JAZZ; NUJAZZ; BROKEN BEATS; SOUL; HIP HOP; FUNK; BRASILIAN RUNNINGS
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Concert reviews The Fred Wesley Group – Live at the Jazz Café Main interview with Fred Wesley can be found at http://www.ukvibe.org/interviews.html On Wednesday February 13th 2008, two days after having met with funk and jazz trombone legend Fred Wesley JR, I was back in London. This time at Camden Town’s world renowned Jazz Café to sample ‘the Fred Wesley JR Live’ experience for myself.
A powerful horn salvo announced the onset of some serious funk in the guise of JamesBrown’s ‘Soul Power’, followed in quick succession by the Pee Wee Ellis penned ‘Cold Sweat’, which had the Jazz Café massive bouncing and steppin’ on the good foot! 1980/90s soul diva Kym Mazelle took care of lead vocals and didn’t disappoint. That woman got some pipes! Veteran Theodore Arthur on saxophone was blowing like a young’un and the crowd responded audibly to his efforts. The tempo was taken down a notch briefly as we were treated to the laid back ‘In Love In L.A’ from the 1993 set ‘Swing & Be Funky’. A chance for Fred to showcase his breath control with a measured trombone solo. He’s still got it! From there on in it was pure one hundred percent funk! Raising the temperature with a floor shaking version of the title track from his current album release ‘Funk Fo’ Your Ass’. The remaining group members were now also let off the leash to have their time in the spot light.
Dwayne Dolphin the epitome in stature of a bass man laid down some uniquely funky riff’s, his head swaying back’n’forth lazily and the bass guitar nestling gently on his rotund belly as he dropped a full on phunky-fresh solo. Go on with your bad self! Step forward Joel Johnson on lead guitar and the metronomic Bruce Cox on drums who over the course of the next three stone cold JB classics, ‘Breakin’ Bread’, ‘Pass the Peas’, and ‘Gimme Some Mo’ proved their class and musicianship over and over again. Throughout all this headiness and delirium, Fred still had the staying power and lung capacity to turn up the heat still further by rousing ‘HIS’ audience to join him in a grand finale, a stirring rendition of the crowd favourite ‘House Party’. Those gathered were on it from the get go, singing along freely to the now infamous first line ‘Bring your own bottle or whatever turns you on!’ And as for the chorus….Is there still a roof on the Jazz Café? In between playing his slide trombone and singing in his inimitable style, Fred would clap along to the grove by slapping the back of one hand into the palm of the other ala BB King. Rolling his head and at times closing his eyes to concentrate on the sweet vibes his group were creating.
And then, all too soon the fun was over, or so it seemed as Mr Wesley sauntered from the stage to raptous applause and chants, which did not subside until our adopted new friend made his way back to the hot spot. He brandished his faithful horn and duly pumped out, in unison with his accomplished cohorts, a pulsating, bring the noise encore of ‘Doing it to Death! After an hour and a half, the group then retreated from the action, leaving a spent but surprisingly fresh looking Fred Wesley JR seated on the stage signing autographs and albums and accommodating photograph’s with his UK fans for the next forty-five minutes! Legend! By Michael ‘The Dood’ Edwards The Fred Wesley group (on this night) was: Fred Wesley JR – trombone
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African Soul Rebels - Bridgewater Hall, Manchester 26 February 2008 For the fourth annual instalment of the acclaimed Salif Keita is one of the giants and pioneering For this evening's concert Keita returned to the Keita's voice is so powerful and mesmerising that it Tony Allen served an extended and priceless Opening the evening were Senegales rap collective
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Kurt Elling - RNCM, Manchester 24 October Kurt Elling has over a series of critically acclaimed albums, first for the Blue Note label, and now for Concord, established a reputation as an artist of some depth who is incessantly curious about his art and ever eager to expand his repertoire as attested by the prestigious numerous Downbeat readers and critics awards received thus far. His live performance at the RNCM last night did little to dissuade one of that view and indeed the evening's proceedings merely cemented the view that he is no less than the premier male jazz vocalist of his generation. Elling, ably accompanied by his trio under the masterful collaborator-in-chief, pianist Laurence Hobgood, opened the evening with a delicious rendition of 'It's easy living' before welcoming the audience with a friendly rap for having 'Come out for some swingin' sounds'. Clearly an early rapport with the public had been established and communication is of the essence in Elling's storytelling repertoire. A judicious medley of Irving Berlin and Tom Jobim songs inspired by the seminal Sinatra/Jobim