Great Gig in Baltimore at Caton Castle

Great Gig in Baltimore at Caton Castle

Really had fun with these great players in Baltimore. Tom Williams – trumpet, Lenny Robinson-drums, Tim Murphy – piano, Geoff Harper-bass. Here’s a review of the gig from an enthusiastic jazz fan, Mr Gregory Lewis.

Great Tribune Article About Natalies Wood Plays Roland Kirk!

Great Tribune Article About Natalies Wood Plays Roland Kirk!

Great write up in the Chicago Tribune. This is a great band !! We play the amazing music of jazz genius , Rahsaan Roland Kirk !! Natalie Lande – saxes and flute, Natalie Scharf – saxes and flute, Juli Wood – saxes, flute and vocals, Brian O’Hern – piano, Matt Furguson – bass, Mike Schlick – drums Shows at 8:00 and 10:00 nightly. Also child friendly matinee on Sunday at 4:00 pm.

Local saxophonist Juli Wood pays homage to her Finnish roots on her new album

Local saxophonist Juli Wood pays homage to her Finnish roots on her new album

Chicago saxophonist Juli Wood is clearly a fan of that Farmer album as well. Today is the release date of an impressive quartet album called Synkkä Metsä(OA2)—the title is Finnish for “dark forest”—which was inspired by the Farmer album. The mixture of Finnish, Karelian, and Aland Islands traditional songs are probably more ingrained in Wood’s makeup than those Swedish melodies were for Farmer, though—her grandparents were all Finnish immigrants.

Juli Wood Quartet: Synkka Metsa (Dark Forest)

Juli Wood Quartet: Synkka Metsa (Dark Forest)

Chicago’s Juli Wood—who plays multiple reeds, but sticks to the tenor saxophone here—explores her Finnish heritage on Synkka Metsa, a collection of Finnish folk songs. Inspired by trumpeter Art Farmer’s Scandinavian foray, To Sweden with Love (Atlantic Records, 1964), that featured quartet with Jim Hall on guitar, Wood employes her own quartet here, with bassist Clark Sommers sitting in on bass, Alejandro Urzagaste on guitar and Mike Schlick on drums.