Steve Guattery
Steve Guattery
We drank our last bottle of the Jacques Puffeney 2000 Trousseau "Les Berangeres" Arbois last week. Fascinating stuff. It was light red, though shifted noticeably toward the orange end of the spectrum. The nose had a faint note that reminded me of grade-school poster paints. In addition, there was a slightly lifted quality and something between hyacinth and unripe strawberries, fruit notes that were a little darker than black cherry, and a mushroom/earth/funk that reminded me of good, aged Pinot Noir. Smooth on the palate, with flavors that followed the nose. Theres still some tannin, though its extremely smooth and silky. The finish was long and tasty. Laugh-out-loud good. I think it will hold for a few more years at least. Man!
Last night Steve Coleman and Five Elements played here. The performance was as pleasing in its way as the Puffeney. The group played a medley of compositions that lasted an hour and a half, then Coleman asked the audience if they had any questions. A couple of good questions led to Coleman's explaining (and the band demonstrating) the basic ideas of the compositions. I'm told that they are driving cross country, with a gig in Kansas City on Friday night, then a Sunday gig in Seattle. Fans of slightly-out-of-the-mainstream jazz in those places should take note.
Last night Steve Coleman and Five Elements played here. The performance was as pleasing in its way as the Puffeney. The group played a medley of compositions that lasted an hour and a half, then Coleman asked the audience if they had any questions. A couple of good questions led to Coleman's explaining (and the band demonstrating) the basic ideas of the compositions. I'm told that they are driving cross country, with a gig in Kansas City on Friday night, then a Sunday gig in Seattle. Fans of slightly-out-of-the-mainstream jazz in those places should take note.