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| Vibraphonist Warren Wolf |
Three songs into Warren Wolf's concert Saturday night
at the Dirty Dog Jazz Café, the vibraphonist let the audience know it was the
first time he'd performed as a band with guitarist Randy Napoleon, drummer
Quincy Phillips, and bassist Noah Jackson. Indeed, those were some strong
personalities Wolf had to acclimate his chops to on the fly. But, given the
audience cheering after the band performed F.S.R. and the Stylistics' Betcha By Golly, Wow, he pulled it off. Wolf is one of the more
complete vibraphonists of his generation, well respected for mixing classical music,
jazz, and R&B in one set with equal aplomb. For this performance, he concentrated
on standards and some R&B oldies. During the whole concert, Wolf played the
vibraphone and piano. One choice moment was Prelude to a Kiss. His solo was
as serene and warm as a grandmother's embrace. Wolf was hands down the captain,
but there were times when Napoleon and Jackson assumed control of the ship. The
rich texture of Napoleon's playing was evocative of how guitarists George
Benson and Wes Montgomery used to chew through chord changes. Jackson is a calm
and collective jazz bassist. Other noted bassists who share his music acumen and
temperament like to walk the bass. Jackson dances with it like a prom date. It
was Wolf's long overdue return to the Dirty Dog. With a terrific pickup band, Wolf
stuck to his reputation as a bandleader with a propensity for mixing things up.
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