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| 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.
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