Charlie Shoemake Trio And Quartet: Central Coasting (CCJAZZI)
In addition to being a premier jazz vibraphonist, Charlie Shoemake has long
devoted himself to helping young musicians develop their skills. After he and his vocalist wife Sandi moved from Los Angeles to the Central California coast in 1990, his playing and teaching and playing activities continued, with young musicians making the 440-mile round trip to Cambria to absorb Shoemake’s lessons in improvisation, composition and harmonic development. Among them were musicians now well known, including trombonist Andy Martin, saxophonist Ted Nash, pianist Cecilia Coleman and trumpeter Kye Palmer.
At 80, Shoemake is teaching a new crop of jazz
students. He includes three of them, and Sandi, in his new album named for their home territory. Here is video featuring a piece from the CD, with a theme that will be familiar to many Rifftides readers. If you don’t recognize it, never fear; the band “announces†the title more than once. The players in his new quartet are are Shoemake, vibes; Josh Collins, guitar; Keegan Harshman, bass; and Darrell Voss, drums.
To find the Central Coasting album, go here and scroll all the way to the bottom of the long page.
Shoemake’s website includes a quote from the late pianist Hank Jones hinting at the vibraphonist’s unique skills:
Charlie has something going with not only his playing but his compositions as well that I haven’t heard before. I think being on the west coast has hurt him as far as the recognition he should have. I know I’d like to play a lot more with him…
Evidence of their work together is hard to find, but it exists; Jones is a sideman on the rare Shoemake album shown here.