Sunday, March 10, 2024

THE MARION HAYDEN LEGACY SEXTET CELEBRATES THE MUSIC OF ROY BROOKS AT THE BLUE LLAMA

Drummer Roy Brooks

The jazz trombonist Vincent Chandler and bassist Marion Hayden have striking similarities. Both are two of the finest jazz musicians Detroit has produced, and both have dedicated significant chunks of their careers to continuing the legacy of Detroit jazz greats such as Harold McKinney, Kenn Cox, Roy Brooks, and Donald Walden. Chandler is doing so with his terrific monthly Detroit Jazz Preservation Concert Series, and Hayden has been preserving the legacy of Detroit jazz greats for years through her group, the Marion Hayden Legacy Sextet, which always features a cross-generational helping of Detroit jazz musicians. Last night at the Blue Llama Jazz Club in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Hayden's sextet honored the late jazz drummer Roy Brooks, which she announced midway through the set was just a taste of a grander celebration in the works for the drummer. For 90 minutes, the sextet performed Brooks's compositions. Brooks made a name for himself internationally in the sixties as a key member of bands led by Horace Silver, Woody Shaw, Charles Mingus, and Max Roach. As a leader, Brooks put out classic jazz recordings such as "Beat," "The Free Slave,"" The Understanding," and "Duet in Detroit." His ensemble, The Artistic Truth, achieved national acclaim. Hayden opened the 90-minute set with Brooks's original "Uncrowned King," then they plunged headfirst without lifejackets into Brook's multi-tempo number "Forever Mingus." The sextet pianist Brendon Davis, trumpeter Tim Blackmon, saxophonist Vincent Bowen, and vocalist Robert McCarther were sharp throughout the set. Davis guided the sextet. His pianoing and soloing embodied a veteran marksman's precision and refinement. Three tunes in, McCarther joined the band. Male vocalists like McCarther are rare nowadays. His carriage is a throwback to Joe William and Johnny Hartman, and McCarther's voice melts over you softly like snow over cotton. Hayden has led many outstanding bands but has never hogged the spotlight. Last night, she soloed more than I have ever known her to in all the years I have attended her performances. Her soloing stuck to your ribs like a satisfying full-course meal. Blackmon and Bowen were a competent frontline gobbling up the changes to Kenn Cox's "Spellbound" and Geri Allen's "Unconditional Love," like baked goods. But the star of the set was the young drummer Tariq Gardner, who, like Brooks, has a rare combination of taste and dynamism. Gardner is still developing, but at a young age, he understands the mechanics of powering and pushing a band. The concert was a fitting tribute to Brooks's legacy in an intimate setting. Jazz musicians like Vincent Chandler and Hayden, who have dedicated time to perpetuating the legacies of Detroit jazz luminaries, deserve acknowledgment.

 

Monday, February 19, 2024

THE DETROIT JAZZ PRESERVATION CONCERT SERIES PRESENTS A TERRIFIC LONG OVERDUE TRIBUTE TO THE LATE SAXOPHONIST DONALD WALDEN

 

Saxophonist Donald Walden

Finally, after two postponements, one because of inclement weather and the other due to the Superbowl, the Detroit Jazz Preservation Concert Series tribute to the late Arts Midwest Jazz Master saxophonist Donald Walden took place Sunday evening at Schaver Music Recital Hall on the campus of Wayne State University. The hour-plus tribute organized by professor and jazz trombonist Vincent Chandler was befitting a jazz musician of Walden's achievements. Walden was a saxophonist whose musical acumen and blowing were on par with greats like Wardell Gray, Dexter Gordon, and Tina Brooks. Walden had a pristine national reputation and a big tone on tenor immediately recognizable after blowing a series of notes, but a modest discography of three tremendous recordings: "A Portrait of You, " A Monk and a Mingus Among Us," and "Focus." Chandler was the right musician to present this long overdue tribute to Walden, given Chandler was Walden's musical son of sorts. The concert opened with Walden's niece sharing with the audience how fashionable Walden was and, out of the public's eye, how kindhearted and giving he could be. The bandmates that Chandler assembled, saxophonist Jeffrey Trent, bassist Josef Deas, drummer Alex White, and pianist Roger L. Jones II, talked about Walden as a taskmaster and his musical perfectionism and how, as a mentor, he did not mince words. Deas talked about cutting classes to attend Walden's seminars while teaching at the University of Michigan. Chandler’s band never disappointed, performing seven of Walden's well-lauded compositions flawlessly. Opening the tribute concert with "Mr. Styx" from Walden's unappreciated album "A Monk and a Mingus Among Us, "moving effortlessly into "Signed: Dizzy, With Love," and then tearing the wood off the stage floor with "Soweto/Detroit," from Walden's debut album "A Portrait of You." What is worth pointing out about the band was their cohesion and ability to sound as if they had been running the streets together for years, adept at navigating each other's musical psyches. Roger L. Jones II's soloing on "Middle Passage" and "City Sister" were rendered so dreamingly; chances are you awoke thinking about them in the middle of the night. And the rising tenor saxophonist Jeffery Trent unknowingly channeled Walden's ghost while soloing on "Graciella" and "This Goodbye Could Last a Long Time." For a youngster still searching for his voice and place within the music, Trent has a creamy rich texture to his blowing, and it is apparent that he has spent considerable time listening to his tenor sax ancestors. If there was anything remotely disappointing about the tribute it was Chandler not including Walden's version of Thelonious Monk's "Ruby My Dear,” which was always an example of Walden at the apex of his crafmanship, and my favorite Walden composition, "A Portrait of You." Aside from those omissions, and the two postponements, Chandler put forth an outstanding tribute to a cultural giant who represented Detroit jazz with panache.




