JAZZ DRUMMER NATE WINN WRAPS UP A THREE-NIGHT RUN AT THE DIRTY DOG JAZZ CAFÉ WITH STANDARDS AND ORIGINAL COMPOSITIONS

Drummer Nate Winn

I first heard the jazz drummer Nate Winn years ago. He was a talented up-and-comer in vocalist Jesse Palter's band, including a young pianist Mike Jellick and bassist Ben Williams, who are certified stars today. Winn was the band's centerpiece, and his playing resembled that of drummer Art Taylor, a combination of grit and sophistication. Over the years, Winn has developed into a complete player with a work history, including runs with pianist Danilo Perez, bassist Robert Hurst, and saxophonist Joshua Redman. As a bandleader, Winn has an eye for thirsty, young talent, which he demonstrated Saturday evening during the closing of Winn's three-night residency at the Dirty Dog Jazz Café in Grosse Pointe. Winn employed two hungry lions, making quite a name for themselves on the Detroit jazz scene: the saxophonist Houston Patton and pianist Brendon Davis. Patton wolfed down the changes to Winn's original music like a hot lunch. The accomplished bass player Damon Warmack was the band's OG and one of Winn's longtime mentors. The set was a mix of standards and original tunes. The original numbers diverted the audience's attention from their entrees to the band's performance and kept them engaged until the set ended. The band opened with a modernized working of Thelonious Monk's "Evidence," followed by pianist Cameron Graves's "Adam and Eve."  The band's potential was immediately striking. If Winn figured out how to keep this band working, it could be as popular as longstanding bands such as the Branford Marsalis Quartet and Wingspan. Winn's band collective telepathy shone on Winn's originals "A Song of Peace" and "Reassurance." The biggest takeaway from the set was Winn's complete musicality. His soloing was not over the top, and he embodied a selflessness uncommon among bandleaders. Winn preferred to point the zoom lens at his bandmates, particularly when Davis, who, on a few solo excursions, behaved as if he were the leader. Winn has exceeded all the potential he showed years ago, building his chops in Palter's band. Witnessing him as a bandleader left me wanting to see how tight Winn's band will be in the coming years if he can keep the band together, swinging.

 

JAZZ PIANIST CYRUS CHESTNUT'S PERFECT PRESENTATION OF A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS WAS INTERRUPTED AT THE PARADISE JAZZ SERIES

Pianist Cyrus Chestnut

Cyrus Chestnut has a rough time completing a concert at the Paradise Jazz Series without incident. He's one of the leading jazz pianists of his generation and one of the few acts that consistently pack the PJS. Last year, he performed his annual Charlie Brown Christmas set. Midway through the stellar presentation, a mentally fucked up person called Chestnut a nigger. The incident made the local news. The class act that he is Chestnut continued swinging after the bigot scum was rushed out of Orchestra Hall. Friday evening, Chestnut returned to PJS for another serving of a Charlie Brown Christmas. Drummer Kelton Norris, bassist Herman Burney, and special guest vocalist Haley Driver were in the throes of a perfect game when some unexpected drama happened. It was a big night for the young vocalist, Driver, a native of St. Louis, who lived up to Chestnut's buildup. He told the packed concert hall Driver would sell out Ford Field and Madison Square Garden one day. Talk about being put on the spot. Driver didn't choke. She managed timeless holiday classics such as "Christmas is Coming," "Winter Wonderland," and "Christmas Song" like a vocalist with decades of stage experience. Driver even served a soul-tingling version of "When I Fall in Love." Chestnut was brilliant all night, particularly on reworking "My Little Drum." The drama occurred near the end of the concert. A woman sitting near the stage collapsed. The music stopped when someone yelled for a doctor as Chestnut built another outstanding solo. The focus went from the bandstand to the woman. Chestnut told everybody to stay calm and ended the concert shortly after. I felt terrible for the woman who attended the concert for an evening of Christmas swing but ended up on the floor receiving CPR. I also felt for Chestnut, who has always played his ass off in Detroit. Getting him to return to the jazz series after being hit last year with the ugliest word in the English language took convincing. I also couldn't help thinking about the rumor circulating at the Detroit Jazz Festival that bassist Stanley Clark is jinxed. His set gets canceled because of inclement weather whenever he's scheduled to headline the festival. I pray Chestnut will continue to play the series because he's so adorned here.

