New York, with its Newport Jazz Festival, has sapped most of jazz's interesting performers.
But The City has spared us a couple of good people. For instance, Gil Scott-Heron performs tonight at Paul's Mall, 733 Boylston St., in Boston, from 8:30 and 11 p.m.
And to celebrate the colliding of Tall Ships and other mindless Bicen. Fanfare, Freddie Hubbard will come into the mall this weekend.
I've been saving an interesting story about Freddie that I can unload now that he's back in town.
It seems that this great trumpeter--and he is by all means great--came to Harvard this fall as part of a new Learning From Performers series. That program brings the best in performing artists from various fields, to Harvard for a week stay. During that period they teach, coach, play and eat with Harvard College students.
Well, Freddie came in fashionably late, of course, and proceeded to have a very high time with a couple of freewheeling students in Leverett House.
Anyway, to make a long story short, near the end of the week, President Bok, a known jazz fan himself, invited a bunch of resident musicologists and other dignitaries to a fancy cocktail party/reception (not very fancy, there was no Canadian Club) in honor of Hubbard.
The party was expected to kick off about 5 p.m., but one-half hour and 45 demi-tuna fish sandwiches later, the great trumpeter still hadn't shown up. Pretty soon President Bok began to lose patience with the avant-grade jazz movement.
By 5:40 some of the more eminent musicologists, refusing to be put on hold by this former Coltrane side-man, departed. There were several uneasy jokes.
By quarter of, Frederick the Great still hadn't made an appearance. That was enough for President Bok. He exited quietly, but with a look that would melt a complete collection of the trumpet king's greatest hits.
Anyway, Freddie never showed and his malscheduling will always be a source of embarrassment for the Learning From Performers people.
Nevertheless, Freddie is usually on time for his concerts, which means you should be off the Green Line stop at Copley Square in time to make the 8:30 or 11 p.m. shows.
