. On July 20, Sandy Cressman will entertain museum-goers with Brazilian-inspired jazz music and rhythms. On Aug. 17, California’s Ray Obiedo will enchant the audience with his smooth Latin-influenced compositions. Jazz musician Vivian Lee will bring the series to a close on Sept. 21, so you won’t want to miss the opportunity to catch this Sacramento artist’s captivating and unique stage performance. Before the show and during intermission, food, wine and picnics will be available for purchase at the Crocker Café (by Supper Club). The concerts start at 6:30 p.m. All ages are welcome. Tickets are available at Crockerart.org.

**This write-up first appeared in print on page 10 of issue #241 (June 5 – 19, 2017)**

Ross Hammond discusses his new album with The Ross Hammond Quartet and His New Muse

Interviewing Ross Hammond on a Friday afternoon while his wife was out of town meant a secondary task of taking his 18-month old daughter, Lola, for a stroll around the 17th and L block of Midtown.

Lola led the way, while Hammond and I discussed his upcoming Ross Hammond Quartet record due this month. As we strolled and pointed out flowers, dogs and trucks (Lola loves trucks and buses), it became apparent the little blondie was responsible for changes and inspiration in her father she’ll not understand for years. The record, Adored, and Hammond’s artistic growth displayed on the album would not be possible without her.

Our walk began in the alley outside Old Soul Coffee. We did roughly three laps of the block and if we stopped the question was posed, “Lola walk?” In answering, Lola formed her first contribution to the interview tape “Lola walk.” Many of Hammond’s responses were fractured with quick “stay close” requests, but we eventually got down to brass tacks. The immediate information to hash out: Who are the players in the Ross Hammond Quartet?

The ensemble came together mostly through the intricate web of the jazz scene involving booking, travel and of course, collaboration, although Hammond first came to know each member from owning their albums. Whether on stage or in the studio, he said he had several surreal moments that left him pondering, “How did I get here?” The Quartet comprises Hammond on guitar, Vinny Golia on saxophone, Steuart Liebig on contrabass guitar and Alex Cline on percussion. Hammond said he’d known Golia from booking him a gig at the Cool Cat Gallery on 24th–back when it existed–and Cline in a similar fashion. Cline is the twin brother of legendary guitarist Nels Cline, who’s currently playing lead guitar in Wilco. “It’s freaky, dude,” Hammond said regarding the Cline brothers. “They’re identical and both really tall.”

As for Liebig, “I don’t know how I met, Steuart… I guess through the scene.”

He played three to four gigs, including the In the Flow Festival in Sacramento last year, with the members, planting the seed for the quartet. After he’d enlisted the three musicians for a studio session in Los Angeles, the makings of an official ensemble came to fruition.

When it came time to name the project, Hammond was surprised by the other members’ suggestion of naming the quartet after him. At 34, Hammond is the youngest member of the group while the rest were born as far back as the ‘40s. It is a humble and impressive gesture coming from three renowned L.A. jazz musicians who have each had ensembles bearing their namesakes.

“For lack of anything better that’s what it is,” Hammond said. “I’ve never had a quartet before. I also feel like I couldn’t replace any of those guys and still call it the same thing.”

Recorded at Newzone Studio and engineered by Wayne Peet, the album was tracked in six hours with only a few songs needing alternate takes. It’s a feat that speaks to the veteran musicianship of Hammond’s quartet. Hammond would play the riff he had in mind for a song and the ensemble would offer a nod or “OK”–no further tutelage required. He said after each track, it was understood that it felt good and they would move on to the next song.

“Playing with these guys it’s just about staying on the wave,” he said. “You don’t have to give them much instruction at all. I think one of the instructions I gave Vinny was, ‘OK, as soon as this song starts you have to come in like an elephant,’ and that’s what he did.”

Adored is carved from a foundation of folk songs with the title track being a lullaby Hammond sings to Lola at bedtime. Hammond said three of the songs are lullabies he sings. After she’d go to sleep he would figure out the notes and write out the lullaby. The writing is at its most encrypted on “Maribel’s Code,” in which the melody is an intervocalic code built from Lola’s initials: LMH.

“Most of the stuff I write has either a dedication or an idea, be it political or romantic,” Hammond said. “I’m never just like, “oh this is a cool riff, I’ll call it…’”

Three years ago when I first interviewed Hammond, he shared a similar sentiment. The inspiration behind the album title An Effective Use of Space came from a saying his wife frequently used. He said it’s one she still uses to this day. Hammond listed his wife as still his deepest muse, but the birth of his daughter is the primary source of inspiration behind Adored.

The immediacy of the recording is palpable, but it’s done in maturity. Hammond said the difficult task in preparing the music was giving the songs a collected feel, but without being united to the point of bleeding the songs together. Adored roars in, spastic and angry, with “Adored” but as “Sesquipedalian” mellows out it introduces the soft lullaby of “She’s My Little Girl.” Consider the album to be much like Hammond’s day-to-day with Lola; awake at 6 a.m. and full of energy, a settling in period, a mid-day walk with small fits of exuberance and crankiness, a lullaby for a nap or the night’s tuck-in. It is all lovingly expressed in the sea changes of Adored.

