The Talk Show Live House Band: Cafe Americain
Each month, TSL's Music Director -- virtuouso jazz guitarist and North Beach impresario Ned Boynton -- brings a hand-picked group of superstar jazz musicians to Talk Show Live: San Francisco. For 2008, our TSL house band will be SF gypsy jazz combo Cafe Americain, which features Ned along with TSL featured players Michael Zisman, Jason Vanderford and Simon Planting. Cafe Americain's latest (self titled) album -- available at the show! -- was reviewed by Ed Benson in the February 2008 issue of Just Jazz Magazine. Ned will also be mixing and matching the musicians who make up our "North Beach Irregulars" -- bringing special guests as well as long-time audience favorites to join the party. Every Wednesday night, catch Cafe Americain from 7 - 10 pm at Caffe Trieste in North Beach. Another really special scene in our neighborhood!
March 10 band from (L) Ned Boynton, Jason Vanderford, Jules Broussard, Simon Planting and Michael Zisman. Photo (c) 2008 Andy Berry.
Our Featured Players:
NED BOYNTON
Bandleader Ned Boynton has been a dynamic force on the North Beach jazz scene for over 15 years. Among his many high-profile gigs, he was the Musical Director for Enrico's Sidewalk Cafe and has been a featured artist at the Smithsonian Jazz Café in Washington, D.C. Ned works locally in the Bay Area with his own group featuring sax man Jules Broussard and with his Django Reinhardt-inspired trio Cafe Americain. He's played with jazz luminaries Anthony Wilson, John Pisano, Bucky Pizzarelli, Howard Alden, Mundell Lowe, Bruce Forman, Les Paul, The Hot Club of San Francisco, Dan Barrett, and Raul Reynoso, to name but a few. Featured as a performer and writer in Just Jazz Guitar and JazzNow! Magazine, Ned's performances have been broadcast on KCSM Radio, KALW Radio and channel 53 Musician's Showcase. Listen to his most recent album, The North Beach Sound or, better yet, buy it here.
CLINT BAKER
The multi-talented Clint Baker has been a bandleader since 1984. He produced his first record in 1991. Since then, he has produced 7 recordings including "In The Groove", "Going Huge", and "Tears". We've been fortunate to have Clint join the North Beach Irregulars on cornet and bass so far -- and we may hear him on drums yet!JULES BROUSSARD
Born in Louisiana, master saxophonist Jules Broussard began his career when he was only twelve years old, organizing bands and playing lead saxophone for audiences in and around his home town. After a stint in the US Air Force and then traveling throughout the US, Europe and Asia, Jules settled in San Francisco and has been a Bay Area favorite for over thirty years. His career spans over three decades of shared studio and stage with such luminaries as Ray Charles, Boz Scaggs, Van Morrison, Carlos Santana, Earl Grant, Elvin Bishop, Art Garfunkel and Doctor Hook. Jules especially enjoys performing live and his varied styles, techniques and ability to play to almost any audience can be heard in many venues around the Bay Area. TSL is fortunate to have a true music biz legend sitting in with the band from time to time.
VINCE LATEANO
Renowned bebop jazz drummer Vince Lateano began his professional career as a jazz drummer in the ninth grade. At the age of eighteen, Vince went on the road with pianist Carmen Cavallaro, and on his return to the Bay Area, Vince established himself in San Francisco playing with the likes of Eddie Duran and Vince Guaraldi. He toured with the Woody Herman Band, a band that included Alan Broadbent and Sal Nistico, returned once again to the Bay Area and eventually joined the Cal Tjader group with whom he played until Cal’s untimely death in 1982. Vince appeared on six recordings with Cal including the Grammy Award winning La Onda Va Bien! and the Grammy nominated Gozame! Pero Ya. Other recording credits include albums with Stan Getz, Dizzy Gillespie, Tania Maria, Tom Harrell, Al Cohn, Clare Fischer, Mark Murphy, Eddie Duran, Bill Perkins, Carmen McRae, and Bruce Forman, among others. In addition, Vince has performed with numerous artists including Scott Hamilton, Joe Henderson, Art Farmer, Charlie Byrd, Bill Berry, Benny Carter, John Handy, Chet Baker, Mundell Lowe, and Marlena Shaw. He plays all over the Bay Area and is a perennial favorite at the Monterey Jazz Festival. Vince's last gig at the Purple Onion was thirty years ago, and it's a trip to have him back after all this time.LE JAZZ HOT
LE JAZZ HOT(Clint Baker, Jason Vanderford and Paul Mehling) joined us for our Premier edition of Talk Show Live and totally made the show! The trio celebrates the music of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli’s pioneering Hot Club de France, often called Gypsy jazz. Borrowing the all-string instrumentation of bass and 2 guitars from the original Hot Club, the ensemble breathes new life into the music with innovative arrangements of classic tunes and original compositions. Critics have hailed the group’s playing as “intricate, scorching and often brilliant…”. The Hot Club of San Francisco has the distinction of being the first American Gypsy-swing band to play at the Django Reinhardt Festival in Samoir-sur-Seine, France in 2000. For more about Le Jazz Hot, to sign up for their mailing list and to hear (or buy) their fabulous music, check out their website. SIMON PLANTING
Bassist Simon Planting is an internationally celebrated gypsy jazz musician. Hailing from Holland, he is best known for his work with the Amsterdam-based Robin Nolan Trio, one of the world's top acoustic Django gypsy-jazz bands. As a member of the trio, Simon has performed throughout Europe, the US and Canada. In addition, Simon can be found playing gypsy jazz with Ned Boynton as a member of Cafe Americain.MAL SHARPE
Master trombonist Mal Sharpe has been a much-admired and pivotal member of the San Francisco jazz scene for more than 40 years. In addition to leading his Dixieland jazz band, The Big Money In Jazz Band in gigs all over the Bay Area, Mal hosts a regular Sunday night show “Back On Basin Street” on KCSM/Jazz 91. He does commercials and voice-overs, gives interviews, writes books and is involved with a number of North Beach community projects. Mal made his name as a member of the legendary and ground-breaking "man on the street" comedy team, Coyle & Sharpe, in the 1960s. We're sure he spent his fair share of time at the Purple Onion in those days!JASON VANDERFORD
Guitarist Jason Vanderford has the distinction of being the only musician to have already played TSL with two different bands: the North Beach Irregulars and Le Jazz Hot! A serious guitarist since the age of 15, he's gigged with many bands (including his own, the Hazardous Dukes) and studied swing jazz with an assortment of great teachers including Frank Sumares, Dave Duenos, Chuck Day and Paul Mehling. Currently, Jason is a member of the Hot Club of San Francisco and Cafe Americain.
MICHAEL ZISMAN
Strings virtuoso Michael Zisman holds a Bachelor of Music degree from New Jersey's William Paterson College, where he studiedjazz with teachers such as Rufus Reid, Todd Coolman, Harold Mabern, Joe Lovano, and Norman Simmons. He's most recently played mandolin with the Irregulars, but you might see him on bass or guitar as well (for example, with Cafe Americain). Michael has played with innumerable jazz legends (including Cecil Payne, Junior Cook, George Coleman and Herb Geller, to name but a very few). From 2000 - 2006, he was Artistic Director, Education Director and Programs Manager of the Stanford Jazz Workshop and Festival. In addition to his ongoing performing schedule, Michael conducts clinics clinics in music education and the music business for jazz schools, festivals and conferences around the country, and serves as a consultant for agents and artists, festivals, clubs and music education organizations.