THE PARADISE THEATRE BIG BAND PRESENTATION OF 'STOP APOLOGIZING FOR BEING HUMAN' WAS MARRED BY OVERKILL

 

Paradise Theatre Big Band Musical Director Kris Johnson

Many nice things about the Paradise Theatre Big Band are worth pointing out. Foremost, its musical director, the trumpeter and Kresge Fellow Kris Johnson is an excellent composer, arranger, and bandleader who never shies away from daring and ambitious projects. And he understands the inner mechanics of a big band, having performed for nine years with the legendary Count Basie Orchestra. Another aspect worth noting is the PTBB is populated with some of Detroit's most formidable jazz talent, like saxophonists Marcus Elliot and Kasan Belgrave, drummer Nate Winn, trumpeter Anthony Stanco, pianist Brendon Davis, and other swing-savvy musicians who have become household names in Detroit. So, Johnson had a lot of talent to work with presenting his latest work, "Stop Apologizing for Being Human," which premiered Friday evening at the Paradise Jazz Series in Orchestra Hall. Before premiering the suite, the big band got the near-capacity hall juices boiling with "Detroit 1970" and "Song of Peace," after which vocalist Milton Suggs joined in, performing selections from a project he and Johnson collaborated on a decade ago honoring the Harlem Renaissance poet Paul Laurence Dunbar. Suggs's participation was a sharp left turn because two numbers into the concert, Johnson had the audience believing the concert would be devoted to the works of Detroiters and original compositions by the PTBB members. But the first half of the concert was Suggs singing Dunbar's poetry "Dream," Death Waltz," and "Anchored," which Suggs sang magnificently. He has a heavy voice that spreads like warm honey all over your eardrums. After intermission, the big band performed "Stop Apologizing for Being Human." Here's where it felt like Johnson had crammed two concerts into one. The solos by Solomon Parham and the baritone saxophonist, Kaleigh Wilder were bragworthy. And percussionist Lauren Johnson's solo was the crowd favorite. However, Brendon Davis and bassist Brandon Ross's lengthy solos on the third movement epitomized unnecessary showboating. The worst thing that could be pointed out about the concert was the overkill that made the presentation seem unbalanced and needed editing. I'm still trying to make sense of the inclusion of the visual artist Shanelle Harrison, positioned at the corner of the stage, painting a female mannequin. As the 90-minute concert neared its conclusion, I couldn't stop thinking about the Paradise Theatre Big Band's potential, wondering if the band had a residency at a local venue how the band, with all its seasoned and young talent, could someday be as sensational as the Maria Schneider Orchestra, the Charles Tolliver Big Band, or even the Count Basie Orchestra.

4 OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCES FROM THE 44TH ANNUAL DETROIT JAZZ FESTIVAL

 

Vibist Stefon Harris

My goal for the first full day of concerts at the 44th Annual Detroit Jazz Festival was to catch about 30 minutes of Stefon Harris & Blackout set at the Carhartt Amphitheater Stage, then rush to the Chase Main Stage to hear some of Danilo Perez, John Patitucci, and Brian Blade "Children of the Light" set. However, I never made it to the Chase Main Stage. After witnessing Harris's band bassist Dezron Douglas, drummer Terron Gully,  pianist Christian Sands, and saxophonist Casey Benjamin drain all the blood from Harris's original "Legacy Dances," I couldn't in good conscience not experience the entire performance. For years now, Harris has been a jazz vibist worthy of comparison to legends Milt Jackson and Bobby Hutcherson. Hutcherson had the biggest influence on Harris's playing. When Harris soloed on "Shake It for Me," "Gentle Wind,"  and "Now," Hutcherson's spirit hung on Harris like a backpack. Blackout, according to Harris, has been together for twenty-plus seasons. Saturday afternoon, they swung the entire set below sea level, performing music from Harris's deep discography and several cuts from his forthcoming album "Legacy Dances." Harris & Blackout gave an incredible concert where each number they performed was highlight reel worthy. Christian Sands, a leading jazz pianist of his generation, tapped into the audience's spiritual side when the band left him alone to play a gospel song that had the audience swaying and sweating like they were at church service instead of a jazz festival. The knock-out punch arrived near the set's conclusion when Benjamin sang a hip and modernized version of "What a Wonderful World" that would've made Louis Armstrong jealous.

