Video
BRQ in Concert, 2024
On March 6, 2020, we played for the first time at San Francisco's historic Cadillac Hotel, as part of its long-running community concert series. We had a wonderful time and looked forward to doing it again, but the pandemic kept us from returning until February 24, 2023.
It was a happy reunion for us with Kathy Looper and the rest of the crew, and again we had a great time playing for the always-appreciative audience at the Cadillac.
Our third appearance in the series took place this past March, and was more fun than ever.
All three concerts were recorded on video, and we're delighted to share them with you here (in reverse chronological order). So pour yourself a glass of wine, kick back and spend a little quality time with The Bob Roden Quintet! Just click on the image (or links) below to get started.
Selected Concert Excerpts
In case you don't have the time for a full concert video, below are a few selected highlights. Be aware, though, that with these individual videos you don't get to experience Bob's jokes or other clever between-tunes repartee, or what his daughter Natalie refers to as his "lectures." The loss is, of course, incalculable, but you gotta do what you gotta do.
Just click on these to enjoy (after they start, click in the box in the lower right to expand):
One For My Baby
(and One More For the Road)
This is one of those rare songs that is so distinctive that it nearly defies classification. It also manages to convey an entire story with just a few well-chosen words.
Blues in the Closet
BRQ plays the classic Oscar Pettiford tune. It is built around one of the most infectious instrumental phrases ever devised by man, and is really, really fun to play.
I Get a Kick Out of You
Bob follows in the footsteps of the great Ethel Merman, who was the first to sing this Cole Porter classic in the 1934 Broadway musical "Anything Goes."
Till Tom Special
BRQ plays the classic Benny Goodman Sextet tune. The original version featured Charlie Christian playing the first recorded electric guitar solo!
Vaccinated Woman
Finally -- a LIVE recording of Bob's original tune, which sets down once and for all the cold, hard realities about love in the time of Covid! Fun to compare this live version with the remotely-recorded shelter-in-place version below.
BRQ YouTube Channel
Many more BRQ videos are available to view on the BRQ YouTube Channel: click HERE to visit!
Shelter-in-Place Videos
Creators got to create, right?
BRQ coped with the Covid era in part by creating a series of videos in which the players' separate, remote performances are combined on video into group performances. It's not quite like playing live, but it's fun and was a way for us to keep sharing our music with the world.
Here, in reverse chronological order, are the most recent videos we made in this manner. Remember to click in the box in the lower right corner of each video to view it full screen!
Seven Come Eleven
BRQ plays a toe-tapping, syncopated instrumental first recorded in 1940 by The Benny Goodman Sextet.
Vaccinated Woman
Bob's original song"Vaccinated Woman" is a little blusier than the group's usual fare, but hey, blues is where jazz came from. We think we should play it on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert -- don't you agree?
Oscar's Bounce
Bob's original composition "Oscar's Bounce" is a musical tribute to friend of the band Oscar Anderson, who appreciated good jazz like few others.
Exactly Like You
BRQ's take on this timeless standard was inspired by Nina Simone, who found a depth in the the song that had eluded others before her.
Old Fashioned Audio
Finally . . . when we were first starting out, we made several audio recordings so people could hear what we sounded like. They've been eclipsed by video in the ensuing years, but I still love listening to them, so here they are for your edification.
OLEO
(rhythm changes bebop tune by Sonny Rollins)
SOMEBODY LOVES ME
(standard by G. Gershwin, B. MacDonald and B. DeSylva)
BLUE BOSSA
(latin classic by Kenny Dorham)