Tucson Weekly: Soundbites (June 3

Sound Bites JAZZ SOCIETY PAGE: If you're reading this right now, chances are pretty darn good that you're spending your summer in the soon-to-be fiery hellpit that is Tucson. Most likely, this means one of two things: either you couldn't afford to spend your summer elsewhere, like say the tundra, or you're simply a masochist. As I sit here sneezing my ass off--allergies 'n' all--I realize I'm probably a little bit of both.
Oh sure, Tucson in the summertime has itsc thins out big time, seeing as how the university students and snowbirds have mostly fled for greener pastures; and for another...wait...I had it here somewhere. Well, I'm sure there must be something else that's good about it, though I seem to be drawing a blank.
I'll tell ya one thing that sucks about it, though: the amount of musical entertainment in the Old Pueblo can run as dry as the Gila River. Tucson must surely be the only city in the country where even some local bands take summer vacation. It's enough to make you appreciate the little things, like air conditioning, and musicians who actually make the trek to town during the dog days.
The exodus makes the Tucson Jazz Society's lineup for its Summerset Suite 1999 Concert Series all the more impressive. The Saturday night series kicks off this weekend with a performance by pianist Lynne Arriale, who's been receiving universal rave reviews for her current album, A Long Road Home, on Switzerland's TCB Records. The album is a combination of Arriale-penned originals and reinventions of some of the classics, including Thelonious Monk's "Bye-Ya" and a pair of Dizzy Gillespie standards ("A Night in Tunisia" and "Con Alma").
Her inventive approach to the tried and true tunes is somewhat akin to that of Brad Mehldau and Bill Evans, and the album showcases just how well a trio of jazz musicians can communicate without words.
(Incidentally, the album features Steve Davis on drums and John Patitucci on bass. Davis will be playing with Arriale at the Tucson show, but Patitucci will be replaced by Tyrone Wheeler). Arriale kickstarted her career in 1993, when she won the International Great American Jazz Piano Competition--the same contest that launched the careers of Marcus Roberts, Kenny Drew Jr. and Harry Connick Jr.
Catch this rising star as she opens Summerset Suite at 8 p.m. Saturday, June 5, at St. Philip's Plaza, located at the corner of Campbell and River roads. Tickets for the show are $6 for TJS members and $11 for the general public, available at the door only. Your best value, however, is to buy a series ticket for $25, good for admittance to all five shows, including the Mark Elf Trio (June 12), Jimmy Cobb's Mob (June 26), the Javon Jackson Quartet (June 26) and Irvin Mayfield (July 3). Series tickets are available in advance at Hear's Music, or may be purchased at the door. All shows run from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. Call the TJS jazz hotline at 743-3399 for details.
BAND WAGON: Flamenco music has been called "the blues of Spain," and with good reason. It's one of the few types of music that inherently carries with it the passion of unadulterated self-expression. Or, as Cerro Negro's lead guitarist Shane Gonzalez, puts it, "It's totally truthful. There's no way you can't express your feelings. It absorbs you."
Cerro Negro is a modern Flamenco-based trio (which also includes Frank Giordano on rhythm guitar and percussionist John Martin III) hailing from Fresno, California. The group combines traditional Flamenco elements like finger-picking with an exotic blend of percussion, including congas, cajon, djembe, clave and palmas, for a sound that incorporates rhumba, jazz, ambient, worldbeat and pop into its traditional flamenco leanings. If that doesn't capture your attention, Jeff Grubbs, who books bands at Plaza Pub and (aside from his Deadbolt-worshipping tendencies) has impeccable taste in music, claims that the band's last local appearance was simply amazing.
Don't miss the return of Cerro Negro on Saturday, June 5, at Plaza Pub, 20 E. Pennington St. The evening gets underway at 9 p.m. with a solo performance by Greyhound Soul crooner Joey Peña. Admission is just $3; call 882-0400 for more info.
If an exotic combination of gypsy flamenco, hot jazz, Mexicali blues, Cuban swing, Cajun zydeco, tango, Middle Eastern flavor and Tex-Mex boogie entices you, then chances are you'll want a ticket to next week's Willie and Lobo show. Also known as violinist Willie Royal and Wolfgang "Lobo" Fink, the instrumental duo is all the more impressive for the vast territory they're able to cover with only two players.
Willie and Lobo set up shop at 8 p.m. Thursday, June 10, at the Berger Performing Arts Center, 1200 W. Speedway. Advance tickets are available for $16 at Antigone Books, Hear's Music, by phone at 881-3847, or online at www.ticketweb.com. They'll cost $18 at the door.
And finally, local Celtic-meets-Tex-Mex heroes The Mollys hit the road for most of the summer, so be sure and catch 'em at their last local gig at 9 p.m. Saturday, June 5, at Boondocks Lounge, 3306 N. First Ave. Cover charge is $4, and you can call the club at 690-0991 for further details. They'll be back in town at the end of July.

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