BOP ARTS presents THE PAUL SMOKER NOTET Sunday July 15th 7:30pm Lovin' Cup Brews & Bistro 300 Park Point Drive Off Jefferson Rd near RIT $10 at the door.
Trumpeter Paul Smoker has the distinction of playing the Bop Shop the most number of times. His first appearance dates back to 1994, when he first moved to Rochester and sat in with the Peter Brotzmann Trio. The first gig under his own name was with his trio with bassist Drew Gress and drummer Phil Haynes back in 1996. Since then he’s led groups here a remarkable 20 times. And that’s not counting the times he’s sat in with various players over the years. So many of these appearances have been memorable: like the night his Halloween Quartet with sax player Vinny Golia shared the bill with Trio X and the two bands merged for a remarkable third set. Or the night he sat in with bass trombone master Dave Taylor's trio. Or the night he brought in a quartet to do a remarkable set of variations on standards. His appearances here have resulted in several recordings as well: Duocity In Brass & Wood, a double disc set that presented two shows he did in duet with two different basses (Dominic Duval and Ed Schuller) and the limited edition Live At The Bop Shop recorded with his Notet.
But perhaps the most memorable concert was last year when, after major heart surgery and a lengthy recuperation period, he made a triumphant return to the Bop Shop for a concert with his Notet (Steve Salerno on guitar, Ed Schuller on bass and Phil Haynes on drums) that presented a striking evening of music. His playing was as strong and assured as ever and the packed house responded with rapturous applause. And now we're happy to welcome him back, once again with the Notet. Paul Smoker is one of Rochester's local treasures and we're lucky to have a musician of his caliber and stature residing here. And we're happy to present a man who has given us some of the best shows the Bop Shop has been proud to produce.
