ScottClark4tet @ Commercial Taphouse Nov. 17th 9pm

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This Sunday (November 17th) at 9pm the ScottClark4tet will be playing at the Commercial Taphouse in our fair city #rva.  It’s always a great honor to get to play with this group and we’re excited to try out some of our new music.

I still have a few copies of our record A&B and I’ll have them with me.
(in the meantime you can still purchase digital copies here http://scottclark4tet.bandcamp.com/)

I hope that you can join us….

November 17th, 2013
ScottClark4tet
Commercial Taphouse
9pm FREE
11 North Robinson St.
Richmond, VA 23220

ScottClark4tet:
Cameron Ralston-bass
Bob Miller-trumpet
Jason Scott-saxophone
Scott Clark-drums

more soon….and thank you for all of the support

ScottClark4tet @ Commercial Taphouse 8/11 9pm

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Join us as we make our return to one of the best spots in rva, the Commercial Taphouse.
It’s been some time since we played at the Taphouse and we’re looking forward to trying out some new music.
(music by  Jean Sibelius, Gerry Mulligan and Chet Baker, Eric Dolphy, Charles Mingus…and all the ScottClark4tet standards….)

Also, we’ll be starting the music right at 9pm…..

And if you’ve been waiting for your chance to purchase one of the last few physical copies of our record “A&B”, now’s your chance.  (all major credit cards accepted…..!)

Thank you for all of your support…..

Sunday August 11
9:00pm sharp
Free
11 North Robinson Street
Richmond, VA 23220

ScottClark4tet:
Cameron Ralston-bass
Jason Scott-saxophone
Bob Miller-trumpet
Scott Clark-drums

more soon……….

ScottClark4tet+1 ft. Jeb Bishop (Commercial Taphouse RVA)

photo by lauren serpaimages

Join us this Sunday night (Feb 10th) at everyone’s favorite watering hole and one of the best places to hear music in RVA…the Commercial Taphouse.

This show is a truly special performance as we will be joined by the great trombonist Jeb Bishop. Some of you may remember when Jeb’s trio opened up for NOBS a few years ago, or more recently in duo performances with Tim Daisy and Jorrit Dijkstra. Jeb has been a staple in the Chicago jazz scene for years and recently made the move to North Carolina. Now we’re excited to have him come back to Richmond to play with us.

You can read more about Jeb, and hear some of his music, on his website at http://www.jebbishop.com/

I hope you can join us….

ScottClark4tet+1 ft. Jeb Bishop
Commercial Taphouse
111 N Robinson St. Richmond, VA
9:30pm
Free

ScottClark4tet:
Jason Scott-saxophone
Bob Miller-trumpet
Cameron Ralston-bass
Scott Clark-drums
(you can purchase our album here http://scottclark4tet.bandcamp.com/)

Jeb Bishop:
Jeb Bishop was born in Raleigh, North Carolina during the Cuban missile crisis. He began playing the trombone at the age of 10, under the tutelage of Cora Grasser. Other influential teachers during junior high and high school included Jeanne Nelson, Eric Carlson, Richard Fecteau, Greg Cox, and James Cozart.

He majored in classical trombone performance at Northwestern University from 1980-82, studying with Frank Crisafulli. Deciding he did not want to pursue a career as an orchestral musician, he returned to Raleigh in 1982 and took up engineering studies at NC State University. Raleigh’s developing underground rock scene attracted him, and from 1982-84 he played bass guitar in rock bands in the Raleigh area.

At the same time, he developed an interest in philosophy, eventually majoring in the subject, and spent 1984-85 studying philosophy at the Higher Institute of Philosophy of the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium.

Returing to Raleigh in 1985, he spent the next few years working at menial jobs and playing guitar, bass, cheap keyboards, drums, etc., in rock bands including and/or, the Angels of Epistemology, Egg, and Metal Pitcher.

In 1989 he left Raleigh to pursue graduate studies in philosophy, first at the University of Arizona, then at Loyola University of Chicago (where he was awarded the Crown Fellowship in the Humanities). During 1991-92 he returned to Europe, spending the summer of 1991 studying German at the Goethe-Institut Iserlohn (now closed), and then pursuing independent studies in philosophy at the French-language division of the University of Louvain.

Returning to Chicago in 1992, he completed his M.A. at Loyola in 1993. By this time he had already begun to make connections with improvising musicians in Chicago, having joined the Flying Luttenbachers as bassist (later adding trombone) in late 1992, and playing guitar occasionally in a quartet with Weasel Walter, Ken Vandermark, and Kevin Drumm. Other bands during this period included the Unheard Music Quartet (with Vandermark, Mike Hagedorn on trombone, and Otto Huber on drums) and the Rev Trio (with Walter and saxophonist Joe Vajarsky). Bishop played electric bass in both these bands.

In late 1995, Bishop joined the Vandermark 5 as one of its founding members, and remained with the band through the end of 2004. During this period he also became associated with many other groups, including the Peter Brötzmann Chicago Tentet, School Days, Ken Vandermark’s Territory Band, and his own Jeb Bishop Trio, and became a very frequent participant in ad hoc and free-improvised concerts in Chicago. Bishop performed in the inaugural concerts of two of the longest-running free-music concert series in Chicago: the Myopic Books weekly concerts (originally at Czar Bar; with Rev Trio) and the Empty Bottle Wednesday night concert series (with a quartet of Terri Kapsalis, Kevin Drumm, and Jim O’Rourke). He curated the monthly Chicago Improvisers Group concerts at the Green Mill from 1999-2002, and co-curated the weekly Eight Million Heroes concert series at Sylvie’s in 2005-6.

