MONDAY DEC. 5--ROB WAGNER, HAMID DRAKE, NOBU OZAKI--D.B.A. 10PM Rob Wagner, saxophones Hamid Drake, drums Nobu Ozaki, bass "Drummer and international jazz-underground superstar Hamid Drake returns to New Orleans to play this concert and record with New Orleans' Rob Wagner and Nobu Ozaki." Or that's how I would have billed this back in September, when it was originally scheduled. But now Rob is in New York instead of d.b.a. every Monday night and Nobu is exploring opportunities in Portland, OR instead of on Frenchmen Street. The great value of what was too often taken for granted has now been revealed by its absence. So let's celebrate the rare return of these creative musicians to New Orleans with your support of this show. Hamid Drake is the one of the great drummers of his generation. His list of associations is immense and immensely varied: stars such as Don Cherry, David Murray, Herbie Hancock, and Pharaoh Sanders: creative music legends Peter Brotzmann, Misha Mengelberg, Ken Vandermark, Fred Anderson, William Parker, and New Orleans own Kidd Jordan; and world music and reggae performers Foday Musa Suso, Sister Carol, the I-Tals, and the Heptones. He brings to every project tremendous commitment and spirit, and he has the rare ability to find freedom in the groove and the groove in free time and space. Hamid has appeared numerous times in New Orleans and has many fans here, and we are blessed that he is able to come down here in this time of need. Saxophonist and composer Rob Wagner brought his trio into d.b.a. every Monday night for the past four years while playing all self-composed music, thus proving that creative and original music can find a regular audience in New Orleans. Allaboutjazz.com says Rob is "a top-flight improviser" whose "tunes bubble over with soul expressed in liberated terms," and that sounds about right to me. LOST CHILDREN, Rob's third trio cd on the Valid Records label, will be released in January, 2006. This will be Rob's first return to New Orleans since Katrina, and we don't know when he will make it back so don't miss this show. Things have changed, you can just catch him next week! Nobu Ozaki put down his drum sticks and picked up the bass over six year ago, and he has been in near constant demand ever since, playing several hundred gigs a year. In addition to being called for many trad. gigs, Nobu also performs with such-wide ranging outfits as the Naked Orchestra and the New Orleans Klezmer All-Stars. Nobu, for now, is part of the New Orleans ex-pat jazz community in Portland, OR. I'm counting on your support for this rare and beautiful event; but don't come out for my benefit but for your own. Benjamin Lyons VALID RECORDS "Valid Where Prohibited!"

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