 

Pianist Sullivan Fortner

Johnny O'Neal and Sullivan Fortner are terrific jazz pianists from different generations. O'Neal made his bones in the 80s with a run with the Jazz Messengers. Fortner has recently become a household commodity with a growing discography and a choice gig as the pianist for the multi-Grammy-winning vocalist Cecile McLorin Savant. Despite their age gap, O'Neal and Fortner share deep-seated reverence for the piano and a similar playful style that delighted the attendees during their hour set Sunday afternoon at the Chase Main Stage. The set was billed as a tribute to Detroit's jazz piano legacy, but no mention—save for Fortner saying he studied with pianist Barry Harris—of any Detroit piano greats. That aside, O'Neal and Fortner offered the most eclectic set I witnessed. The duo opened with a Count Basie staple, moved seamlessly to the Tad Dameron favorite "Our Delight," and hitchhiked from "With You, I'm Born Again" to Whitney Houston's "Saving All My Love for You," which O'Neal arranged as a jazz waltz. Midway through the performance, O'Neal put Fortner on the hot seat when he left him to play "Love for Sale" solo, and Fortner handled the Cole Porter jewel like a prom date.

 

Vocalist Lizz Wright

Saturday evening was the fourth time I've attended a Lizz Wright performance. My first time was at the Detroit Jazz Fest back when she was a newbie who'd knocked the jazz world off its center with her debut album "Salt." Wright's stage demeanor and overall performance haven't changed much. She floats to the mic and opens with "Amaze Grace," sung so beautifully it would've made the devil want to get baptized. Wright defies typecasting, navigating jazz, folk, and the blues with equal aplomb. During her hour set on Sunday evening, her performance embodied a spiritual quality, blessing the audience with each song she sang and a voice that deserves a national holiday. At times, her voice was so blanket-soft and inviting I wanted to curl up in her lap.

 

Pianist Jason Moran

Jason Moran is his generation's most inventive and daring jazz pianist, always swinging outside the box. Expect something grand at any of his performances; that has been my experience when Moran has come to Detroit over the years. Moran and the Harlem Hell Fighters set Sunday night at the Carhartt Amphitheater Stage was one of the best I experienced in the many years I covered the Detroit Jazz Festival. Moran and the Harlem Hell Fighters honored James Reese, an iconic ragtime-era composer and bandleader credited with introducing jazz to Europe. Moran gave the audience a virtual tour of Reese's intricate musical evolution. Listening to Moran and the Harlem Hell Fighters raised hell musically for over an hour and watching Moran's fingers running across the piano keys like his fingertips were on fire was something to behold. At the end of the set, I couldn't stop feeling that if James Reese and the original members of his Clef Club Orchestra were around to witness the reverence Moran and the Harlem Hell Fighters have for Reese's legacy, Reese would've been brimming with pride. 

BASSIST BEN WILLIAMS TERRIFIC CONCERT IS THE PERFECT ENDING TO THE CARR CENTER'S THREE-PART TRIBUTE TO BASSIST RODNEY WHITAKER

 

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.

SAXOPHONIST LAKECIA BENJAMIN STEALS THE SHOW AT THE MONTEREY JAZZ FESTIVAL ON TOUR LAST CONCERT

 

Dee Dee Bridgewater, Kurt Elling, Christian Sands, Lakecia Benjamin, Clarence Penn

