NOTEWORTHY PERFORMANCES FROM THE 47TH ANNUAL DETROIT JAZZ FESTIVAL

 Ravi Coltrane Quartet Centennial Celebration (Carhartt Amphitheater Stage)

In 2009, when I profiled saxophonist Ravi Coltrane for the Metro Times, I asked why he had not performed his father John Coltrane’s music. At the time, he was determined to build his own name rather than ride his father’s coattails, and he told me the best way to honor that legacy was not to recreate it. Since then, recordings including “Spirit Fiction,” “Moving Pictures,” and “In Flux” have established him as a force. During this hour-plus set at the 47^th Annual Detroit Jazz Festival, he sounded fully at ease playing his father’s repertoire. My favorite moments of the set were the opening “Acknowledgment” and “Resolution,” movements from the landmark album “A Love Supreme.” On “Equinox” and “Expression,” Coltrane played with more daring and aggression than I had ever heard from him live. His solo on “Naima” sounded as if his father’s spirit was beside him, whispering in his ear what notes and changes to play.

 

Bob James (JPMorgan Chase Stage)

Pianist Bob James has long blended post-bop and smooth-jazz elements with unusual fluency, and on Saturday evening he delivered a rousing hour-long set. It was my second-favorite performance of the festival—a surprise because smooth jazz has never been my preference. James won me over through the elegance of his phrasing, especially on Roberta Flack’s classic “Feel Like Makin’ Love.” He was in top form, but Ukrainian saxophonist Andrey Chumut often became the center of attention, moving from a sweet tone on his original “Moving Forward” to a more commanding attack on James’s “The Music of Freedom.” By the middle of the set, he had the capacity audience in his hands.

African Rhythms Alumni Quintet: Celebrating the Centennial of Dr. Randy Weston (Carhartt Amphitheater Stage)

Jazz pianist Randy Weston would have turned 100 this year, and several former bandmates—including alto saxophonist TK Blue, pianist Sharp Radway, percussionist Chief Baba Neil Clark, trombonist Ku-umba Frank Lacy, and bassist Alex Blake—honored him with the festival’s most thoughtfully conceived tribute. The quintet opened with Weston’s classic “Hi-Fly,” then remodeled his signature works “Anu Anu,” “The Gathering,” and “Portrait of Patsy J.” Rather than merely reproducing his arrangements, the musicians channeled his expansive rhythmic language, with longtime collaborator Blake adding especially vivid color on bass.

Artemis (Waterfront Stage)

Artemis had made a persuasive case for being one of jazz’s finest ensembles. Pianist Renee Rosnes, drummer Allison Miller, bassist Noriko Ueda, trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, and saxophonist Nicole Glover offered a master class in collective virtuosity. Their set leaned heavily on standards including “What the World Needs Now is Love Sweet Love,” “Hackensack,” and “Flamenco Sketches,” but the original “Sight Unseen” revealed the group at its most distinctive. The musicians listened and responded with such precision that even familiar standards seemed fresh off the assembly line, each player in lockstep with the others without sacrificing an individual voice.

 

Ron Carter Foursight Quartet (Waterfront Stage)

Ron Carter’s set was not billed as a tribute to his former boss, trumpeter Miles Davis; however, its emphasis on Davis-associated compositions made it feel like an unofficial centennial celebration. Carter is known for threading tunes together until the compositions take on the shape of a carefully built suite, and his quartet sustained that continuity with remarkable ease. Pianist Renee Rosnes, drummer Payton Crossley, and tenor saxophonist Jimmy Greene swung with seemingly inexhaustible energy, while Carter anchored every transition with his polished tone. At 89, he remains a commanding bassist, and this was post-bop at its finest.

Cindy Blackman Santana (Carhartt Amphitheater Stage)

Cindy Blackman delivered the festival’s funkiest set. Few drummers I have encountered in my years as a music journalist match her combination of power and control. She sucks you in and releases you when she is damn good and ready. Her saxophonist was equally captivating. The set moved furthest toward the jazz tradition when Blackman surprised the crowd with a revamped take on Miles Davis’s “Blue in Green.”