Dave Schnitter, final appearance at the Cellar tonight
Posted on | May 29, 2010 | 4 Comments
by Brian Nation
Tenor saxophonist Dave Schnitter is one of those undeservedly under-recognized major talents of jazz. It wasn’t always so. When he joined Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers in 1974 he, along with Wynton Marsalis who joined the band some time after, contributed to the revitalization of that illustrious organization. He stayed with Blakey till 1979, followed by a couple of years with Freddie Hubbard. After that he moved to Spain. As he said himself, “I moved out of the country at the height of my career. I was gone for almost ten years and people forgot me. It’s as simple as that.” This goes a long way in explaining why he hasn’t the fame or reputation these days that he deserves. But by all accounts his playing is as strong as ever.
Schnitter opened at the Cellar last night and plays a final couple of sets tonight with Bill Coon on guitar, Ken Lister on bass, and Craig Scott on drums. Check the Cellar’s web site for details.
Here’s a clip of Schnitter with Blakey at the Umbria Jazz Festival, 1976.
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4 Responses to “Dave Schnitter, final appearance at the Cellar tonight”
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May 29th, 2010 @ 1:08 am
I was there tonight and it was very good. Dave is playing great and the rhythm section had a nice vibe going behind him!
If you’re free it’s worth checking out.
May 29th, 2010 @ 2:30 am
I’m with Jesse on this…I caught the second set and enjoyed it a lot. David also sung “You Are Too Beautiful” with such soul and feeling. An excellent set all round with great backup by Ken Lister, Craig Scott and Bill Coon on bass,drums and guitar. Don’t miss this tomorrow!
May 29th, 2010 @ 8:00 am
Dave Schnitter’s flights got all screwed up yesterday so he didn’t make it down to the studio for an A-Trane interview but we had a (short) great phone discussion. If you’d like to hear it and some music by Dave, here’s the archive link: http://beta.coopradio.org/station/archives/54 – coincidentally the second listen link down starts at 4pm which is just before the interview starts. I dug out my old copy of “In Walked Sonny” with Sonny Stitt, Art Blakey and the Messengers featuring some great blowing by Dave alongside some stellar compatriots. Should be a great night tonight … N
May 30th, 2010 @ 12:24 pm
David Schnitter’s final set on Saturday night (May 29) reached a peak that we were all hoping for….the band coalesced beautifully and David launched into some standards plus Rollins’ “Airegin”, Coltrane’s “Wise One” and several intriguing originals by David that included an exciting “I Got Rhythm” varient. Although I missed a piano in the group Bill Coon’s comping and ability to compliment David was astounding…..then there were his solos! Ken Lister and Craig Scott always found the pocket and the right pulse and both soloed with creativity. David, of course rose to the occasion and as with all great players, his horn became one with his mind and fingers and the music took another level. He, as he did the night before, sang “You Are So Beautiful” and made Rod Stewart sound like an hack. Great change of pace and the auience ate it up. It was an inspiring night and Cory hinted that Schnitter might be back soon. Good news.