“Alex [Cline] told me he doesn’t think you mature as a musician until after you’ve been a dad,” Hammond said. “The gist of it was you stop trying to impress people and focus on filtering this feeling you have and this beautiful thing and turn it into a song. Your muse is different. The goofy songs aren’t there anymore. Having a kid forces you to grow up and you grow up in everything. If anything it’s more purposeful now.”

With the particulars of the album discussed and rocks and leaves in our pockets courtesy of the tyke, Hammond asked Lola, “Wanna go swing? Lola swing?” She offered her second sentence of the afternoon; a sharp “Lola swing.” With that, they strapped into a bicycle and road off to the park.

Adored by The Ross Hammond Quartet will be available Feb. 27, 2012. You can preorder it now at Rosshammond.bandcamp.com/album/adored and also listen to the title track. Hammond and co. will throw a CD release party on the very day of its release at Luna’s Café in Sacramento.

Begrudging the fact it’s another year and you still don’t have cash to head to New Orleans for Mardi Gras? Us too. But if you’re looking for an excuse to bust out the beads without feeling lame, then hit up Old Sacramento for the next best thing. From 5 to 10 p.m. on Feb. 18, 2012 the River City Saloon, Hot & Spicy Café New Orleans, the Coconut Grove, the Delta King, Fanny Ann’s Saloon, Fat City Bar & Café, The Other Office, La Terraza, Laughs Unlimited, O’Mally’s Pub and others will open up their doors to give you a taste of Mardi Gras, Sacto-style. Each spot will have live music, whether it’s Cajun, rock ‘n’ roll or jazz. For more specifics or to buy tickets in advance, check Oldsacramento.com. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 on the night of the event; they can also be purchased at River City Saloon, Laughs Unlimited or O’Mally’s Pub. If there’s a chance you’ll be too inebriated to remember how to get back home, the Holiday Inn at Capitol Plaza is offering up a Mardi Gras room package just for you.

Every Tuesday night through August, Mix Downtown located at 1525 L Street will host Jazz in the Mix in their fantastic rooftop lounge setting. Starting at
6 p.m., hostess Ava Lemert, known as “the Singing Saxstress,” will start things off, eventually making way for the night’s featured act, which will rotate every week. Regional jazz greats Cynthia Douglas (June 14), Caribbean Jazz Collective (June 21), Nagual (July 5), Tony Elder (Aug. 9) and many others will fill the air with music while patrons enjoy elegant cocktails, wine, beer and delicious small plates. Things wrap up by 9 p.m. for those who have to work the next morning, so don’t let that keep you from coming out. Visit Jazzinthemix.com for more information, a list of all headliners and links to their websites.

I hate Sundays more than any other day. It’s not so much because it’s the end of the weekend and it signifies that oft-maligned Monday looms ever closer. I like Mondays. I like working. I’m sure that makes me somewhat of a freak; but believe me, that’s just one thing on a rather long list. No, I hate Sundays because they’re just so boring. No one ever wants to do anything. Stores close up early (if they’re open at all), people are inclined to laze about and couch surf and life feels pointless and mundane—even more so than usual. Over the course of my 33 years, I’ve found that drinking is a wonderful remedy for such situations.

When I lived in Chico, that Mecca of drinking your life away on the cheap just north on 99, I’d regularly sneak away to my favorite dimly lit bar for George Thorogood-style—drinkin’ alone, all by myself. The crowd on Sunday, in that small town, was usually sparse. Ho-hum. But once a month, they hosted a jazz night, which would bring the wannabe hipsters and music nerds out of the woodwork, making Sunday night drinking seem a lot less desperate, but also quite difficult for me to find a seat at the bar and causing my already glum mood to sink to ever more woeful depths.

Of course, I’d always forget it was jazz night until I got there. Perhaps the self-medicating had something to do with that. I would roll my eyes and groan and try to flag down a bartender to serve me a pint. I hated jazz night. I thought at first it was the crowds that made me so grumpy, but after much lonesome introspection over some savory Guinness (see earlier in this issue), I realized that it wasn’t the crowds at all. It was the jazz.

As someone who writes often enough about music, it’s something of an embarrassment to me that I have little to no taste for jazz. Anytime I meet up with a likeminded individual, the topic of conversation will inevitably turn from whatever bullshit form of heathen music I’m currently obsessing over to the heady and sophisticated sounds of jazz. I assume that since I consider myself highly appreciative of music, that to others who feel the same way as I do, it would follow that I must also have a deep-rooted love for jazz, arguably the United States’ most enduring and revered contribution to the arts.

