Michael Blake and Chroma Nova:" Piccolos Before Rifles": Eloquence, Color and Joy

Michael Blake is a creative saxophonist/composer whose work I have always tried to keep current with. I first heard this Canadian born musician’s work with bassist Ben Allison’s group back in Brooklyn in the late 2000’s when I saw the group perform the music from the great album Little Things Run the World. His work, along with all of this splendid musicianship of the group's other players, caught my attention. It’s been a musical cornucopia of creativity and enjoyment for me following their work since then. 

Blake has been particularly productive with his own work, including his well received Dance of the Mystic Bliss  from 2023, and this latest release  Piccolos Before Rifles takes the listener into a world of music that brings a strong West African/Brazilian rhythmic element into the light. The group on this latest release is called Chroma Nova and a slightly different personnel was on the former album Dance of the Mystic Bliss. The New York-based, Vancouver, Canada born musician continues with three Brazilian masters on this album and their inherent rhythmic influences are a major factor as to how well this album feels and flows. Blake's inventive compositions in the hands of this group offer color, eloquence, vibrancy, passion and joy to the listener.

Michael Blake (unknown photo credit)

I have been a long-time admirer of the drum and percussive work of Rogerio Boccato and previously seen him lend his deft artistry to numerous other established artists including John Patitucci, Billy Childs and Kenny Garrett. Bassist Gili Lopes and guitarist Monteiro, both Brazilian, are new to me. The Puerto Rican-American violinist Skye Soto Steele completes this ethnically diverse band and gives Blake’s music its own distinctive musical identity that should make listeners smile and dance to this offering. There are seven compositions, each with its own inspiration that gives the listener a back story to how the music relates to a real life experiences, tribute or an aspiration. In some respects this allows the listener to follow the compositional track from idea to construction to execution.

“Elephant Crush” is a energetic composition that Blake conceived of as a visceral representation of what Blake and his brother once experienced, when the earth shook beneath their feet as a herd of elephants stampeded toward them on a Safari outing in Zambia. After a dynamic intro, the music emerges like a clarion call to awareness to the pending danger with the band playing in beautiful synchronicity.  Led by Monteiro’s drone-like guitar picking, Blake’s sumptuous tenor, Gili Lopes palpitating bass lines and Boccato’s exquisite percussive-driven pulse. Steele’s violin adds a distinctly edgy accent as a counterpoint to Blake’s liquid saxophone lead. The electricity the music generates it has a distinctive West African flavor that is infectious and makes you move to it. You either avoid the pending danger or just get out of the way. Blake’s saxophone work is exploratory as he raises the temperature in counterpoint to the probing rhythm  before the group comes to an abrupt coda.

“Temples” is a slower paced composition that has a Middle Eastern meets Americana vibe to it. Blake and Monteiro interweave their instrumental tones and ideas in a beautiful exchange that is quite expressive and fluid. Steele’s plaintive violin adds another element to this musical tapestry. There is calm courage to this music that is quite eloquent, to be savored.

Any saxophonist worth his mettle will find Stan Getz worthy of studying. “Stone Cold Stan” becomes Blake’s tribute to the master of superb tone. The energetic pace is anchored by the ostinato bass lines of Lopes and Boccato’s rhythmic creativity. The theme is stated in precise unison by the guitar, violin and soprano saxophone, a little reminiscent to me of the first Mahavishnu band's type of interplay, albeit lighter, but nonetheless impressive. It shifts rhythmically and Steele’s urgent violin solo dances like an ecstatic dervish before Blake’s airy soprano enters the mix, sinewy, slithery and snake-charming-like hypnotic. A hybrid song that seems to cross over into fusion territory.

The title track, “Piccolos Before Rifles,” is Blake’s take on how music, played in the form of a military band, is used to introduce a formation of marching soldiers. Music is usually considered as a vehicle to promote peace and love, so the fact that has often been used as a tool for the proliferation of war couldn’t be more ironic. The opening features a slow duo of Monteiro’s guitar and Lopes’ bass. Boccato introduces a cadenced drum line over which Blake’s noir-inspired tenor appears just taking you to another place. Steele’s light violin lines mix with Blake's horn in a sympathetic delightful unison before Lopes bass is featured on a probing solo.  Blake’s tenor comes out front with another exploratory solo, slowly building up the tension before allowing the music to slow and simmer to the finish.

