What: Wally Schnalle for Jazz at South FIRST FRIDAYS
When: Friday, March 4, 9pm-11pm
Where: Eulipia Restaurant & Bar, 374 S. 1st Street, San Jose (MAP)
Cost: FREE!
Wally Schnalle has been skirting around the Bay Area jazz scene since he quit his Silicon Valley desk job in order to pursue a career playing drums back in 1984. Since then, the freewheeling percussionist has found himself headlining shows across California as well as landing on the bill for several festivals, including the big one in Monterey. In between concerts, Schnalle’s schedule resembles nothing of his cubicle impaired past life – in fact, it’s pretty much one giant drum-athon, from teaching lessons to his position as editor for DRUM! Magazine.
"Drummer/composer Schnalle says he proudly wears the fusion label. And by that he means a fusion of Jazz, Rock, Afro-Cuban music, and the music of Southern India, among other influences (one of his compositions carries the bi-cultural title "Nehru Guayabera."). This latest CD is heavy on the electric Rock sound with excellent Jazz and Jazz-Rock improvisations, including those by the fiery Brecker-influenced tenorist Zinn. Massanari also generates heat in choruses that deftly combine elements of Rock and Jazz guitar. The compositions are all Schnalle's, and they mostly involve a combination of various meters, making for interesting rhythmic settings. The composer's drums are always out front, creating an electrifying context for the execution of his charts. Some examples of the latter are "Side Step," which suggests the music of the former fusion group Steps Ahead, the programmatic "Saturday Night Stilettos," that cleverly conveys a sense of a leisurely stroll down an urban street, and the funk-laden "You Don't Even Know," that provides an opportunity for the leader to generate an exhilarating solo of his own over Muscat's ostinato bass line and Massanari's sustained guitar chords. Schnalle's music is consistently fresh, interesting, and sustaining." -- David Franklin, in the current issue of Cadence Magazine.
All repeats 