WARREN WOLF BRINGS GOOD VIBES TO HIS DIRTY DOG JAZZ CAFÉ RETURN

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.

 

AT ARETHA'S JAZZ CAFÉ THE NEA JAZZ MASTER DRUMMER LOUIS HAYES SWUNG WITH THE VERVE OF MUSICIANS HALF HIS AGE

Louis Hayes

At Louis Hayes's concert Sunday night, I wondered if other attendees were blown away by how athletic his playing still is at 85. Hayes, the 2022 recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Fellowship—the highest honor bestowed on a jazz musician—returned to Detroit for a weekend at Aretha's Jazz Café. Off the bat, Hayes set the tone for the high-grade swing the audience would be lavished with for 90-minutes. Silver Serenade and Arab Arab were the two scorchers Hayes opened the concert with. Witnessing him burn rubber through both numbers showed his dexterity as a masterful jazz drummer hasn't withered with age. His cymbal work was crisp, and his rimshots embodied a youthful muscularity. All night long, he was equally dynamic as when he held down the drum chair in pianist Horace Silver's and alto saxophonist Julian "Cannonball" Adderly's bands many decades ago. Then, after submerging the audience with the two opening tunes, Hayes let them come up for air on Tadd Dameron's ballad If You Could See Me Now. Hayes had a well-condition band—pianist Rick Germanson, saxophonist Abraham Burton, vibist Steve Nelson, and bassist Gerald Cannon—that punched even harder in the later rounds of the set. The members were so evenly yoked that neither overshadowed the other. Germanson and Cannon were the band's linchpins, Burton blew the paint off the walls, and Nelson's solos had an athletic quality. Hayes isn't one of those old-timers who spend a chunk of a set reminiscing about the old days. But, for what it's worth, I've always enjoyed it when jazz musicians of Hayes's era include a jazz history lesson in their concerts. Anyway, he performed for 90-minutes with no commercial interruptions and with the verve and stamina of a musician half his age. 

 

FOUR MEMORABLE PERFORMANCES SUNDAY AT THE 2022 DETROIT JAZZ FEST

Jose James

 Jose James (JP Morgan Chase Main Stage)

The jazz vocalist Jose James released Yesterday I Had the Blues: The Music of Billie Holiday in 2015. He revisited the project at his Detroit Jazz Festival set Sunday afternoon. James is a vocalist with stagecraft and an enormous voice. Unfortunately, it was rainy and windy during his concert. However, James joked that such conditions are an opportune time to listen to Holiday's music. James added new herbs and spices to God Bless the Child, Strange Fruit, and Body and Soul. I'm not sure how many attendees who braved the rain will consider this performance a favorite. However, hearing James remake Holiday's classics was worth getting drenched.

 

Nubya Garcia

Nubya Garcia (Absopure Waterfront Stage)

The British tenor saxophonist's improvisational savviness has been likened to the great Sonny Rollins. Any doubt about the accuracy of their likeness was immediately dispelled during Garcia's soloing on the opening number of her set. Garcia's band—pianist Greg Spero, drummer Sam James, and bassist Lawrence Shaw—performed mostly music from Garcia's highly-touted first album, Source. The band modernized acoustic swing was refreshing to hear. Garcia was the marquee attraction, for sure. However, listening to Spero back her and solo with such raw enthusiasm, I wondered if Garcia's quartet would still swing hard if Spero was absent from the mix. His style reminded me of pianists Craig Taborn and Jacky Terrasson.

 

Cecile McLorin Salvant

Cecile McLorin Salvant (JP Morgan Chase Main Stage)

A litany of show tunes, gems from the American songbook, and obscure songs that are an acquired taste are expected from a Cecile McLorin Salvant performance. Honestly, I've been bored to death at some of her shows; at others, her angelic voice melted my soul. However, her Sunday night set was the best I've experienced since she became a regular headliner at the Detroit Jazz fest. I was intoxicated by every song I heard, and she's been blessed with a soulmate in pianist Sullivan Fortner.

Chucho Valdes

Duets: Dianne Reeves, Chucho Valdes & Joe Lovano (Carhartt Amphitheater Stage)

Given Reeves', Valdes's, and Lovano's different musical makeup, I wondered if the pairing would work. But merging their uniqueness turned out well. Valdes played solo piano to start the set and had the piano airborne. After that, saxophonist Lovano joined him for a duet. Lovano was blowing so aggressively that he nearly blew a hole in the moon. This duet replaces Archie Shepp and Horace Parlan as my all-time favorite pianist and tenor sax duet. The duet was enough to send the audience home gratified. Valdes's duet with Grammy-winning vocalist Dianne Reeves was a bonus. Reeves was at her best, scatting up a storm. When nestled into a slow-tempo song, her voice had a puppy-love innocence. This set was hands down my favorite experience Sunday.