Michael Blake and Chroma Nova (photo credit unknown)

If you like Western African/Brazilian inflected groove “Mauritania” is the answer. The music is breezy and bluesy, and you feel how the love of dance inspires this music. Held together by this stellar Brazilian rhythm section of Monteiro, Gili and Boccato, the music floats into the atmosphere like a free bird via Blake’s airy flute work. Steele’s violin adds another color and Monteiro’s guitar tops off this one with his gentle fretwork. Sit back, turn this up and grab a tropical drink and you’ll experience the West African Saharan sun of Mauritania.

“Lift Off” opens with some percussive accents by Boccato before Gili’s bass and Monteiro’s guitar strumming is joined by Blake’s propulsive tenor. The band builds up the tension in stages, the music grows more excitable, more intense as they ignite in preparation of Lift Off. This is the only cut on the album that doesn’t include Steele’s violin contribution.

The final composition is “Black Taj”, a song inspired by a trip made by Blake to India and a tale that accounts for Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, the Emperor who built the Taj Mahal as a mausoleum for his wife. The emperor supposedly wanted to also erect a Black Taj, a mirror image to the first White structure only in Black across the river. Since the Black Taj was never constructed, we must assume that the song must somehow relate to the feelings that come from having a driving ambition that never comes to fruition. The music opens with Blake's deep-toned  alto flute, another added color to this tapestry of sounds.  Lopes adds some bass lines in conversation with Blake's beautiful flute work. Steele's violin lays down a drone-like backdrop on top of Boccato's whirling drum work and Montiero's inventive guitar explorations. The group slowly brings the pace to a fading conclusion as Blake's flute flutters to breathlessness. Just beautiful.

Handmade : Emilio Solla's Tribute to Craft and it's Importance to Human Connection

 

Emilio Solla and La Inestable De Brooklyn-Handmade-Club Disco Records

The Grammy award winning, Argentina-born pianist/composer Emilio Solla and his group La Inestable De Brooklyn, releases his latest Handmade of March 13, 2026. Solla is this era’s eminent practitioner of creating modern music. He skillfully combines elements of Tango, Milonga, Latin Folk and Jazz sensibilities into its own beguiling style and Handmade delivers that in spades.

For those not up to speed on Solla’s previous work, Solla was educated in Argentina receiving his degree in Classical Piano at the National Conservatory of Music in Buenos Aires. He later received a master’s in jazz composition from the Aaron Copland School of Music in New York, eventually relocating first to Barcelona in Spain in 1996 and later to New York in 2006 where he now resides. He has worked with notable jazz musicians like Billy Hart, Paquito Rivera and Donny McCaslin and leads his own NY-based quintet Bien Sur!. Solla has been an active composer in chamber and symphonic music with such notable projects as Suite Piazzollana, a modern Tango/jazz inspired suite that is a homage to the guitar icon Astor Piazzolla. He released his 17-piece big band recording Puertos: Music from International Waters in 2019 and the album won a Latin Grammy for Best Latin Jazz Album in 2020. In 2023 he received praise for his arrangements and orchestrations for his collaboration with Paquito D’Rivera titled Ritmo-The Chick Corea Symphony Tribute.  

Emilio Solla (photo credit unknown)

Handmade is a beautiful addition to this talented composer’s discography. The album is a tribute to craft, the art of working with your mind and hands. Given the rapid changes in the technologies that seem to alter almost every way we work and communicate, it is fitting that an artist like Solla recognizes that our work or our art,  a product of our creativity and hard achieved skill, is honestly realized by our own hands, our own voices, our own instruments and even in the case of dance, our feet. As such it needs to be honored and preserved to maintain the essential human connection we need to effectively communicate ideas. I believe Solla’s message here is that when technologies like robotic machines or AI can mimic our creativity and communicate soulless information or algorithmic generated art then we have lost something that we cannot afford to lose.

Solla’s La Inestable De Brooklyn, which loosely translates fittingly as The Unpredictable from Brooklyn, is made up of some top-tier musicians from NY.  The nonet includes Solla on piano; Tim Aracost on tenor saxophone , clarinet and bass clarinet; Sara Caswell is on violin; Edward Perez mans the double bass; Rogério Boccato provides drum work and percussion; Mike Fahie is on trombone; Rodolfo Zaneti is on bandoneon; David Smith plays trumpet and flugelhorn; Alejandro Avilés can be heard on soprano and alto saxophone, and flute; Facundo Colman provides percussion on track 2; and the vocal of Sofia Tosello on track 9.