The current iteration of the Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour band is pianist Christian Sands, bassist Yasushi Nakamura, drummer Clarence Penn, vocalists Dee Dee Bridgewater and Kurt Elling, and saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin. The all-star sextet show Sunday night at Detroit's Orchestra Hall was the last concert of their 20-city tour and the closer for the 2022-2023 Paradise Jazz Series. Thanks mainly to Benjamin, the 90-minute set was the best I've attended in recent years. Recently, Benjamin was the subject of a DownBeat magazine cover story and a lengthy New York Times feature detailing her setbacks, resolve, and hard-earned rise to fame. Last evening, I honestly didn't believe Benjamin intended to steal the show. But that's what she did on her original "Trane," a nod to John Coltrane from Benjamin's well-received fourth album "Phoenix." Before she played the composition, she cautioned the audience to buckle their seatbelts. She was right in issuing that warning because her blowing caused a lot of turbulence. Witnessing her running up and down the changes like her feet were on fire, I wondered if the NEA Jazz Master Kenny Garrett had cast the biggest shadow over her playing. The latitude she swings at is akin to Garrett's during his finest years. I'm not bullshitting when I report the audience had blessed her with two ovations before she stopped soloing. I felt like I was at a religious revival with Benjamin's alto sax doing all the preaching. After the audience regained its composure, Benjamin left the stage. And the rhythm section lowered the temperature with Sands's arrangement of Dave Brubeck's "Strange Meadow Lark, "which was Sands's turn in the spotlight. He delivered the mellowest and loveliest moment of the concert. Overall, the set was high energy, especially when Elling and Bridgewater performed. Two of the best jazz vocalists, singing beautifully and horsing around. The unnecessarily long and loud scatting annoyed the shit out of me, but the rest of the audience lapped it up. I had gotten my money's worth early on, witnessing Benjamin's musicality and showmanship. Elling was right when he proclaimed she's the future of jazz.

CECILE MCLORIN SALVANT WINS OVER THE UNIVERSITY MUSICAL SOCIETY'S AUDIENCE WITH AN ECLECTIC SETLIST & HER VOICE

 

Vocalist Cecile McLorin Salvant

The three-time Grammy-winning jazz vocalist Cecile McLorin Salvant embodies a distinctive stage presence that quickly draws you in and captivates you from the start of her performance to the encore. At her University Musical Society concert Friday evening at Hill Auditorium, her presence was powerful, and her voice bedazzling. She could've easily pulled off the 90-minute concert solo. Still, a phenomenal supporting cast, drummer Keita Ogawa, guitarist Marvin Sewell, flutist Alexa Tarantino, bassist Emma Dayhuff, and pianist Sullivan Fortner accompanied her. Salvant offered an eclectic setlist comprised of originals from her current album "Melusine" and favorites from the late German composer Kurt Weill. Although the set wasn't theme-driven, listening to Salvant sing "Thunder Cloud," "Reason to Believe," and the kinetic and sometimes joyful exchange with her bandmates on "Is This How Men Live" and "I Got Life" from the musical "Hair" was an utter joy. It's worth noting Salvant and Fortner have a soulmate type of camaraderie apparent throughout the concert. Their musical psyches are conjoined, and with Fortner steering the band, Salvant seems more playful and freer. At various moments during the set, she sang near the edge of the stage, her voice blanketing the audience like snowflakes. And when she sang a love song, the audience was so quiet and focused you could hear an ant crying. There're many high moments, such as Salvant's duet with Sewell and Dayhuff's only solo, where she moonwalked the bass, but the encore was the most memorable. Salvant sang while holding a bouquet presented to her by an audience member, and each musician offered the audience crisp improvised solos as parting gifts.

CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE RETURNS TO THE PARADISE JAZZ SERIES WITH MUSIC FROM 'PRIME,' HIS LATEST NEW JAWN RECORDING

Christian McBride New Jawn Quartet

 There aren't enough fingers and toes on the human body to count the number of bands, and special projects the jazz bassist Christian McBride has formed and been intimately involved with throughout his hall-of-fame-bound career. There's his trio, big band, Philadelphia Experience, New Jawn, and Inside Straight groups, most of whose magnificence has been documented for posterity on Grammy-winning recordings "That Good Feeling" and "Bring It." On Friday night at Detroit's Orchestra Hall, McBride's New Jawn quartet trumpeter Josh Evans, saxophonist Marcus Strickland, and drummer Nasheet Waits performed an hour-plus set heavy on compositions from New Jawn's new recording "Prime." Inarguably the most cherished jazz bassist of his generation, McBride has a distinct propensity for designing bands primarily as a showcase for his bandmates. So although McBride is the marquee commodity, he affords his bandmates red-carpet treatment. The audience witnessed that last night. The band opened with "Pier 1 Import" and then moved into a free-spirited number that mixed pieces of a composition by organist Larry Young and one by the R&B group Kool & the Gang. There was an array of soul-numbing solos, starting with Strickland's Eric Dolphy-eques blowing on "Moonchild" and "Dolphy Dust." It seemed as if Strickland could tap into Dolphy's spirit at will. Evans's trumpeting the entire night was state of the art, and when McBride soloed, he proved yet again he walks the upright bass better than any current jazz bass player breathing. New Jawn's centerpiece, however, was Waits. When McBride introduced him, McBride asserted that the fire Emoji should be replaced with Waits's likeness because he's such a fiery drummer. Waits had the congregation roaring by the time he'd reached the zenith of his solos. New Jawn is as tight and sharp as barbwire, but the musician's virtuosity is what the audience probably relished most.

