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.