Some More Jazz

Three performances: Dave Douglas "Quintet +", but there were 6 people (I guess someone forgot to count?). This group, really a sextet not a quintet was really an amalgamation of musicians who were around for the jazz camp. All of them well known in their own right including Josh Redman (saxophone) and Larry Grenadier (bass). So while they had never performed together before, they still put on one of the best jazz performances I've heard in quite some time. (I wish that were more of an accolade than it actually is.)

One of the amazing parts of listening to this group of musicians was to hear how each of these players could bring something new to the composition. While each of the compositions - all originals of Dave Douglas - were interesting in their own right, the solos that each musician took were quite incredible. Dave Douglas has a way of placing trumpet lines above the rest of the band that sing through with amazing clarity and focus. Every note carefully chosen and played as such. Josh Redman brought a fury of energy with several of his solos. Starting off slow, calm, and clearly stated, he often was able to weave a complex set of lines whipping the rest of the group into quite a boil by the end. Skillfully and well done, he told his stories well.


Nicholas Payton and the Taylor Eigsti Trio: To be honest, I had never heard of these folks before, but I was quite impressed. Taylor Eigsti, the pianist can lay down some pretty hip solos. I certainly enjoyed their rendition of "Things Ain't what they used to be," demonstrating a certain New Orleans flair and vibe that made the piece glow.

Joshua Redman Trio: These three guys really lit it up. I was impressed by the way that the three musicians seemed to genuinely care about what the other musicians are playing during their solos. In other performances this week, one of the lead horn players would help get a song started, play a solo, then walk off the stage. While it might work for them and give the rest of the band some space so to speak, it seems to say something about how they value the work of their fellow musicians. Josh Redman, seems to be way into it. While he steps out of the way when the bass or drums are taking a solo, he just stands off to the side and is clearly into the music. It makes it more of a group performance and production, three musicians up on the stage having a good time, and it shows.

Their playing was lively and energetic no doubt. His solo lines have a wild and almost dizzying aspect to them. At times, he can cram in more notes that they aren't all distinguishable, alternating to different modes and keys to keep things harmonically lively. Its quite impressive.

One last comment about the three performances: I have to say that I was much more aware of the clarity of the bass playing both during solos and the rest of the tunes. Maybe its just that I never truly paid attention, but I though that all of the bassists this week truly had a great voice during their solos. They were able to make their ideas clear and heard, while all too often a bass solo gets too muddy and confused. Well done.