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| 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.
