LIVE: Jeff Siegel @ Rosendale Cafe, 1/21/17

Review and photographs by Rudy Lu

The death of jazz has been greatly exaggerated… at least in Greater Nippertown. By mid-January I had already attended and photographed three sold-out performances, not the least of which was Jeff “Siege” Siegel’s CD release party at the Rosendale Café in Rosendale.

The album, King of Xhosa on the Artists Recording Collective label, was made with South African trumpeter Feya Faku last year and is being funded through GoFundMe.

Feya was unable to make the gig, so Dylan Canterbury provided his talents on trumpet and flugelhorn. The other members of the band were longtime rhythm section partner Rich Syracuse on bass, Erica Lindsay on tenor saxophone, Francesca Tanksley on keyboards and Fred Berryhill on percussion.

As one might expect most of the compositions played during this two-set performance had strong African roots to them.

At the keyboard Tanksley reminded me frequently of McCoy Tyner’s piano playing with lots of her own personal touches. Canterbury’s thoughtful trumpet playing added to the feeling and message of these pieces. Lindsey wrote many of the compositions, and her saxophone was the driving force behind these performances.

Berryhill added color and character to the music with congas, various other percussion and birdcalls. Syracuse added emotional depth as well as drive.

And Jeff Siegel made it all swing.

A great evening of music in the tiny hamlet of Rosendale. Jazz lives on in Greater Nippertown.

GO HERE to see more of Rudy Lu’s photographs of this concert…