Emilio Solla and La Inestable De Brooklyn

Solla opens the album with the third part of his “Suite de los Abrazo”- Bodegon Canibal or “Suite of Hugs or Embraces.”  He comments on his album notes that the three-piece suite should not be thought of as being required to be heard in a particular sequence and so he suggests that listeners might mix and match the suites. On the third suite, a gorgeous piece that demonstrates Solla’s creative use of the band’s diverse tonal basket, we hear Boccato’s drum and percussive work set the infective beat.  Armacost’s bass clarinet provides an unusual woody, tonal bass line before the remaining section adds the brass and woodwind color.  Solla’s piano adds sparse accents and Perez ‘s bass beautifully maintains the rhythm with Boccato. Avilés alto soars and then the total section creates a cacophonic but joyful canvas of color that includes inspired work by Armacost, Aviles, Smith, and Fahie. Caswell and Zanetti weave their two instruments in a particularly sympathetic way adding their tones as Solla’s arrangement swells with excitement and splendor. Wonderful.

The album continues with a homage to the compositions of Joni Mitchell. Solla starts out with a repeating piano line that is accented by Zanetti’s warm bandoneon and sweet Caswell’s violin. Solla skillfully orchestrates the instruments that he has available to him like an artist painting a picture and the results are gorgeous, but despite his reference to having referenced some of Mitchell’s compositions in this piece, I cannot tell which ones he used for the inspiration. Needless to say the man has a wellspring of imagination.

The second part of the suite” Suite do los Abrazo” is subtitled “Milonga MUtante” and is a piece that was inspired during the Covid pandemic.  Like most of Solla’s work, this piece tells a story, this one musically recreating the feel of being in an Emergency Room in the early days of the pandemic. Boccato’s drum work is evocative of the coming urgency. Solla uses the tango briefly before the group creates the hectic, frazzled and unsettling experience of being in that scary scene. Mike Fahie’s trombone provides an expressive solo, a voice that seems to be expressing his bewilder, lonely feel. The rest of the group adds to the cacophonic, unfettered frenzy of being there.

“Para el Agua” or “For the Water” was originally written as a solo piano piece by Solla. Here he arranges the music for the larger chamber group. Sara Caswell’ s violin lays out the opening lines over Boccato’s trap cadenced work and Solla’s ostinato piano work. Smith’s trumpet and Armacost’s bass clarinet and Zanetti’s bandoneon all add to the mix before Solla takes his most melodically gorgeous and harmonically inventive piano solo of the album. The arrangement bustles with tonal ideas that make this one stand out.

The final piece of the suite is subtitled “The Loss” and according to the liner notes was inspired by poetry. Solla’s piano spells out t moving ballad beautifully.  The group sets up the tension, the section swelling to evoke the coming loss. Edward Perez’s double bass offers a most facile and imaginative pizzicato solo that conjures up personal loss here. Perez is accompanied by intuitive violin work by Caswell and some emotive bandoneon work by Zanetti that sets the sorrowful mood perfectly

Solla is a master of the new tango and here he seems to be evoking the progressiveness of Miles Davis approach to music by naming this “Miles Tango.” This is not your father’s tango. Solla take the dance form and enlivens it with some of his most searching piano work on the album. The brass section wails- the rhythm section adds some funk bass and drum lines- Smith’s muted trumpet soars through the ozone. Solla creates some complex lines for the group to navigate as a unit and they do so precisely until the abrupt stop at the coda.

“Bird Song” is one of the most sonically inventive of the Solla’s songs, in no small part due to Sara Caswell’s violin eerily creating bird sounds that work so well with this composition. The music was commissioned by a chamber music ensemble from San Antonio, Texas. Solla envisioned a bird that flew easily between Mexico and Texas at the border, unencumbered by customs or immigration rules. Not only was the bird free, but this avian creature could also dance to Solla’s wonderful folk-inspired music. The group was a cornucopia of sounds weaving a magical environment- flutes, trumpets, woodwinds, piano, bandoneon- that created a splendid background for Caswell’s precocious bird. This cinematic piece is aural delight.

