Categories
Music

Burlington Discover Jazz Festival – The Necessary Means at Nectar’s

The first week of June is a great time to be in Burlington. It’s the week of the annual Burlington Discover Jazz Festival which brings together international and local musicians together to play at a variety of venues around the city. I love walking down Church Street during the festival; every block you can hear different sounds drifting out of the windows or on outdoor stages.

This year, The Necessary Means played at Nectar’s as a part of the festivities. Ray Paczkowski and Russ Lawton (Soule Monde) opened.  If you haven’t seen these two play together, you’re missing out. It’s hard to believe that two people can produce such a big, full sound. I kept looking around to see where they were hiding all the other musicians.

Burlington Discover Jazz Festival - Ray Paczkowski at Nectar's (June 5, 2012) (1)

 

After a quick stage reset (it’s gotta be hard always moving around that big Hammond organ) the Necessary Means came on and didn’t disappoint. Their Facebook page describes their sound as “70’s horn funk meets modern jam jazz” and that about nails it. Longtime Grift fans will recognize a few songs as solo riffs that have been turned into full fledged, standalone art. What strikes me every time I see these guys play is that in addition to sounding great, they’re all having fun on stage.

Enough words.  Enjoy the photos — and maybe put on a few tunes while you’re scrolling through them.

Burlington Discover Jazz Festival - The Necessary Means at Nectar's (June 5, 2012) (2)

 

 

Burlington Discover Jazz Festival - The Necessary Means at Nectar's (June 5, 2012) (3)

 

 

Burlington Discover Jazz Festival - The Necessary Means at Nectar's (June 5, 2012) (4)

 

 

Burlington Discover Jazz Festival - The Necessary Means at Nectar's (June 5, 2012) (5)

 

 

Burlington Discover Jazz Festival - The Necessary Means at Nectar's (June 5, 2012) (6)

 

 

Burlington Discover Jazz Festival - The Necessary Means at Nectar's (June 5, 2012) (7)

 

 

Burlington Discover Jazz Festival - The Necessary Means at Nectar's (June 5, 2012) (8)

 

 

Burlington Discover Jazz Festival - The Necessary Means at Nectar's (June 5, 2012) (9)

 

 

Burlington Discover Jazz Festival - The Necessary Means at Nectar's (June 5, 2012) (10)

 

 

Burlington Discover Jazz Festival - The Necessary Means at Nectar's (June 5, 2012) (11)

 

 

Burlington Discover Jazz Festival - The Necessary Means at Nectar's (June 5, 2012) (12)

 

 

Burlington Discover Jazz Festival - The Necessary Means at Nectar's (June 5, 2012) (13)

 

 

Burlington Discover Jazz Festival - The Necessary Means at Nectar's (June 5, 2012) (14)

 

 

Burlington Discover Jazz Festival - The Necessary Means at Nectar's (June 5, 2012) (15)

 

 

Burlington Discover Jazz Festival - The Necessary Means at Nectar's (June 5, 2012) (17)

 

 

Burlington Discover Jazz Festival - The Necessary Means at Nectar's (June 5, 2012) (18)

 

Burlington Discover Jazz Festival - The Necessary Means at Nectar's (June 5, 2012) (20)

 

 

Burlington Discover Jazz Festival - The Necessary Means at Nectar's (June 5, 2012) (21)

 

I found the secret sauce to Daiki’s awesome percussion. Coconut Juice.

Burlington Discover Jazz Festival - The Necessary Means at Nectar's (June 5, 2012) (22)

 

 

Burlington Discover Jazz Festival - The Necessary Means at Nectar's (June 5, 2012) (23)

 

 

Burlington Discover Jazz Festival - The Necessary Means at Nectar's (June 5, 2012) (24)

 

 

Burlington Discover Jazz Festival - The Necessary Means at Nectar's (June 5, 2012) (25)

 

I recommend picking up their album, “Click” from CDBaby. It’s only 6 bucks as a digital download.

 

There are still a couple more days of music. Who’re you going to see?

Categories
Music

Stressed out? Swing into Burlington for the Discover Jazz Festival

The work day came to a close and on the way home I tried to figure out what I wanted to do tonight.  Initially it was just going to be a simple dinner and maybe a movie at home.  I turned on some music (Rich Price, Sweet Remains, Peter Day, and a few others) and turned up the volume.  As I drove home, I started thinking about the chatter from all the #BTV folks on Twitter and remembered that Jazz Fest was in town.  It’s Friday night, no where to be tomorrow, and good tunes on the radio really got me in the mood to go downtown for some eats, a beer or two, and some more good music.

After walking the dog and a very quick snack (we figured the wait was going to be over an hour no matter where we went) we headed downtown.  Church Street was slammed as we made our way down from the top of the block.  With no real destination in mind, we ended up at the Farm House Tap & Grill.  While they didn’t have live music, they were close enough to Church St. that we could hear some spill over and still have a conversation.

The Farm House Tap & Grill; a new gastropub in Burlington with a great beer selection.

After dinner, we walked around the corner and watched the stage in front of Ken’s Pizza for a while.  From our Southerly location, we couldn’t see much of the stage, but the music was solid with exceptionally tight drumming.  As we rounded the corner of the stage, we discovered why: Russ Lawton was on drums.  If you haven’t seen him play, check out anything he’s listed on.  I haven’t seen him around lately, but he’s in town a lot this week and I’m looking forward to seeing more of him!

Russ Lawton drumming on the Church Street Marketplace for the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival

Live Music on the Church Street Marketplace for the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival

Of course, Dux The Balloon Man was out twisting flowers, swords, wands, and (of course ducks!) If you haven’t stopped to get a balloon, I recommend it.  He’s a fun guy, great with kids, and I’m always entertained just watching him effortlessly craft his work.  I hear he’s going to have something special lined up for the Independence Day festivities down on the Burlington Waterfront.

Dux The Balloon Man twisting his creations on Church St at the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival

It was a B&W night, but he screams for color!

Dux The Balloon Man twisting his creations on Church St at the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival

Dux The Balloon Man twisting his creations on Church St at the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival

And finally at the top of the block, a good crowd was gathered for some funk. I didn’t catch the name of the act, but we enjoyed a few songs as we checked out the crowd and statue of Big Joe Burrell, well crafted and placed outside of Halvorson’s as a perfect tribute to the man.

Live Music on the big stage at the top of Church Street. The Discover Jazz Festival is in full swing in Burlington, Vermont!

Seeing Big Joe’s image while walking around Church St. during Jazz Fest really brought back some great memories of past years’ events with my Dad.  It’s a really great time of year in Burlington. There’s something new going on behind every door and on every block. Occasionally you’re surprised with something fantastic, but you’re guaranteed to at least hear something good and the atmosphere, with smiling faces all around, can’t be beat. We haven’t made it down much for the last few festivals, but I hope we make a few more events this week. See you down there?