This weekend’s concert photo roundup has a jazzy flavor — national and local — plus it features a tour stop by Swedish dubstep star Liquid Stranger and a Kalamazoo showcase with WOOTS and Grace Theisen.
St. Cecilia Jazz: Joshua Redman Trio on the Royce Auditorium stage. (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
For California jazz saxophonist Joshua Redman, it was all about improvisation as his trio fired up the Jazz Series at Grand Rapids’ St. Cecilia Music Center on Thursday night.
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Redman — who’s won a sheaf of awards over the years along with collecting 10 Grammy nominations — even joked that concertgoers shouldn’t have been able to guess what song the trio was playing at any given time because of all that spontaneous jamming.
As Local Spins photographer Derek Ketchum put it, “It was a magical evening, one that the crowed had waited over a year to experience (due to COVID and only Redman’s sixth live show since the pandemic began). From the first notes to the last, everyone was in their seat soaking it all in — from the music to the stories in between.”
On Friday night, the Scott Veenstra Trio created its own magical vibe for a much smaller audience in a more intimate setting: The GR Noir Wine and Jazz Bar in downtown Grand Rapids.
Colorful Crowd: The scene at The Intersection for Liquid Stranger. (Photo/Eric Stoike)
With keyboardist Jim Alfredson and saxophonist Mike Frost joining drummer Scott Veenstra for the evening, the performance satisfied showgoers and musicians alike.
“We had a great time tonight playing at GR Noir,” Veenstra wrote on Facebook afterward. “Grateful to play with these great musicians (Jim Alfredson and Mike Frost) and grateful to the owners and staff at GR Noir for putting together such a great place that supports great jazz in Grand Rapids.”
Beyond all that jazz, the weekend also featured a tour stop at The Intersection by Swedish electronic music star Liquid Stranger, who fired up fans with his “transnational” dubstep melange as part of his “Balance Tour,” and a Southwest Michigan showcase featuring WOOTS and singer-songwriter Grace Theisen.
Plus, check out a full review, photo gallery and set list from Eric Church’s Friday concert at Van Andel Arena here.
PHOTO GALLERY: Joshua Redman Trio at St. Cecilia Music Center (Thursday)
Photos by Derek Ketchum
PHOTO GALLERY: Liquid Stranger at The Intersection (Thursday)
Photos by Eric Stoike
PHOTO GALLERY: Scott Veenstra Trio at GR Noir (Friday)
Photos by Anna Sink