“La Carta” (The Letter) opens with a moving interaction between Caswell’s violin and Solla’s repeating piano lines. In the notes, Solla acknowledges that having been involved in the Ritmo project, where he orchestrated some of the great Chick Corea’s music, indelibly had an impact on his own playing. Solla confess that the piano ostinato on this one could easily have been inspired by Corea’s own “Children’s Song.” No matter what influences, here Solla’s music is a heartfelt, wordless letter that blossoms like a flower burgeoning to the warm light of the sun. The orchestration is gorgeous, as Solla blends the sounds of violin, clarinet, bass clarinet, bowed bass, and subtle percussive accents to his ringing, monotone piano lines.  After hearing this once, it’s almost impossible for the listener not to play it back multiple times to absorb the artistry of this gem of music making.

The final cut on the album is the only composition that uses voice as one of its elements. “De Viento y de Sal” or Of Wind and of Salt is perhaps the most traditional chamber music piece on the album and it features the gorgeously expressive voice of the Argentinian singer Sofia Tasello. The music is implemented by the sounds of Caswell violin and Zanetti’s wonderful Bandoneon. Tasello and the band deliver a fitting coda to this beautiful album.

Emilio Solla’s Handmade is truly an important album that revels in story-telling, marvels in astute arrangements, and embraces the listener in emotive feelings. It utilizes a band of talented and sympathetic musicians that bring the composer’s vision to life. As the composer says, the music is like a suite of a big hug or embrace!"   

The Biamp PDX Portland Jazz Festival: Sullivan Fortner Trio, Dianne Reeves & Band and John Patitucci Brazilian Trio

Yotam Silberstein, John Patitucci and Rogerio Bocacato at the Old Church

The Biamp PDX Portland Jazz Festival brought an amazing gathering of some of jazz music's most talented, diversified, and celebrated lineups to Portland this year. The festival ran from February 16 through March 2, 2024, and included a variety of venues -The Jack London Revue, The Old Church, Revolution Hall, Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, Alberta Street Pub, Newmark Theater, and the Roseland Theater [place a myriad of smaller locations to name just a few. True jazz fans should tip their collective hats to the producers of this year's festival. This year truly met and exceeded all reasonable expectations for supporters of this marvelous music. 

The festival included esteemed headliners-pianist Jon Baptiste, guitar master Julian Lage, trumpeter Nicholas Payton, modernist guitarist Mary Halvorson with drummer Tomas Fujiwara, piano master Bob James with guitar wizard Lee Ritenour, and some fine local artists that include guitarist Ryan Meagher and Dan Balmer, drummer legend Mel Brown and saxophonist Nicole Glover plus too many others to mention. Check the total lineup here. Suffice it to say, if there was music that you favored in this ever-accepting genre there was something to please almost any taste.

As a fan, it was a plethora of almost too many riches. The offerings were scheduled over a relatively short period, and the weather didn't always cooperate. I was lucky enough to pick and choose my events (with some help from a friend) and attended three superb events.

Sullivan Fortner and Tyronne Allen at the Old Church

The Sullivan Fortner Trio at Old Church:  February 27, 2024

I have been a fan of the pianist Sullivan Fortner for quite some time. He was born in New Orleans and started piano at the age of four. Blessed with perfect pitch, Fortner rapidly advanced with his keyboard skills. At age seven he began playing organ publically in his mother's Baptist Church. Gospel music made a permanent impression on the young man. Fortner went on to study music at Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio and later received his master's degree from the Manhattan School of Music. The musician made his bones as a sideman with the likes of vibraphonist Stefon Harris and trumpeter Roy Hargrove. In 2011 Fortner came under the influence of the pianist master Barry Harris. He has been tapped as an astute accompanist for vocalists like Lauren Henderson and the recent sensation Samara Joy. He is most celebrated for his collaboration with the amazing vocal chanteuse Celine McLorin Salvant. He has received numerous awards including the prestigious  Lincoln Center Emerging Artist Award in 2016.

By now, the thirty-seven-year-old pianist has become a revered master of his instrument being one of his generation's most promising artists. I named his recent 2023 release

Solo Game as one of my Notes on Jazz Best of Jazz for 2023. I was most interested in seeing this impressive artist play live and in the moment. His February 27th concert at downtown Portland's intimate Old Church was the perfect venue to see him perform his magic up front and personally. 

Fortner casts a short, sturdy, but graceful presence at his piano bench. He is soft-spoken and when he does speak, there is an unassuming confidence in his voice, a voice that also projects a wry sense of humor and a deep sense of joy about what he does. Fortner was joined by his working band of Tyrone Allen on upright bass and Kayvon Gordon on drums. There is an immediate sense of connection between these three. A connection of respect and of the kind of familiarity that is built slowly from being exposed to many hours of woodshedding together, honing their skills as a unit, and creating that level of simpatico that usually only is seen in working bands. 

