Saturday was an unexpectedly strong night of shows and might end up as one of the most memorable ones of the festival for me for the high quality of music I heard. Some were older masters, others were the next generation of greats, but all were class acts. I’ll review those shows first, but scroll down for Day 3 show recommendations, if that’s what you’re here for.
I began Saturday evening with drummer Adam Nussbaum, one of the industry’s most reliable sidemen, at the Inn on Broadway. There was no pretense in his playing; it was clear his long-demonstrated proficiency earned him a chill demeanor. And it came out in his easy range, able to play everything from swing (reimagining classic tunes like “Night in Tunesia,” warning the ‘jazz police’ that it would be obscured) to rocking out, on everything from drum sticks, soft felt mallets, and even with his bare hands. His drumming is at once rhythmic and melodic. And fun, especially on the mishmash tune “Maya Papaya,” a playful song written for his once-young daughter that fused Caribbean rhythms with Swiss yodeling (he did, indeed, yodel at one point). It was a great, fun set that got my night off on the right start.
Had you asked me if a concert of smooth ‘80s jazz would be my pick before last night, I would’ve emphatically said no. But it’s hard to argue with the mastery of Bob James, who I heard next in Kodak Hall. It probably helped that he started things off with a tune that really swung, as if to acknowledge he’s at a jazz festival that might have hardcore traditionalists. But the fairly packed hall was a clue that the audience was there specifically for his brand of smooth jazz. James is a storyteller, and his tunes have an easy melody, light groove, and gorgeous flourishes. But it’s not all easy listening: he’s able to head out into chromatic asides, extended harmonies, avant garde rumbles, but he always knows how to hook listeners back to a satisfying and warm arrival point. He came with musicians who are just as refined. He made a point to say that drummer John Mahon, who also took a turn singing, was taking a detour from his gigs with Elton John; the skill and control required of playing with greats like James and John was clear. And Michael Palazzolo had that ‘80s metropolitan smooth jazz twang on the bass, completing the band’s style. It was a satisfying show.
I stopped in briefly for Tommy Smith and Jon Ballantyne in Hatch Recital Hall next. They had a real swank together, with Smith’s airy, smoky tone on the tenor sax and sheer dexterity paired with Ballantyne’s piano-bar touch.
But the show of the night was definitely Alexa Tarantino and her quartet at Kilbourn Hall. I expected it to be the “Alexa” show and I came away thinking that the quartet, together, was a powerhouse. Alexa’s tunes are punchy and bright, like her playing, but the band—which included Steven Feifke on piano (Tarantino’s husband, a fact that she often avoids talking about for fear of people focusing on gender dynamics instead of their playing), Philip Norris on bass, and Mark Whitfield, Jr. on drums—ratcheted up the intensity, often reaching euphoric highs in their excursions together. Alexa was the consummate artist, playing with clear intent and a refined style. The show was mostly Alexa’s compositions from her latest album, “The Roar and the Whisper.” As many times as I’ve heard the album in preparation for my interview with her, the live experience, in which there was such a spark between the players, trumped anything I could’ve gotten from listening to a record. As the younger generation coming up the jazz pipeline, Alexa’s quartet proved that the world of jazz is in really good hands as the venerable masters pass their torches over.
___
Now for tonight’s recommendations. Here’s my plan:
1. Paul Cornish Trio at the Inn on Broadway. In my article where I speculated who the next big names would be who we are hearing first at the jazz festival, I nearly included pianist Paul Cornish. A Texas hotshot, having gone to the same arts high school that produced legends like Jason Moran and Robert Glasper, he was recently signed to Blue Note Records after playing and touring with names like Joshua Redman, Herbie Hancock, and even Kanye West. He’ll definitely be an artist to watch, and I would say his shows today and tomorrow (in Hatch) are not to be missed.
2. Arturo Sandoval in Kodak Hall. Hard to overstate this 10-time Grammy Award and Presidential Medal of Freedom Cuban trumpet player (editing to add: he also is a phenomenal piano player). He’s even won an Emmy Award for his music in “For Love or Country,” where he was played by actor and musician Andy Garcia. His once-direct connection to Dizzy Gillespie means he’s not only a Cuban jazz master but also one who has wholly inherited classic bebop. This is one of those shows that, if you haven’t heard him before, just go.
3. Joe Farnsworth Quartet featuring Sarah Hanahan. All the jazzers in Rochester know that this is a show to make. Farnsworth is a pyrotechnic, dynamic drummer who puts on a real show. Sarah Hanahan is another one of those next-generation alto saxophonists who recently won rising star honors from Downbeat Magazine. It’ll be fun to have a back-to-back comparison with Alexa Tarantino, to see how their styles and sounds differ as two of the most major female saxophonists right now. Together with Farnsworth, this will be explosive.
There are lots of other great shows on the schedule, but I’d make these your ‘don’t miss’ stops.
Be First to Comment