Saturday, November 18, 2023

THE PARADISE THEATRE BIG BAND PRESENTATION OF 'STOP APOLOGIZING FOR BEING HUMAN' WAS MARRED BY OVERKILL

 

Paradise Theatre Big Band Musical Director Kris Johnson

Many nice things about the Paradise Theatre Big Band are worth pointing out. Foremost, its musical director, the trumpeter and Kresge Fellow Kris Johnson is an excellent composer, arranger, and bandleader who never shies away from daring and ambitious projects. And he understands the inner mechanics of a big band, having performed for nine years with the legendary Count Basie Orchestra. Another aspect worth noting is the PTBB is populated with some of Detroit's most formidable jazz talent, like saxophonists Marcus Elliot and Kasan Belgrave, drummer Nate Winn, trumpeter Anthony Stanco, pianist Brendon Davis, and other swing-savvy musicians who have become household names in Detroit. So, Johnson had a lot of talent to work with presenting his latest work, "Stop Apologizing for Being Human," which premiered Friday evening at the Paradise Jazz Series in Orchestra Hall. Before premiering the suite, the big band got the near-capacity hall juices boiling with "Detroit 1970" and "Song of Peace," after which vocalist Milton Suggs joined in, performing selections from a project he and Johnson collaborated on a decade ago honoring the Harlem Renaissance poet Paul Laurence Dunbar. Suggs's participation was a sharp left turn because two numbers into the concert, Johnson had the audience believing the concert would be devoted to the works of Detroiters and original compositions by the PTBB members. But the first half of the concert was Suggs singing Dunbar's poetry "Dream," Death Waltz," and "Anchored," which Suggs sang magnificently. He has a heavy voice that spreads like warm honey all over your eardrums. After intermission, the big band performed "Stop Apologizing for Being Human." Here's where it felt like Johnson had crammed two concerts into one. The solos by Solomon Parham and the baritone saxophonist, Kaleigh Wilder were bragworthy. And percussionist Lauren Johnson's solo was the crowd favorite. However, Brendon Davis and bassist Brandon Ross's lengthy solos on the third movement epitomized unnecessary showboating. The worst thing that could be pointed out about the concert was the overkill that made the presentation seem unbalanced and needed editing. I'm still trying to make sense of the inclusion of the visual artist Shanelle Harrison, positioned at the corner of the stage, painting a female mannequin. As the 90-minute concert neared its conclusion, I couldn't stop thinking about the Paradise Theatre Big Band's potential, wondering if the band had a residency at a local venue how the band, with all its seasoned and young talent, could someday be as sensational as the Maria Schneider Orchestra, the Charles Tolliver Big Band, or even the Count Basie Orchestra.

Monday, September 4, 2023

4 OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCES FROM THE 44TH ANNUAL DETROIT JAZZ FESTIVAL

 

Vibist Stefon Harris

My goal for the first full day of concerts at the 44th Annual Detroit Jazz Festival was to catch about 30 minutes of Stefon Harris & Blackout set at the Carhartt Amphitheater Stage, then rush to the Chase Main Stage to hear some of Danilo Perez, John Patitucci, and Brian Blade "Children of the Light" set. However, I never made it to the Chase Main Stage. After witnessing Harris's band bassist Dezron Douglas, drummer Terron Gully,  pianist Christian Sands, and saxophonist Casey Benjamin drain all the blood from Harris's original "Legacy Dances," I couldn't in good conscience not experience the entire performance. For years now, Harris has been a jazz vibist worthy of comparison to legends Milt Jackson and Bobby Hutcherson. Hutcherson had the biggest influence on Harris's playing. When Harris soloed on "Shake It for Me," "Gentle Wind,"  and "Now," Hutcherson's spirit hung on Harris like a backpack. Blackout, according to Harris, has been together for twenty-plus seasons. Saturday afternoon, they swung the entire set below sea level, performing music from Harris's deep discography and several cuts from his forthcoming album "Legacy Dances." Harris & Blackout gave an incredible concert where each number they performed was highlight reel worthy. Christian Sands, a leading jazz pianist of his generation, tapped into the audience's spiritual side when the band left him alone to play a gospel song that had the audience swaying and sweating like they were at church service instead of a jazz festival. The knock-out punch arrived near the set's conclusion when Benjamin sang a hip and modernized version of "What a Wonderful World" that would've made Louis Armstrong jealous.