 

TWO VOCALISTS PAY TRIBUTE TO BETTY CARTER AT THE DETROIT JAZZ PRESERVATION CONCERT SERIES

Vocalist Betty Carter

 After the Detroit Jazz Preservation Concert Series for the late vibist Milt Jackson last month, the series’ founder, trombonist Vincent Chandler, announced the next concert would be a homage to Detroit vocalist Betty Carter. I wondered immediately after the announcement what vocalists Chandler had in mind to pull off the Carter tribute. There isn’t a shortage of terrific jazz vocalists around Detroit. I surmised selecting one was the most challenging aspect of creating a program of Carter’s music. Carter was a legendary jazz vocalist and mentor to generations of jazz stars. She developed her unique style during the formative leg of her career in bands led by Lionel Hampton and Dizzy Gillespie. For Sunday’s afternoon DJPCS tribute, Chandler chose vocalists Isis Damil and Monique Ella Rose. Both embody the talent and drive to have the impact Carter had. Chandler picked seven of Carter’s famous compositions and created the perfect working environment for Damil and Rose to have some fun. I appreciated Damil and Rose’s handling of Carter’s work. They never tried to copy Carter’s manner of singing, which was my primary complaint of a tribute to Carter two years back at the Carr Center. Damil and Rose’s singing was breathtaking, and they seemed at home with Carter’s music, especially Damil. She has an infectious stage presence. Midway through the opening number, “Ego,” she had the near-capacity audience at Schaver Music Recital Hall won over. She respectfully refashioned Carter’s “Tight,” Make Him Believe,” and “Naima Love Song.” Damil is from a generation that has diverse interests. Her voice is such that she could succeed in whatever genre of music she dedicates herself to. As a jazz writer with an affinity for jazz vocalists, I pray Damil will dedicate her voice to jazz exclusively. Indeed, the jazz world will be better off with such effervescent talent. Before Rose sang “Who What Why Where When,” she confessed that she wasn’t a jazz singer per se but a soul singer, and when she completed flexing on “Droppin’ Things” and “30 Years,” I was convinced she was a capable jazz vocalist who could navigate every facet of jazz. Rose has a voice that hugs you tightly like a cashmere sweater, and she knows how to expose the marrow of a song. Chandler assembled another stellar group: saxophonist Houston Patton, bassist Jonathon Muir-Cotton, drummer Brandon Williams, and pianist Jordan Anderson. Each played marvelously, particularly Muir-Cotton and Anderson. Muir Cotton's soloing was a highlight, and Anderson demonstrated he has a sensitive streak and understands the details of accompanying complete vocalists like Damil and Rose

THE DETROIT JAZZ PRESERVATION CONCERT SERIES CELEBRATES MILT JACKSON

 

Milt Jackson

Can a tribute to the great jazz vibraphonist Milt Jackson be successful without including a vibraphonist equal to Jackson's skills and jazz acumen? I pondered that Sunday evening at Schaver Music Recital during the Milt Jackson tribute presented by the Detroit Jazz Preservation Concert Series. The series founder, trombonist Vincent Chandler, answered the question soon after the performance commenced, explaining to the near-capacity audience there's a shortage of jazz vibraphonists in Michigan. Then Chandler demonstrated beautifully for 90 minutes that Jackson's compositions fit any assortment of instrumentation. For this second concert of the DJPCS's second season, Chandler adhered to a formula that made the inaugural season a rousing success, assembling a cross-generation of top Detroit jazz musicians. Pianist Scott Gwinnell, drummer Louis M. Jones III, bassist Ralphe Armstrong, and tenor saxophonist Stephen Grady were the Detroiters Chandler selected to honor Jackson. Jackson was one of the native Detroiters who cultivated a legendary career suffused with accolades and classic recordings. Most jazz people know him as the pulse of the celebrated Modern Jazz Quartet. The concert opened with Jackson's "Put Off." A time-tested move from Chandler's playbook as a bandleader is allowing each bandmate to swing unfettered. Throughout the concert, it felt as if Jackson wrote the compositions with an intimate familiarity of each bandmate's soloing and improvisational prowess in mind. Armstrong, a colorful bassist, and a closet comic, walked holes in the soles of the bass on "Namesake" and "Ignunt Oil." On "The Spirit-Feel," trumpeter John Douglas showed that he was a cold swinger with traces of trumpeter Freddie Hubbard's improvisational expertise. Jones, the youngest band member, was tasked with the timekeeper's responsibility. Throughout the concert, he drummed like being in Chandler’s outfit was one of his chief aspirations. The drummer played with self-assurance and a command of the drumkit that belies his age. Yes, Jones is still moist behind the ears, but he's developed rimshot by rimshot into a fine jazz drummer. The always-consistent Stephen Grady blew brilliantly. He's meticulous, and embodies an alluring, lover-man's tone on the tenor saxophone. Chandler only selected six of the many compositions Jackson penned over his five-decade career. I bet that was an arduous undertaking for Chandler. I was disappointed the band did not call "Bag's Groove," Jackson's most famous composition. The Jackson tribute was well attended, and the band rendered his music as if individually blessed by his spirit.