collaboration album was followed by some vocal gymnastics on an outstanding version of Betty Carter's 'Tight'. Reverence for the classic vocalese masters such as Carter, Jon Hendricks and Eddie Jefferson is certainly praiseworthy, but embelleshing the storyline with finger snapping went down equally well with voluminous audience applause. One of Elling's talents has been to add his own lyrics to classic instrumentals and these have included John Coltrane's 'Resolution' and Wayne Shorter's 'Night Dream'. On the latest album, 'Night Movements', the tour de force was undoubtedly a re-working of another tenor saxophonist, Dexter Gordon, and his solo on the retitled, 'A New Body and Soul'. The live version, devoted to his two year old daughter, showcased the vocalist's ability to scat and manipulate at will the speed of his delivery. Literature has clearly played a major part in Elling's education and it was heartening to hear him renew the relationship between beat poetry and jazz that was such an integral feature of 1950s and 1960s jazz scene. Homage was paid to poets such as Ginsberg and Kerouac on a piece 'Lay it on easy' that began with collective clapping from the band members and included blues-inflected piano from Hobgood. This was immediately followed by a hugely entertaining long scat on Lord Buckley, a long unrecognised American artist from 1950s hipsterdom who would mimic the voice of an English Lord, and a piece of more experimental poetry that was challenging for any musician, but which the audience relished. Back to more conventional vocals with 'And we will fly' with its beautiful lilting melody in which an extended solo from Hobgood revealed the sheer lyricism of the song. On this number, as throughout, there was sensitive accompaniment from Kobie Watkins on drums, a recent member of Sonny Rollins band and supportive bass from long-time quartet member Rob Amster. There was still time for another gorgeous Jobim ballad, sung in Portugese, but with an introductory explanation in English, before the band played out with a thrilling version of Pat Mentheny's 'Minuano' from the guitarist's Brazilian period with a subtle introduction and then on into a gentle samba with Elling hitting the highest notes of the evening on the Metheny solo parts. Needless to say an encore was in order and Hobgood and Elling returned for a comtemplative piece before departing to rapturous applause. A demonstration class in the art of jazz vocalese, then, and Kurt even made time to meet the audience afterwards which is to his credit. Another live recording is surely on the cards when the performance is this crafted. Tim Stenhouse
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Juan Martin - Bridgewater Hall 23 May Regarded as one of the undoubted masters of the nuevo flamenco style of guitar playing, Juan Martin has succeeded in expanding the traditional frontiers of the genre to incorporate jazz, Brazilian samba, Afro-Cuban and even tango elements and on the recent compliation, 'Rumbas Orignales', the diverse influences are showcased. Born in the flamenco stronghold of Andalucia where the artform began, Martin was first influenced by the great guitar master Andres Segovia who reigned supreme during the 1950s and 1960s. By the early 1970s it was Paco de Lucia and Tomatito that had caught his ear. In addition Martin has always had a passion for the jazz approach to guitar playing and in particular the the melodious licks of Brazilian Laurindo Almeida and the American Joe Pass. Martin's own recordings began with RCA Novus in the 1980s, essentially a jazz label, and this was reflected in his collaborations with giants such as Wayne Shorter, trumpeter Mark Isham and the Brazilian musical duet of Airto Moreira and Flora Purim. Indeed he first came to prominence on the 1986 collaboration album, Painter in Sound' with Mark Isham. In 1988 Martin recorded his first personalised vision of flamenco in the acclaimed 'The Andalucian Suites' For this evening's set the enthusiastic audience, made up of interested locals and a healthy dose of expat Spaniards eager to renew musical acquaintances with the Iberian peninsula, was treated to a classic selection of rumbas, soleas and bulerias from the traditional repertroire accompanied by dancers. These lit up the evening and the audience was soon fully engaged and encourage to clap in unsion with band members. Perhaps, the revelation of the evening, however, were the musical fusions that Martin is so fond of. Smouldering Cuban guajiras conjued up images of the Cuban countryside while the moorish influence prevalent in flamenco was highlighted in the Sephardic music of the twelth and thirteenth century that is no longer performed in Spain. Matters were rounded off with an excellent interpretation of tango flamenco. Juan Martin is a multi-talented musician who, in addition to a catholic taste in music in general, has become a best-selling author of guitar method books. Tim Stenhouse
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