 

Pianist Sullivan Fortner

Johnny O'Neal and Sullivan Fortner are terrific jazz pianists from different generations. O'Neal made his bones in the 80s with a run with the Jazz Messengers. Fortner has recently become a household commodity with a growing discography and a choice gig as the pianist for the multi-Grammy-winning vocalist Cecile McLorin Savant. Despite their age gap, O'Neal and Fortner share deep-seated reverence for the piano and a similar playful style that delighted the attendees during their hour set Sunday afternoon at the Chase Main Stage. The set was billed as a tribute to Detroit's jazz piano legacy, but no mention—save for Fortner saying he studied with pianist Barry Harris—of any Detroit piano greats. That aside, O'Neal and Fortner offered the most eclectic set I witnessed. The duo opened with a Count Basie staple, moved seamlessly to the Tad Dameron favorite "Our Delight," and hitchhiked from "With You, I'm Born Again" to Whitney Houston's "Saving All My Love for You," which O'Neal arranged as a jazz waltz. Midway through the performance, O'Neal put Fortner on the hot seat when he left him to play "Love for Sale" solo, and Fortner handled the Cole Porter jewel like a prom date.

 

Vocalist Lizz Wright

Saturday evening was the fourth time I've attended a Lizz Wright performance. My first time was at the Detroit Jazz Fest back when she was a newbie who'd knocked the jazz world off its center with her debut album "Salt." Wright's stage demeanor and overall performance haven't changed much. She floats to the mic and opens with "Amaze Grace," sung so beautifully it would've made the devil want to get baptized. Wright defies typecasting, navigating jazz, folk, and the blues with equal aplomb. During her hour set on Sunday evening, her performance embodied a spiritual quality, blessing the audience with each song she sang and a voice that deserves a national holiday. At times, her voice was so blanket-soft and inviting I wanted to curl up in her lap.

 

Pianist Jason Moran

Jason Moran is his generation's most inventive and daring jazz pianist, always swinging outside the box. Expect something grand at any of his performances; that has been my experience when Moran has come to Detroit over the years. Moran and the Harlem Hell Fighters set Sunday night at the Carhartt Amphitheater Stage was one of the best I experienced in the many years I covered the Detroit Jazz Festival. Moran and the Harlem Hell Fighters honored James Reese, an iconic ragtime-era composer and bandleader credited with introducing jazz to Europe. Moran gave the audience a virtual tour of Reese's intricate musical evolution. Listening to Moran and the Harlem Hell Fighters raised hell musically for over an hour and watching Moran's fingers running across the piano keys like his fingertips were on fire was something to behold. At the end of the set, I couldn't stop feeling that if James Reese and the original members of his Clef Club Orchestra were around to witness the reverence Moran and the Harlem Hell Fighters have for Reese's legacy, Reese would've been brimming with pride. 

Sunday, April 30, 2023

BASSIST BEN WILLIAMS TERRIFIC CONCERT IS THE PERFECT ENDING TO THE CARR CENTER'S THREE-PART TRIBUTE TO BASSIST RODNEY WHITAKER

 

Bassist Ben Williams

Near the end of bassist Ben Williams's Saturday evening performance at the Carr Center, he performed a brilliant duet with mentor Rodney Whitaker on Oscar Pettiford's "Blues in the Closet." Whitaker jokingly thanked Williams for going easy on him. Then, immediately after the audience's laughter subsided, Whitaker praised his protégé, pointing out Williams was his greatest student. He devoured six years of music in two years, adding that he loved Williams and was proud of the musician and human being he'd become. There are so many reasons to praise Williams. He graduated from Michigan State University in 2007, earned a master’s from Julliard two years later, won the 2009 Thelonious Monk International Bass Competition, and signed with Concord Records. Williams performed a flawless set to honor Whitaker with his band pianist Marc Carey, guitarist Brad Allen Williams, drummer Jharis Yoley, and saxophonist Jaleel Shaw. The 90-minute set closed the Carr Center's three-part tribute to Whitaker billed as "Rodney Whitaker: The Man/The Mentor/ The Music." The other concerts featured Whitaker's former students, bassists Endea Owens and Brandon Rose. Williams opened with a funk-infused arrangement of trumpeter Woody Shaw's "Moontrane" and ended the concert with Bob Dylan's somber "Death of Emmett Till." In between, Williams's group performed his original compositions, several from his 2020 album "I Am A Man." Williams didn't say how long this group has existed. However, it's perfectly seasoned with one giant heartbeat. All the members contributed sturdy solos, notably Jaleel Shaw on "Strength & Beauty" and "Dawn of a New Day," blowing so forcefully that he chipped the paint on the walls. On "If You Hear Me" and "Promise Land," William proved his competency as a singer. The entire concert, I was awed at how Williams walked the bass until his feet were aching and how similar his and Whitaker's leadership philosophies are. Like Whitaker, Williams doesn't believe a jazz bassist's sole function is to linger in the cut, keeping time.

