WINGING IT

I have to level with you, Robert. I disliked your two hour set last night at the Jazz Café.  It seemed as though you were winging it the entire night. You came to Detroit without a game plan. Yes, there were a few noteworthy moments.

Bassist Derrick Hodge’s slick soloing was one. Your James P. Johnson-like licks on the last tune was another. Your comic bit with Hodge was amusing. The college kids-which seems to be your target audience-had a ball, but some of the old-timers with a discerning ear for jazz became restless as the music dragged on without a clear destination.

Pianist Robert Glasper