JAM ON

Wednesday nights at Baker’s keyboard Lounge for the past ten years have been a special affair. The late pianist Teddy Harris led a jam session at the legendary jazz club that became sort of an unaccredited musical finishing school for up and coming jazz musicians, as well as a venue where seasoned vets could keep their chop strong. Along with a bunch of great music, Harris was able to maintain order, which from what I have witnessed sitting in the audience at numerous jam sessions, is uncommon.

In the wrong hands the sessions are nothing more than an outlet for undisciplined show boaters. I don't have enough fingers or toes to count the number of times that I saw Harris stop in the middle of a tune to chastise a musician who jumped on the bandstand to take an unsolicited and less than well conceived solo. Harris required those who participated in the session know the composition at hand from top to bottom before getting on the bandstand.

Harris stopped running the sessions when he got ill. Others tried to fill his shoes. Harris set the bar high. The sessions where never the same after he stopped leading them. Pianist Tad Weed took over, and from what I've heard, the guy did a competent job, but not to Harris' standards.

Now the reins have been given to guitarist A. Spencer Barefield, one of the driving proponents of Detroit avant-garde jazz and a respected jazz man. It was Barefield that put on that wonderful jazz program in the 90’s with his organization the Creative Arts Ensemble. The concerts were featured at the Detroit Institute of the Arts.

This Wednesday night was the guitarist's first night running the show. It is safe to assert the legacy Teddy Harris established is in good hands.

Barefield adhered to the straight-ahead brand of acoustic jazz that Baker’s is known for. With a trio that included bassist Don Mayberry and drummer Djallo Djakate Keita, the guitarist was firing on all four cylinders.

Barefield brushed the dust off forgotten gems by Thelonious Monk such as “Ugly Beauty” and “Raise Four”, and familiar standards by Miles’ Davis’ “So What” and “Kind of Blue”. Barefield set on a stool thumping out some beautiful chords. He established a comfortable groove that he didn't deviate from.The drummer, who normally plays with free jazz ensembles, turned down his style a few notches, which made for engaging trio drumming.

Later in the evening, the tenor saxophonist Paul Anderson joined the trio. I'd never heard of him. He just wandered in off the street. I enjoyed his soloing on “Night in Tunisia,” and “Salt Peanuts”. Anderson fit in comfortably with the band. The crowd was small, but they were totally into the music.

It is too soon to predict what kind of mark Barefield will make at the Wednesday night sessions. Filling Teddy Harris’s and Tad Weed’s shoes will not be easy. Barefield is off to an impressive start.

TWO DAY MUSIC FEST WAS A BIG HIT

Saxophonist Faruq Z. Bey In two years, the Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music has become a major music event. The two day music fest is held at the Bohemian National House in Detroit, Mi, was founded by bassist Joel Peterson and has become a welcomed addition to the many music events that happen in the city yearly. What’s particularly appetizing about this annual music fest is it’s structured where you get to experience each band. Whereas at other festivals you are forced to pick and chose which bands you want to experience.

The second annual FJIM began Friday evening with an incendiary performance by The Raw Truth led by multi-saxophonist Skeeter Shelton. At first, the band seemed to be at war with each other with solos that were disjointed, but the band meshed when they played a composition titled “Ancient Egypt”. Sheldon blew with reckless abandon. The Raw Truth’s set established the groundwork for the high octane performances that followed.

Pianist Thollem McDonas solo piano set touched on virtually every genre of music. Dressed in a t-shirt, cargo slacks, and old work boots, McDonas didn’t have the disposition or attitude of a music virtuoso. He looked more like a skilled laborer. But he constructed a set of improvised music that had all the creativity and energy of Thelonious Monk and Igor Stravinsky playing at a neighborhood jam session.

From there the momentum increased. Saxophonist Faruq Z. Bey Quintet took the stage next. Bey the godfather of avant-garde jazz in Detroit suffers from a medical condition requiring him to tote around a portable oxygen tank to help him breathe. But when the music started Bey’s solos were lengthy and daring. He devoured the chord changes on the tune “Opposition” like they were chunks of candy, while pianist Kenny Green scaled up and down the piano like a mountain climber. The quintet’s performance segued nicely into the headlining act.

The Sun Ra Arkestra had the most animated performance, which alto saxophonist Marshall Allen conducted. Dressed in their traditional intergalactic garb, the ensemble ran through familiar gems from the arkestra’s songbook. Their energy level was high but they didn’t gel right way. Allen spent the first few numbers getting the guys in sync. Allen surprised the audience when he announced the ensemble would do a bonus set.

During the intermission, Allen must have chastised the band like a football coach does a first place team trailing a lesser opponent at half-time because the guys came out smoking. They had worked out the kinks and they sounded like the band on the classics albums “Jazz in Silhouette” and “We Travel the Spaceways/ Bad and Beautiful”. As for Allen, he has aged but his playing is still youthful and aggressive.

The Saturday show wasn’t crowded which was unfortunate because the music was even better. There was a superb performance by tenor saxophonist Salim Washington and bassist Hakim Jami that feature a fantastic drummer named Sean Dobbins. His playing is so good it makes the hairs on your neck dance. And the trio Engine played with such collective velocity you thought their instruments were going to catch fire. The trio called Wrack combined classical music with elements of funk. Sax man Skeeter Sheldon performed a duet with drummer Ali Colding which was near perfect until Sheldon started singing, which is not his strong point.

The most memorable set was the trio of saxophonist Lotte Akers, drummer Gerald Cleaver and pianist Craig Taborn. They took improvisational music to another level. Taborn played every inch and crevice of the piano. During a burst of absolute musical genius his hands moved across the piano keys faster than the blades in an industrial fan. The trio’s performance received a well deserved standing ovation.

What was truly remarkable about the 2nd annual Jazz and Improvised Music Festival was just when you thought the music couldn’t get any better another great band stole the show. Don’t be surprised if in the coming years the festival will have achieved all the prestige and cultural impact of the Vision Festival.