The University Musical Society, known mostly for its lavish, erudite classical concerts and highbrow jazz shows, let its collective hair down Saturday night. The "Blues, Roots, Honks and Moans" show at Hill Auditorium was by far the most explosive and heady concert to which I've ever been under the auspices of UMS. The package tour consisted of five bands, all of which were there for the sole purpose of exploring the roots and rudiments of the blues and its expression in the music of today.
| REVIEW | |
|---|---|
 |
Blues, Roots, Honks and Moans Feb. 1, 1997 Hill Auditorium |
First up was Steve Turre and the Sanctified Shells. Turre, an alumnus of the Saturday Night Live band and Art Blakey's jazz messengers, assembled a group of African and Cuban percussionists, a conventional rhythm section and several brass players who doubled on seashells. Blowing into the shells and moving their hands into various positions inside the shells to get different pitches, the group created an interesting microtonal music to complement the feel of the African and Latin percussion.
Next at the plate was the always inspiring Cyrus Chestnut and his trio. In terms of sheer creativity and energy, few pianists can rival him. Sticking to the bluesy side of the equation, Chestnut ran through standards like "East of the Sun, West of the Moon" as well as original compositions like "Hot Rolls and Butter" and "No Matter What I Love You."
What makes Chestnut's approach to the blues so interesting are his combinations of style. In the span of one tune he moved from intricate neo-classical lines to pounding barrelhouse action.
After the intermission, the Christian McBride Quartet took the stage and continued the up-tempo blues feeling. Playing with open mikes (as opposed to the bass direct) the group had a free cavernous sound, the echo enhancing the texture of each soloist. McBride's set began with the Milt Jackson classic "SKJ" and went into "Youthful Bliss" off his album "Number Two Express." On "SKJ" the tenor player turned in a massive and impressive blues solo with just the right amount of honking, squealing and all the other juke joint crowd pleasers. Not to be outdone, the pianist employed an old Cannonball Adderly device by which the soloist deliberately moves outside the beat and key, so when he returns to the original elements of the piece, the solo seems more powerful and more on-target than before.
McBride followed with a Wayne Shorter ballad played on a bowed bass, which was some of the loveliest solo bass playing I've heard this side of Ron Carter. The closer consisted of McBride strapping on an electric bass and playing his homage to James Brown, complete with authentic JB dancing, microphone tricks and a little off-key rendition of "It's A Man's World." Adding to his already commanding and genial stage presence, the JB action was definitely one of the show's highlights.
On after McBride was gospel and Hammond organ sensation Twinkie Clark. Twinkie's band consisted of the Cyrus Chestnut trio - and at the time of performance they had only played together once. Imagine the James Brown scene in "The Blues Brothers" and you've got a pretty good idea what Twinkie Clark is all about.
James Carter proved, if proof were needed, that the saxophone is the most athletically played instrument in all of jazz. The only tune Carter announced was the first one, a Don Byas tune titled "1944 Storm." From then on it was a mad dash to 1 a.m. In the first two minutes of his first solo, Carter flew to the timbric extremes of his instrument. His set consisted of about three pieces, all of which contained massive solos by him and the pianist, the up-and-coming Craig Taborn.
Carter did all of the things that a top-rated saxophonist is supposed to be able to do, i.e. slap-tonguing, double-tonguing, multi-phonics and altissimo. But at times it was a little dense. Carter seemed more interested in showcasing his own huge talent then playing the blues for an audience that had come out to see it. As the audience displayed its lack of manners by leaving in the middle of songs whenever they felt like it, Carter kept playing and moving closer to free jazz every minute. But one can hardly fault him for that. Trying to keep all that inside of him might have been fatal.
The show would have been 10 times better if it were held over two days. Five hours in Hill Auditorium is not an easy thing to do. But UMS should be commended for staging such an important and risky show. I hope that in the future they will continue to bring such powerful artists to Ann Arbor and allow them the time and freedom to explore as vital and rich a tradition as the blues, in all of its facets.
JENNIFER BRADLEY-SWIFT/Daily
James Carter performs at "Blues, Roots, Honks and Moans."