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| Kasan Belgrave |
Of the current pool of young and
talented jazz musicians making waves on the Detroit jazz scene, the alto
saxophonist Kasan Belgrave is possibly the most scrutinized because his father is
the late legendary trumpeter and jazz educator Marcus Belgrave. Being the heir
of such an internationally revered force could be daunting. However, if the
young Belgrave is feeling the heat of his father’s legend or obligated to surpass
his father’s accomplishments, it didn’t show Thursday evening at Cobb’s Corner
Bar & Restaurant where Belgrave has a weekly residency. Belgrave, a respectful,
smart and good looking young man, is comfortable captaining his band, a skin tight-knit
trio with bassist Mike Palazzollo and guitarist Jacob Schwandt. Belgrave is graduating
soon from the University of Michigan where he studied with saxophonist Andrew Bishop. A few songs into the opening
set it was obvious Belgrave is a serious and adept student of jazz who’s tapped
into the history of the alto saxophone. Listening to him perform some standards
such as “I Remember April,” and “Nobody But You,” proved he’s spent many
man-hours picking apart the mechanics of alto players Sonny Red, Lee Konitz, Larry
Smith and Sonny Criss. Belgrave doesn’t showboat or play unnecessarily long
solos. For a young player still maturing he possesses a polished sound. When
his trio performed the standards, he made certain they didn’t stray from the
original structure and overall intent of the compositions. It’s worth pointing
out he performed in a challenging situation not having a pianist or a drummer
in the mix. So, he was exposed for all to bear witness. But his playing was devoid
of kinks or imperfections. I chatted with Belgrave after the opening set about
his father’s influence. He said his dad encouraged him to explore whatever
music the young Belgrave fancied. He doesn’t harp on exceeding his father’s accomplishments.
Listening to him talk and perform leaves the impression he’s confidently fixed
on making his own name note by note. I doubt if the Cob Corner residency pays
much. Nonetheless, it’s a good training ground for Belgrave. Unfortunately,
only a handful of people attended his show. The next challenge for him is
making a bigger effort to promote the residency. He deserves to be heard.
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