Bishop has made dozens of recordings with many different groups, has toured North America and Europe many times, and maintains a busy performing schedule.

Bandcamp Birthday Blowout Comb

photo by lauren serpa

(yeah the title of the post is a Digable Planets reference….and?)
If you’ve been waiting to get the ScottClark4tet record “A&B”, now’s the time.  In celebration of my birthday you can download your copy from the Bandcamp page for $5.  Enjoy! And thank you to everyone for all of your support….

More music to come…..

(you can see us live on Sunday Feb. 10th at the Commercial Taphouse, Richmond, VA)

click the A&B below to go to the Bandcamp page to download the album…..
ScottClark4tet A&B

4tet returns to the Commercial Taphouse 11/4

Join us as we make our return to one of the best spots in rva, the Commercial Taphouse.
The four of us spent the past month touring with Matthew E White and the Mountain Goats and now we’re ready to get a little freaky back in rva.
The show is free and the beer and food will be flowing so get there early and stay late.

We’ll also have some copies of our new record “A&B” with us for sale.

Sunday November 4th
9:30pm
Free
11 North Robinson Street
Richmond, VA 23220

ScottClark4tet:
Cameron Ralston-bass
Jason Scott-saxophone
Bob Miller-trumpet
Scott Clark-drums

Style Weekly Article and Commercial Taphouse 6/10

In this weeks issue of Richmond’s Style Weekly there is an article about myself and the 4tet.  Thanks to Peter McElhinney, of Style Weekly, for writing the article and for all of the support.  You can read the article here (Style Weekly)

Also, we will be playing at the Commercial Taphouse in Richmond this Sunday (6/10).  The show starts at 9:30pm and is free.  We will have copies of the new ScottClark4tet cd, A&B, available at the show and if you can’t wait until then you can download your copy on the bandcamp page here. (http://scottclark4tet.bandcamp.com)

Thanks to everyone for your support and we hope you can make it to the show….
more soon….

ScottClark4tet
Sunday June 10th
Commercial Taphouse
111 North Robinson Street  Richmond, VA 23220
9:30pm
Free

ScottClark4tet album “A&B” now available for download (and in person)


I am happy to announce that the ScottClark4tet album is officially available for download via our bandcamp site. (http://scottclark4tet.bandcamp.com/)
We had a great show celebrating the release of the album and we were fortunate to have Tim Daisy and Jeb Bishop play a duo set to start out the night.
Their set was amazing and they are touring in support of their new duo album “Old Shoulders”.  You can find more information about their album and how to get a copy on Tim’s website.  (http://timdaisy.wordpress.com/).
Thanks to everyone for coming out to the show and showing your support.

Physical copies of our record are also available for $10 (partially hand painted by yours truly).  Send me an email if you would like to purchase one.

We will be playing on Sunday June 10th at the Commercial Taphouse in Richmond (9:30pm FREE), and we will have cds available at that show.
(there may also be a special guest at the show….stay tuned for more info)

More soon…
Thanks again for the support

Free Jazz, Local Morning News, Shows in NYC and CT….and more

photo by Lauren Serpa

This week the 4tet goes on the road for a short stretch of shows in Connecticut and New York…and we play on the local Richmond CBS morning show “Virginia This Morning”.

First on Tuesday May 8th, we’ll bring our free jazz sounds to the early morning local news.  Free Jazz and Morning News are not usually talked about in the same sentence, so be sure to tune in to see what happens.  The program is on CBS 6 in Richmond, and runs from 9-10am.  We will play twice so we hope you’ll check it out or set the dvr.

Next, on Wednesday May 9th we’re going to New Haven Connecticut to play at The Uncertainty Music Series presented by the great bassist/composer Carl Testa.  The show will take place at The Elm Bar (372 Elm St. New Haven, CT).  Show starts at 9pm ($5 suggested donation) and we’ll be playing 2 sets of music, one of which will be the second performance of our suite of music based off of the book “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee” by Dee Brown and on my own research into my family history.  (more info

Then on Thursday May 10th we’ll be playing at IBeam in Brooklyn, NY.  This show will be with Blood Syndicate Trio featuring Darius Jones– alto, Jason Nazary– drums and Sean Conly– bass.  Cameron, Darius and myself used to have a trio together when Darius was still living in Richmond called CUD, and we’re excited to be sharing the stage together again.  The show starts at 8:30 and there is a $10 suggested donation.  (IBeam 168 7th Street  Brooklyn, NY 11215)

And if you happen to be in, or near, Richmond on Wednesday May 9th there is going to be a great show happening in town.  The amazing Peter Evans and Travis Laplante will both be playing solo sets and this will be the second show at the amazing ForInstance Gallery with the phenomenal artwork of local artist Martin B. Johnson (http://www.martinbjohnson.com/) as the back drop to the show.  They will be joined with a great trio of musicians from Richmond featuring Scott Burton- guitar, Pinson Chanselle- drums and John Lilley- sax.  The last show featuring Bererberg was a great success and we’re excited about having these world class musicians coming to Richmond.  We hope that you’ll come show support for the music. (Some more information can be found via the facebook event here http://www.facebook.com/events/420593331292846/)

Peter Evans- Trumpet
Travis Laplante- Saxophone
Scott Burton, Pinson Chanselle, John Lilley
ForInstance Gallery
107 East Cary St Richmond, VA 23220
Doors at 7:30 show starts at 8:00pm
$5 ($10 Suggested Donation)

Thanks for everyone’s support and we hope to see you at these great shows.
Stay tuned for more shows coming in May including the ScottClark4tet cd release show on May 22nd.