THE LATE JAZZ TRUMPETER MARCUS BELGRAVE ORIGINAL COMPOSITIONS PREMIERES AT THE BLUE LLAMA

The late trumpeter Marcus Belgrave and Vocalist Joan Belgrave

The late jazz trumpeter and educator Marcus Belgrave had a storied career known globally as a mentor to jazz titans such as saxophonist Kenny Garrett, violinist Regina Carter, and bassist Robert Hurst. Belgrave spent the bulk of that storied career swinging in landmark ensembles and mentoring generations of jazz musicians, but few were aware of another piece to his overall genius. He was a prolific original music composer inspired by renowned jazz composers such as pianist Horace Silver. Belgrave's widow, the vocalist Joan Belgrave, has been on a mission to put out Belgrave's music for the world to enjoy and learn from. Part of that mission is to have Belgrave's music taught globally at conservatories and universities; a vast undertaking given the severe health concerns that she recently overcame. Belgrave's music has now been collected in a handsome 153-page book, titled the "Marcus Belgrave Songbook." Saturday at the Blue Llama Jazz Club in Ann Arbor, Michigan, a capacity audience received the first dibs of Belgrave's original compositions. Joan Belgrave assembled a regional and multi-generational group to present the music. Saxophonists Stephen Grady and Kasan Belgrave and trumpeters Don Hicks and Dwight Adams shared the frontline responsibilities, and drummer Gayelynn McKinney, bassist Marion Hayden, and pianist Mike Malis had the rhythm section on lock. Malis was entrusted with the formidable task of transcribing Belgrave’s composition and saxophonist Cassius Richmond wrote all the arrangements. The evening had to be nerve-wracking for Belgrave, given the musician's limited exposure to the original music and only committing to a day or two of rehearsal. However, the meticulous handling of the music by each musician should've assuaged any concerns Belgrave harbored about the successful outcome of finally putting out Belgrave's work. The group was on fire from start to conclusion. They swung through Belgrave's "Brownie Town," "All My Love," "Glue Fingers," and "Space Odyssey" as if each musician had been raised musically from birth to perform Belgrave's music exclusively. McKinney was the crowd favorite. She was all over the drumkit like an overbearing supervisor. And Adams's earthy and sophisticated trumpeting resembled Belgrave's signature style. Adams was comfortable as a fat man at a breakfast buffet in both the upper and lower register of his horn. The only notable shortcoming was that Joan Belgrave only sang once. She owns one of the world's loveliest voices, and the evening would've been even more special had she performed more. This time, she seemed more comfortable serving as the concert’s MC, explaining the genesis of the music and egging on the musicians. The concert was too short, I complained to myself. Midway through, I hoped the band would perform every composition in the songbook. But isn't wanting more the sign of a well-crafted concert? At the concert’s end, I felt privileged to have first dibs at experiencing Belgrave’s music. Fortunately, Belgrave has scheduled another show on June 15th at Trinosophes in Detroit for those who missed the Blue Llama performance.