But I don’t. I don’t own any jazz albums. I couldn’t tell you the difference between Miles Davis and John Coltrane (though I’m pretty sure I know what Davis looks like because I used to see him in commercials). In fact, I’m only vaguely sure of what instruments they play. When I pass the point of no return in conversation about music, when someone drops the J-bomb, I do my best to smile and nod—and lie through my teeth.

“Oh yeah. He’s phenomenal,” I’ll say, but this only digs the hole deeper. There are only two possible outcomes: 1. I end up having to admit that I am unfamiliar with the piece of music or artist they’re referring to, or 2. I end up going back to this person’s house to listen to their collection of jazz records. Both of which make me equally uncomfortable.

I don’t know why the allure of jazz holds absolutely no sway over me. I love the saxophone and other brass instruments. In fact, I usually reserve my largest tips for buskers who play the horn. I have a fondness for great drummers and creative guitar players. The sight of a standup bass makes me giddy with excitement. But put those things together and my brain goes on holiday.

The problem isn’t that I think it’s boring. I just don’t understand it. All those notes played seemingly at random? It’s all very frustrating. I consider myself astute, yet I would rather listen to Lady Gaga than spend a weekend immersed in Coltrane’s catalog. I’m trying, though. Recently, the lady suggested that we go to a free concert for Black History Month. In addition to other forms of music, jazz was quite prevalent. They even played a little Coltrane (of course). It was a wonderful night filled with talented musicians, great singers and the added bonus of a few tidbits of musical history. The band consisted of a drummer who made his kit snap, crackle and pop; a saxophone soloist who ripped swooning riffs with ease; a competent pianist and bass man; and a guitarist who was a Maiden-level shredder (high praise coming from me).

I nodded, bopped and clapped in all the right places. I marveled at the skill of those involved, but much like a layman staring up at a Jackson Pollock, it all just seemed like one big mess.

Local four-piece difficult to define

Happy 4/20. If only you were in Arcata, you could be ZuhGin’ out.

After CD release parties in Sacramento and Roseville last week, the four-piece from the City of Trees cruised the ZuhGmobile to Humboldt for a weekend lineup of shows capped off by a 4/20 celebration Monday at the Humboldt State University Quad.

ZuhG will perform at noon at Sierra College in Rocklin on Thursday. The evening before, on Earth Day, they have an all-ages gig at Pyramid Alehouse in Sacramento.

On the April Second Saturday Art Walk, in Sacramento on April 11, ZuhG lured the audience away from the art and the couches in the back of the Blue Lamp to the dance floor with their set that featured songs from their new album ZuhG Life. A heap of jackets piled onto one couch beneath the artwork of Brian Nichols, ZuhG’s frontman.

“Listen to OutKast,” Nichols said while they played a “So Fresh So Clean” interlude.

Shoeless, Nichols led the band on guitar and vocals. Justin Vance opened their set with his bassline for “Accessories,” an homage to the mundanity in life.

Brian “Bot” Swart was the highlight of the night and, in a way, he is in ZuhG Life, playing tenor saxophone, giving the band the sound they want—”to be unlike others,” how they define ZuhG.

Self-taught drummer Matt Klee said in an interview at Nichols’s house that in order to get better he had to get uncomfortable. So, with Nichols, he took a jazz ensemble class at Sierra College a year ago. That’s where they met Bot.

In that class, Nichols said he met a mentor of sorts who taught him jazz guitar.

“I wanted to play jazz guitar, and he played way sicker than me,” he said. “Now, it’s all about practicing daily. We’re trying to get better every day as a band.”

A semester’s worth of jam sessions and Bot was a part of ZuhG. Though it wasn’t their intention, he replaced the band’s cello player, Jarrod Matthews, who left the band after Bot’s sax was added. (ZuhG Life’s bonus track features an improv session with Matthews and Bot.)

The youngest in the band at 19, Bot gives ZuhG its jazz element that makes the funk-rock-reggae-jam—whatever you’d like to call it—band a little hard to categorize. Last year ZuhG was nominated for a Sammie in the SN&R in the R&B category. This year, they earned the nomination in the Jam Band category. Recently, High Times Magazine online added them as an unsigned band of the week.

Both Bot and Nichols are studying music, though Nichols is at Sacramento City College now.

Local radio station KWOD 106.5 plays their song “Shangri La,” because it’s “reggae enough,” Nichols said at his house. “I wanted them to choose ‘Lately,’ but they said it was ‘too jazzy.'”

Bot and the guys laughed it off. “Too jazzy is a compliment,” Bot said.

Surely their music wasn’t too jazzy, or maybe it was, to make enough cash to produce ZuhG Life at Sacramento’s Pus Cavern Studios. The recording is great.

“We’d like to thank Northstar and Sugar Bowl for funding this album,” Nichols joked, because they were able to book a couple shows a month at the Tahoe resorts during winter.

Tahoe in the winter. They’ll see the coast for spring. From San Jose to Ocean Beach they have shows lined up along the coast for two weeks until they return to Davis to play the G. St. Pub, May 16 at Beatnik Studios Boobie Bash and May 23 at Marylin’s on K.