The Revive showcase wasn’t the only show that brought amazing musicians together at the Winter JazzFest this past weekend. We bounced around the festival’s countless shows to bring you the other highlights of the amazing weekend. Read our writers takes on the shows below!
Tia Fuller
Let me begin with a total sidebar: Tia Fuller, by far, had the flyest outfit of anyone in the entire Festival. Unnecessary and annoying to note—female jazz musicians get the wrong kind of attention all the time—except that her purple-metallic-high-heeled-fur-stole flair only enhanced what was clearly a focused, driven, talented and purposeful presence on stage. Calling her set a “journey” in which we would “move forward in faith, not fear,” it was clear that she knew what she was doing—as a performer, composer, bandleader and human being. That confidence, which likely guided her to those funky pants, also manifested itself in her solos, interaction with her bandmates (her sister, Shamie Royston on keys, brother-in-law, Rudy Royston on drums, and longtime friend, Mimi Jones on bass), and engagement of the audience. She asked us in the crowd to make 2011 the year in which we would take “decisive steps”—the name of her new album—toward our personal goals. She smiled, danced, and played with such passion and purpose that I wanted to break out a notepad right there and rewrite all my New Year’s resolutions. In all, a wonderful performance from an artist who knows not only how to wield her instrument, but her inspired talent, and in the direction of good.
-Kyla Marshell
JD Allen VISIONFUGITIVE!
“JD Allen is doing a lot right now”—so say my notes from that amazing evening, the top of the first night of the Festival. With two drummers, two bassists, five horns, piano, vibes, and auxiliary percussion (did I miss anything?) playing simultaneously, as well as contrapuntally, the sound that filled Le Poisson Rouge was huge and labyrinthine, and it felt very much like catastrophe—but a manageable sort of catastrophe. The band opened with a long, intricate piece—then immediately afterward, Lawrence D. “Butch” Morris, the conductor, turned to face the audience and talk to us about Conduction, i.e., what he was presently doing. He even tossed Conduction fliers into the audience, little 3×5 cards with his definition printed and arranged as though it had come straight from Webster’s. Using the first tune as his example, he explained what each flick of the baton meant, and broke the piece down, instrument by instrument. Not only was the audience in awe of the music itself, but in the seamless way in which it all came together: the oohs and ahs were not only during the initial performance of the piece, but in the explanation which followed. It was impossible to hear everything going on at once, but intentionally so; thus, to have Morris feature each part individually, and then bit by bit, layer them to build back up to the full sound, only intensified the beauty of what was so fiercely complex and so unconventionally elegant.
-Kyla Marshell
Steve Coleman and Five Elements
There was certainly an air of expectation as festival goers packed out Le Poisson Rouge to witness the legendary Steve Coleman and the Five Elements. As is sometimes the case, a few shows preceding Coleman ran over so his set was a late in starting. Unfortunately, it also meant that his set was cut short. Coleman on sax was accompanied by the Five Elements, consisting of Jen Shyu on vocals, Jonathan Finlayson on trumpet, David Virelles on piano and Miles Okazaki on guitar. The musicians came together to incite our musical senses. Coleman’s set had a free form style and with each selection progressing one to the other almost as if a story were being told. Impressively, Jen Shyu used her vocal prowess, not just merely to sing, but more like an instrumental accompaniment. At times, the notes she sang blended to match the tone, rhythm and pattern of both Coleman’s sax and Finlayson’s trumpet. It was also interesting to see how involved each musician was in the songs as they seemed to lose themselves in the music, their eyes closing for moments and their heads rhythmically keeping time as they awaited their return back to the piece. Artists like Steve Coleman and the Five Elements don’t come around everyday and this show was a fine example of what timelessness sounds like.
-Terri Neal
Chico Hamilton
For the final act of the first night of the 2011 Winter Jazzfest at Le Poisson Rouge, the crowd was blessed with the opportunity of seeing West Coast legend Chico Hamilton play with his band of the past several decades, Euphoria. Prior to him hitting the stage, the announcer mentioned that Chico was playing at the same spot back when it was called the Village Gate, and that he remembers it well because on one occasion he brought a brand new drum set with him there and had it stolen that same night. But that was a long time ago, and Chico now takes pride in coming back to the same place. Well, actually in just being anywhere as he joked about his old age throughout the night by ‘forgetting’ his band member’s names and what he was going to play in his set.
What made Chico’s set interesting was the directness and brevity of each song. Not at one moment during the night was there a long winded solo that meandered aimlessly, or a point where the song duration could cause modern listeners to tune out. Each composition, which were all new ones, were performed as tightly as it gets by the group as far as one could tell, and could easily blend into each other but still differed in the dynamics of each song. The smooth opener ‘How Is You Feeling’ really captured the vibe of west coast life with its beach culture and could have easily been a predecessor to smooth jazz. Even the playing of each of his band members was very minimal, opting for a ‘less is more’ approach like the cutting but funky solo that veteran bassist of the band Paul Ramsey took on the first song.
But don’t think that each member couldn’t hold their own. The telepathic duet that flute players Evan Schwam and Mayu Saeki took on the forth song ‘That Boy With That Long Hair,’ a humorous description of Chico’s appearance, was so in sync that one would had to of been staring at them to tell when they traded notes with each other. The guitar playing of Nick Demopoulos was also a highlight, as his tone was very reminiscent of George Benson but came out in his own way on the second song ‘Broadway.’ And percussionist Jeremy Carlstedt, who Chico picked up when he saw how he would eye the ladies back in their hometown and knew he had to be good, showcased his ability to support the band as a percussionist and lead as the drummer when Chico stepped off on the final number because it was time to go to the bar as the announcer told him. Seeing the elders of the genre is a rewarding experience, but to see one who leads with a style that is heavily overlooked on the present scene is something that must be cherished while it is still around.
-Putnam Doug