 

THE DETROIT JAZZ PRESERVATION CONCERT SERIES ENDS INAUGURAL SEASON WITH A TRIBUTE TO DONALD BYRD

Trumpeter Donald Byrd

Jazz trombonist and founder of the Detroit Jazz Preservation Concert Series, Vincent Chandler, had good reason to cancel the series' final concert, a tribute to trumpeter Donald Byrd Sunday afternoon at Schaver Recital Hall on the campus of Wayne State University. Chandler told the near-capacity audience that his younger brother had passed away. Chandler was understandably emotional while introducing his bandmates and the concert's setlist, cautioning the audience that he might not make it through the concert. However, like the consummate professional jazz musician Chandler is respected for being, he went on to serve one of the best concerts of the DJPCS inaugural season. He assembled another superb cross-generational jazz group of regional Detroit jazz musicians, drummer Gaylelynn McKinney, saxophonist Kasan Belgrave, bassist Ralphe Armstrong, pianist Wesley Reynoso, and trumpeter Dwight Adams. The setlist included Byrd's original compositions. The 90-minute set opened with Byrd's "Cat Walk," right away, Adams established himself as the group's centerpiece. During his solo, it sounded like Byrd was on the bandstand whispering what notes to play in Adams's ear. He seemed hellbent on channeling Byrd's spirit all concert long. He cites Byrd as one of his biggest influences. After the band burned rubber through the opener, they modernized Byrd's "The Third." Belgrave kicked the tempo in the ass and then went about weaving in and out the chord changes like a traffic cop. For a young swinger still finding his way, he has developed a surprisingly sophisticated tone on the alto sax, peculiar to a saxophonist with decades more life experience. The concert got better and better with each selection Chandler called. Although his mind was on his brother's passing, He was in perfect sync with the band the entire concert, with his spirits being uplifted by each solo his bandmates played, especially Reynoso, the crowd favorite. This concert was the first time I've experienced Reynoso. When he soloed on "Fly Little Bird Fly" and "The Blues Medium Rare," I felt like I was listening to Bud Powell at his pinnacle. McKinney and Armstrong have been musical soulmates for years. Armstrong was his customary animated self, picking the bass clean as a fat man's breakfast plate, and McKinney rimshots shook the recital hall foundation. In just a short year, the DJPCS has become a rousing hit, and Chandler's hard work has resulted in more funding for a second season.

 

THE BRANFORD MARSALIS QUARTET DELIGHTS SOLDOUT AUDIENCE AT THE PARADISE JAZZ SERIES

The Branford Marsalis Quartet

Friday evening at the Branford Marsalis Quartet concert at the Paradise Jazz Series, either of the eight compositions performed could have been regarded as the concert's high point. Pianist Joey Calderazzo, bassist Eric Revis, drummer Justin Faulkner, and Marsalis burn rubber on the stage for 90 minutes, which honestly is not surprising, given the quartet has been swinging together three decades now with only one change in personnel, Faulkner replacing the great Jeff "Tain" Watts in 2009. One noteworthy thing about this quartet is that when you attend one of their concerts, it feels as if you are experiencing two concerts for the price of one, especially when Calderazzo and Faulkner are trading. The Friday night concert opened with Calderazzo's original "Conversations," with each member drag-racing through the changes. The quartet maintained the same take-no-prisoner momentum on Keith Jarrett's" Long as You're Living Yours" and the legendary big band leader Paul Whiteman's "There Ain't No Sweet Man Worth the Salt of My Tears." On the latter, the quartet appeared to have the most fun, Calderazzo's fingers dancing about the piano keys and his feet flopping under the piano like a fish out of water. Faulkner soloed with such raw force I feared his body would explode at any moment. I catch Marsalis's quartet whenever they perform in Detroit, and Calderazzo and Faulkner have always been the standouts. I joked with a jazz friend once that Marsalis might have to rename the band the Joey Calderazzo and Justin Faulkner trio featuring Branford Marsalis. However, Marsalis was the focal point Friday night, proving he is the finest saxophonist and improviser in the game. On Revis's original "Naliste," the quartet showed a cohesive virtuosity that can only be pulled off by a quartet that has been together for decades. They showed they were intimately in touch with each other's musical psyches. Again, the takeaway from this terrific 90-minute concert was that all of the selections the band stretched out on were showstoppers.