THE MARIA SCHNEIDER ORCHESTRA REVISITS GRAMMY-WINNING ALBUM' DATA LORDS' AT THE UNIVERSITY MUSICAL SOCIETY CONCERT SERIES.

Composer Maria Schneider

Suppose you attended the Maria Schneider Orchestra concert at Hill Auditorium Saturday night and expected it to swing through standards from greats such as Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Gil Evans. In that case, you set yourself up to be disappointed. Not to say those innovators didn't heavily influence Schneider's career. Over the years, what distinguishes Schneider's orchestra is it straddles the lines of the avant-garde. That was apparent throughout the concert but more so when the orchestra performed "CQ CQ Is Anybody There, " which appeared as if Schneider had the orchestra deciphering a morse code. For those audience members hoping the orchestra would perform music from the American songbook, Schneider teased the audience, opening the two-hour concert with the standard "That Old Black Magic," but that was the only oldie her orchestra offered. The orchestra didn't run through it as initially conceived. Instead, Schneider had her orchestra strip "That Old Black Magic" down to the original surface and applied a new finish. Schneider has populated her jazz orchestra with imaginative, swing-driven improvisers such as trumpeter Nadje Noordhuis, saxophonists Donny McCaslin and Steve Wilson, trombonist Marshall Gilkes, drummer Johnathan Blake, and pianist  Gary Versace. Each of which Schneider featured during the terrific concert. The orchestra has all the music and star power of legendary swing-era big bands. As a composer, Schneider partly writes for a particular soloist, understanding every square inch of their chops. So on "Look Up," Marshall Gilkes was featured, and his solo increased the audience's blood circulation, and Steve Wilson on "Stone Song" gobbled up the notes like they were junk food. And when called to address the congregation, saxophonist Donny McClasin blew the auditorium doors off their hinges. The orchestra revisited music from Schneider's 2020 Grammy-winner "Data Lords." This live iteration of the project was equally inspired and eclectic as when Schneider initially unveiled the project. 

 

VOCALIST SKY COVINGTON CLOSES A FOUR-NIGHT RUN AT THE DIRTY DOG JAZZ CAFÉ WITH A SPIRITED SET OF JAZZ STANDARDS

Sky Covington

As a journalist who's reviewed jazz concerts in Michigan for many years, I'm embarrassed to admit Saturday evening at the Dirty Dog Jazz Café was the first time I've experienced the chanteuse Sky Covington live. I've been familiar with her well-built reputation as a multi-skilled performer skilled at Neo-Soul, R&B, and jazz. Her stagecraft, I once heard, is on par with the greats Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughan. For Covington's Dirty Dog closing set, she sang jazz standards terrifically, backed by bassist Ruben Stump, trumpeter John Douglas, drummer Jeff Kennedy, and pianist Alina Morr. The hour set opened with the band sailing through Herbie Hancock's "Maiden Voyage." On that classic, Douglas and Morr fed the audience the song changes like appetizers, after which Covington sang "Satin Doll" with such warmth and aplomb I wondered if Billie Holiday's spirit gave her a pep talk before the performance. Like Holiday, Covington has a realness and warmth that immediately draws you in and never lets you escape. "Don't Get Around Much Anymore," "Green Dolphin Street," and "Afro Blue" were the other standards she and her band repurposed. Covington embodies essential qualities too many jazz vocalists lack. For example, she shared the spotlight with her band and didn't spend the lion's share of the set scatting. The audience experienced the breadth and magnificence of her voice, which covered them like an expensive quilt. The set closer, "Afro Blue," was the best part of the set. She had the audience jot down a positive aphorism on a paper she passed out. After she collected them, she mixed them with the lyrics of "Afro Blue." Before the song ended, she walked through the audience, touching people on the shoulder like a Goddess blessing them. In the 15 years, I've caught concerts at the Dirty Dog, that was the first time I experienced that kind of audience participation. It was overkill because Covington had already blessed the audience with her voice for a solid hour.

