 November 1998 |
CULTUREhot list
[Color photo of Anton Schwartz] You couldn't fault saxophone player Anton Schwartz for being a bit full of himself if he were, which he's not. When Schwartz was in high school, the legendary vibraphonist Lionel Hampton said, "Do you think he'd like to play a ballad with me?" And last year, sax master Illinois Jacquet, who's half a century older than Schwartz, told him, "You play the tenor sax like it's meant to be played." Now 31, Schwartz writes sophisticated, swinging compositions and has a wonderfully warm, expressive sound. As does the Anton Schwartz Quartet (pianist Paul Nagel, drummer Jason Lewis, and bass player John Shifflett, joined, on occasion, by conga player Josh Jones). You can catch them this month at one of the few jazz clubs in the city to feature the kind of solid, straight-ahead music that Schwartz and his colleagues play so well. NOV. 27-28, JAZZ AT PEARL'S, 256 COLUMBUS AVE., S.F. (415) 291-8255. [page 70] |