THE MULTI-FACETED JAZZ PIANIST MIKE MALIS PREMIERS THREE AMBITIOUS PROJECTS AT THE DIA FRIDAY CONCERT SERIES

Pianist Mike Malis

The Detroit jazz community has so many uniquely gifted musicians. So, I have to think long and hard when asked who's my favorite drummer, bassist, or horn player. However, I proclaim Mike Malis, my number one pianist, without pause when asked to pick my fave pianist. Malis is an alumnus of the University of Michigan. There he studied with the late Geri Allen. After hearing him perform with the vocalist Milton Suggs many years ago, I became fond of Malis's playing. Over the years, my fondness for him has grown. I witnessed him co-lead the duo Balance with saxophonist Marcus Elliot (recently featured in Jazz Times magazine) and tackle challenging works by greats such as Andrew Hill and Ornette Coleman. At the Detroit Institute of Arts Friday evening, Malis premiered his most ambitious project yet with the chamber ensemble Virago violinist Meg Rohrer, cellist Wesley Hornpetrie, saxophonist BethAnne Kunert, and vibraphonist Sofia Carbonara. All possess fierce improvisational skills. Malis packed a lot of arresting music into the 90-minute concert, starting with four movements from his suite Imperfect Intervals. Then performing Hold Tightly Your Vision of How Things Could Be and ending with music from his new recording, From Darkness We Awaken. During this leg of the concert, the Virago members were in stride with each other like a championship relay team. Malis treated the audience to three different concerts, each equally moving. For weeks to come, I'll think about Malis giving his all on Hold Tightly Your Vision of How Things Could Be. Honestly, I've never been a friend of solo piano because it's like watching a pianist practice. However, I was taken by Malis's range, depth, and beauty. Midway through the solo, I wondered if he'd invested time dissecting late pianist Jaki Byard's gift. Like Byard, Malis can play many styles simultaneously. So much music in a single concert could've overwhelmed an audience unwinding after a taxing work week. However, Malis is a self-assured leader, and he made such an ambitious undertaking look effortless.

 

JAZZ BASSIST MARION HAYDEN'S ETERNAL SPIRIT: THE MUSIC OF ALICE COLTRANE EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS AT THE 30th ANNUAL CONCERT OF COLORS

 

Bassist Marion Hayden

I'm not a jazz musician, but if I were one and had the money to assemble a fantasy jazz ensemble, my first hire would be jazz bassist Marion Hayden. Hayden has been a force in Detroit since her teen years, schooled by Detroit jazz greats Kenn Cox, Wendell Harrison, and Marcus Belgrave. These days, Hayden is Detroit's reigning jazz Goddess and one of the best and busiest jazz bassists working. Some of her more memorable outings have been the special projects she's produced over the years, her all-bass ensemble "Bassment," her Detroit Legacy Ensemble, dedicated to keeping alive the music of late Detroit jazz masters such as Roy Brooks, Donald Walden, and Teddy Harris Jr. If Hayden is at the helm of a project, you can bank on the project being extraordinary. Her excellence as a bassist and bandleader were again available for public consumption Saturday evening during a presentation of Alice Coltrane's compositions at the 30^th Annual Concert of Colors. The hour-plus performance was at the Detroit Institute of Arts. Hayden's ensemble—Tariq Gardner, Vincent Bowen, Dave Sharp, Michael Malis, and Mahindi Masai—plunged headfirst into Coltrane's EI Cobayo, El Daoud, Turiya Ramakrishna, and the Blue Nile. Hayden's ensemble also performed harpist Brandee Younger's In Love and Struggle. Younger was a special guest, and Coltrane's spirit appeared to be guiding Younger's hands during her solos. The concert exceeded the lofty expectations I bet many attendees had. Coltrane was a complete jazz pianist and harpist, and her music was more esoteric and spiritually oriented than swing driven. So, Hayden's ensemble taking on Coltrane's work had to be daunting. Still, their handling of it was pleasing and uplifting, rich with captivating moments. Hayden is a leader who likes to share the ball. Younger was the marquee player, but drummer Tariq Gardner—Hayden's son—solos were scene-stealers. Gardner's playing was exuberant and tasteful, and he possessed a command of the drums akin to jazz drummers Djallo DJakate and the late Roy Brooks. As expected, Hayden played brilliantly throughout the concert, engaging in a lovely exchange of virtuosity with pianist Michael Malis near the concert's end. The near-capacity audience was enthusiastic the entire set and damn near pleaded for an encore after the last selection. Had Hayden's ensemble not obliged, I'm sure a riot would've erupted. The performance was that moving.