 

JAZZ PIANIST AARON DIEHL'S TRIO MOVES SEAMLESSLY FROM BACH TO BEBOP AT THE UNIVERSITY MUSICAL SOCIETY'S CONCERT SERIES

Pianist Aaron Diehl

Listening to the jazz pianist Aaron Diehl's performance Friday evening at Rackham Auditorium in Ann Arbor, Michigan, I couldn't help marveling over how damn immaculate and erudite his playing is. Diehl performed a spotless hour-plus concert with his trio, transitioning seamlessly from music by Johann Sebastian Bach, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Chick Corea, and Bud Powell. I felt like I was gifted two arresting performances for the admission of one, with Diehl immediately establishing there were similarities in the great musician's reach and virtuosity Diehl performed Bach's work solo and the jazz compositions with bassist David Wong and drummer Aaron Kimmel. Kimmel is one of the more clever and tasteful trio drummers I've heard, and Wong has the science of walking the upright bass down pat. Diehl has a pristine household reputation, having won the prestigious American Pianist Association 2011 Cole Porter Fellowship, toured internationally with the Grammy-winning vocalist Cecile McLorin Salvant, and released three touted albums for Mack Avenue Records. Diehl opened Friday's concert with Bach's "Prelude and Fugue in C Major, slid into Miles Davis's "Deception," revisited  "Prelude and Fugue" but this time served it at room temperature in c minor, and then sprung into Dizzy Gillespie's "Bebop." Balancing the genres could've been disastrous in the hands of a less skilled jazz pianist and a less adept jazz trio. But Diehl pulled it off. He told the near-capacity audience the impetus to pair Bach and Bop struck him during the pandemic lockdown. He's test-driven the project in several cities recently. As the concert wore on, his interpretation of music became more captivating. After the intermission, the trio tore Chick Corea's "Tones for Joan's Bones" open like a birthday gift. On Bud Powell's "Tempus Fugue-It," Diehl's fingers raced up and down the keys as if Powell's ghost possessed them. The audience gifted Diehl, Wong, and Kimmel with an ovation that lasted longer than I've ever witnessed at a University Musical Society jazz concert. Had the trio not obliged the audience with an encore,  there was a high probability the audience wouldn't have let the musicians leave Rackham in one piece.

SAXOPHONIST RAVI COLTRANE’S TRIBUTE CONCERT FOR HIS PARENTS DIDN’T FEEL MUCH LIKE ONE

Ravi Coltrane

 Over a decade ago, I interviewed the saxophonist Ravi Coltrane for the weekly newspaper the Metro Times. Coltrane, back then, was established with several solid records on the market and a stint with the great Elvin Jones on his resume’. During our talk, I asked Coltrane why he hadn’t recorded his parent’s music, particularly his father’s John Coltrane. Ravi said he had the utmost respect for their music and that the best way to honor their legacies was never to emulate them. Sunday evening at the Paradise Jazz Series in Detroit’s Orchestra Hall, as I listened to Ravi’s band play some of his parent's signature compositions, I wondered what made him change his mind about dealing with their works. The concert was a double bill featuring vocalist Thana Alexa. Ravi’s set was billed as a tribute to John and Alice Coltrane, but It didn’t come off much like one. Ravi's set began late because the pianist Cyrus Chestnut was a last-minute addition. The series organizers invited Chestnut back to perform a 30-minute set to make up for his concert in December being interrupted by some mentally ill bigot who shouted a racial slur. Chestnut returning to perform four compositions didn’t make sense. He rushed through the set as if he didn’t want to be there. Ravi hit the stage at 10:00 pm after an esoteric set from Alexa. Ravi never talked much about his parents or gave any historical information about what inspired their music or if he had a seminal connection to the compositions his band performed. His blowing on“Turiya and Ramakrishna” and “Er Ra” was celestial and on, “Ole’” and “Wise One” Ravi's sounded worldly and aggressive. I attribute the concert’s highlights to the terrific harpist Brandee Younger. During her solos, Younger seemed hellbent on channeling Alice Coltrane’s spirit. Overall, the tribute came off as if Ravi didn’t have a vested interest in his parent's music.