Baida Quartet featuring Jason Moran
2013-11-21
Miner Auditorium
SFJAZZ Center, 205 Franklin St, San Francisco, CA
7:30 PM, Thursday, November 21, 2013
[7:34 PM lights down, announcements by Randall Kline]
[8:52 PM lights down]
Crazy winds tonight – downed trees on three different highways as we make our way in from Oakland – but except for being more crowded than usual, our drive was uneventful, and we snagged a parking spot about a block away from the hall like usual.
A good first set. Perched in the balcony like usual, the sound is exceptionally good. Nonetheless, we opt to move during the break, so second set we upgrade to F10-14… much closer, if shoved off a little to the left! Our new seats afford us an excellent view of Jason at work – we are sitting at just the right angle and height to have a clear view of the master at work! One down side of our new seating is that we are also MUCH closer to the drumset and slightly below the PA. As you might guess, this tilts the sound balance, considerably diminishing the contributions of the piano and trumpet. Which is not to complain that the sound here is bad, only that it is different. No surprise there! Despite this, I prefer the closer seat, as it helps me to feel more immersed in the performance and less like an analytical observer.
Was it a good show? Heavens yes, these guys are experts! I look forward to my next chance to hear them!