Monday, April 24, 2023

SAXOPHONIST LAKECIA BENJAMIN STEALS THE SHOW AT THE MONTEREY JAZZ FESTIVAL ON TOUR LAST CONCERT

 

Dee Dee Bridgewater, Kurt Elling, Christian Sands, Lakecia Benjamin, Clarence Penn

The current iteration of the Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour band is pianist Christian Sands, bassist Yasushi Nakamura, drummer Clarence Penn, vocalists Dee Dee Bridgewater and Kurt Elling, and saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin. The all-star sextet show Sunday night at Detroit's Orchestra Hall was the last concert of their 20-city tour and the closer for the 2022-2023 Paradise Jazz Series. Thanks mainly to Benjamin, the 90-minute set was the best I've attended in recent years. Recently, Benjamin was the subject of a DownBeat magazine cover story and a lengthy New York Times feature detailing her setbacks, resolve, and hard-earned rise to fame. Last evening, I honestly didn't believe Benjamin intended to steal the show. But that's what she did on her original "Trane," a nod to John Coltrane from Benjamin's well-received fourth album "Phoenix." Before she played the composition, she cautioned the audience to buckle their seatbelts. She was right in issuing that warning because her blowing caused a lot of turbulence. Witnessing her running up and down the changes like her feet were on fire, I wondered if the NEA Jazz Master Kenny Garrett had cast the biggest shadow over her playing. The latitude she swings at is akin to Garrett's during his finest years. I'm not bullshitting when I report the audience had blessed her with two ovations before she stopped soloing. I felt like I was at a religious revival with Benjamin's alto sax doing all the preaching. After the audience regained its composure, Benjamin left the stage. And the rhythm section lowered the temperature with Sands's arrangement of Dave Brubeck's "Strange Meadow Lark, "which was Sands's turn in the spotlight. He delivered the mellowest and loveliest moment of the concert. Overall, the set was high energy, especially when Elling and Bridgewater performed. Two of the best jazz vocalists, singing beautifully and horsing around. The unnecessarily long and loud scatting annoyed the shit out of me, but the rest of the audience lapped it up. I had gotten my money's worth early on, witnessing Benjamin's musicality and showmanship. Elling was right when he proclaimed she's the future of jazz.

Saturday, April 15, 2023

CECILE MCLORIN SALVANT WINS OVER THE UNIVERSITY MUSICAL SOCIETY'S AUDIENCE WITH AN ECLECTIC SETLIST & HER VOICE

 



Vocalist Cecile McLorin Salvant

The three-time Grammy-winning jazz vocalist Cecile McLorin Salvant embodies a distinctive stage presence that quickly draws you in and captivates you from the start of her performance to the encore. At her University Musical Society concert Friday evening at Hill Auditorium, her presence was powerful, and her voice bedazzling. She could've easily pulled off the 90-minute concert solo. Still, a phenomenal supporting cast, drummer Keita Ogawa, guitarist Marvin Sewell, flutist Alexa Tarantino, bassist Emma Dayhuff, and pianist Sullivan Fortner accompanied her. Salvant offered an eclectic setlist comprised of originals from her current album "Melusine" and favorites from the late German composer Kurt Weill. Although the set wasn't theme-driven, listening to Salvant sing "Thunder Cloud," "Reason to Believe," and the kinetic and sometimes joyful exchange with her bandmates on "Is This How Men Live" and "I Got Life" from the musical "Hair" was an utter joy. It's worth noting Salvant and Fortner have a soulmate type of camaraderie apparent throughout the concert. Their musical psyches are conjoined, and with Fortner steering the band, Salvant seems more playful and freer. At various moments during the set, she sang near the edge of the stage, her voice blanketing the audience like snowflakes. And when she sang a love song, the audience was so quiet and focused you could hear an ant crying. There're many high moments, such as Salvant's duet with Sewell and Dayhuff's only solo, where she moonwalked the bass, but the encore was the most memorable. Salvant sang while holding a bouquet presented to her by an audience member, and each musician offered the audience crisp improvised solos as parting gifts.