VIOLINIST LESLIE DESHAZOR ENTHRALLS THE AUDIENCE AT HER DIRTY DOG JAZZ CAFÉ DEBUT

Leslie DeShazor

It's a crying shame that violinist Leslie DeShazor doesn't have a permanent residency at a popular jazz club in Detroit. She's an extraordinary performer with diverse musical chops, able to play classical, jazz, smooth jazz, and R&B with equal aplomb. And she's been a Godsend to the many groups she's performed with over the years. If you've heard her with vocalist Naima Shamborguer's project Sister Strings and on the frontline with the group Musique Noire, you know my praise has merit. As we speak, DeShazor is building a name as a bandleader. Thursday evening at Detroit's Dirty Dog Jazz Café—her debut there as a bandleader—she performed choice gems from her impeccable debut recording Journey With Me. In her band were keyboardist Demetrius Nabors, drummer Nate Winn, and guitarists Damon Warmack and Sasha Kashperko. DeShazor's music was a departure from the straight-ahead acoustic jazz you'd usually get at the Dirty Dog, but the near-capacity audience was enthralled with her music. A key part of her appeal was her leadership style. She was comfortable explaining the impetus behind each original composition the band played, and she never micro-managed the band. She gave Winn, Warmack, Kashperko, and Nabors equal portions of the spotlight. That bothered me some. DeShazor is such a complete and dynamic musician. I wanted her to solo more. But when she soloed, she had the audience transfixed. The Dirty Dog's bartender, Carl—who has a critic's passion and understanding of jazz—cheered during every solo she took. She performed Acceptance and Journey with Me with such warmth that I was convinced the violin would melt in her hands. Of her bandmates, she had the most chemistry with Winn and Nabors. On Simply Complicated, Nabors had the piano floating, and Winn's rimshots ricocheted off the walls on Kashperko's composition Anxiety Society. Halfway through the set, I wondered if the show would've been more enjoyable had she opted to play with a trio. The inclusion of the guitarists was overkill. Given the enthusiastic outpouring from the audience, DeShazor can bank on having a frequent residency at the Dirty Dog.

HARPIST BRANDEE YOUNGER STEALS THE SHOW AT THE CARR CENTER'S GREAT JAZZ WOMEN FROM DETROIT TRIBUTE CONCERT

Harpist Brandee Younger

I've been reviewing live jazz concerts for 20-plus years. I must confess that Saturday evening at the Carr Center was my first time experiencing a jazz harpist. New York-based Brandee Younger is the harpist. She's a Grammy nominee, has six albums available, and cites Detroit harpist Dorothy Ashby as an influence. After experiencing Younger, I also must admit my ears will never be the same. She was a featured guest at the Great Jazz Women of Detroit concert, a celebration of trailblazers, pianists Alice Coltrane and Geri Allen, vocalists Betty Carter and Sheila Jordan, and harpist Dorothy Ashby. The 90-minute performance was part of the Carr Center's 30th anniversary, and the band pianist Marc Cary, bassist Rahsaan Carter, and saxophonist JD Allen was assembled by the Carr Center's artistic director, drummer Terri Lyne Carrington. The band opened with Swamini, a composition the late pianist Geri Allen wrote for Alice Coltrane. The band stirred up the audience's senses with that number. Then Carrington introduced Younger. Younger and the band stretched out on Coltrane's the Blue Nile, Turiya and Ramakrishna, and Ashby's Games. Younger's soloing was imbued with such pure grace it appeared as if Ashby's spirit set next to Younger, instructing her on what notes to play. There were many praiseworthy moments, like when the band left Younger and vocalist Jazzmeia Horn alone on stage to have fun with Stevie Wonder's If It's Magic. Horn's voice melted all over Younger's harp. Younger received the most applause. Horn is an eclectic vocalist. She's been likened to Betty Carter. Horn was erratic throughout the concert. She did more scatting, humming, and yelling than singing. The Carr Center likes to put on tribute concerts, and a few of them, like the one for Stevie Wonder, have some overkill. Thanks to Younger, the Great Jazz Women of Detroit program was sufficiently satisfying.