The Maryland-born Tyrone Jackson studied upright and classical bass at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester and later attended Berklee in Boston where he was mentored by local giants like saxophonists Jerry Bergonzi and George Garzone and the late drummer Ralph Peterson. Drummer Kayvon Gordon hails from Detroit. He was mentored by trumpeter Marcus Belgrave and attended the University of Michigan where he studied with bassist Robert Hurst and pianist Benny Green. With this pedigree, there is no doubt this trio has the firepower and finesse to make this a memorable evening of music.

The trio entered the stage and immediately went to work on what sounded like a Monk-inspired piece of music. Jagged, angular and edgy. There was little doubt that Fortner's music would be inspired by his study and mastering of the music's history. Despite his familiarity with the material, he is like a bubbling caldron of creativity that never settles for using well-worn musical cliques. He is expressive and surprising and there is a spontaneity to his approach that is quite refreshing.

The group played for two sets and covered some fourteen compositions, a few of which were originals and some music from composers Thad Jones, Cedar Walton, and Bobby Hutcherson. Two highlights were Charles Trenet's "La Mer" which was played in a stunning calypso style and the gorgeously embroidered take on Hoagy Carmichael's "Stardust," which was like hearing the well-healed classic in a new light. Throughout the performance, Fortner showed some amazing double-handed, Shearing-like block chording work. He has an impressive facility but he uses his skill to tell a story. Fortner's piano takes you time traveling. You can hear the art of Thelonious Monk, Erroll Garner, Eubie Blake, and even Art Tatum in his playing without it ever becoming mimicry. His bandmates are attuned to his changing directions and inventive excursions. Both are excellent soloists when called on. The set ended with the local tenor saxophonist, Nicole Glover, as a guest. She joined the trio for one ballad and two more energetic post-bop songs that added a new voice and some local flavor to the evening's music.

Diane Reeves and Reuben Rogers at Revolution Hall

Diane Reeves and her Band: Revolution Hall February 29, 2024 

One highlight of this festival was the chance to see Dianne Reeves and her band at the Revolution Hall. The Detroit-born Reeves is perhaps the ruling queen of current-day jazz singers in the world. Critic Scott Yanow called her "A logical successor to Dinah Washington and Carmen McRae..." In 2018 she was named a prestigious NEA Master. Her last album Light Up the Night: Live in Marciac was released back in 2016.

Reeves was joined this evening by the dynamic rhythm section of Reuben Rogers on bass and Terreon Gulley on drums, the talented pianist/arranger John Beasley on piano, electric piano and melodica, and the Brazilian master guitarist Romero Lubambo. 

Ms. Reeves is an eminent professional who captures the audience with her conversational rapport. Although the concert at Revolution Hall amazingly did not sell out, Reeves's buoyant stage presence never showed signs of being affected by the smaller but enthusiastic audience. She skillfully engaged with her fans and her warmth and ability to make the interaction personal made the event all the more special.

The band was exquisite. Keyboard artist John Bealey opened the set on a melodica, an air-activated keyboard device that created the closest thing to an electric saxophone sound. Beasley, himself an eight-time Grammy nominee, has won a Grammy for a song on his big band album Monk'estra Plays John Beasley released in 2020. Bassist Reuben Rogers hails from  St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands and plays both electric and upright acoustic bass on the set. He is a prolific sideman and has been a long-time member of Diane Reeve's band and Charles Lloyd's trio. Terreon Gully is presently an Atlanta-based musician and Reeves's longtime drummer. Gully also holds down the drum chair in Beasley's Monk'estra Orchestra and has worked with Christian McBride and Stefon Harris among others. Romero Lubambo is a superb guitarist from Brazil. He came to NYC in 1985 and is known for his fluidity and inventiveness on both acoustic and electric guitars. He first played in the US with singer Astrid Gilberto in the early eighties and met and played with flutist Herbie Mann shortly thereafter. In 1992 he formed the Brazilian Trio La Paz with bassist Nilson Matta and drummer Duduka da Fonseca. Subsequently, Lubambo became a prolific recording artist and in demand as a top-flight studio musician. This world-class group of musicians complimented Reeves's magnificent voice at the show with a seamless interaction that was smooth as silk.

The show started off with Fleetwood Mac's popular number-one single "Dreams."  Reeves has the depth, timbre, and strength to let this one soar.  

Gigi Gryce's  "Social Call" with Jon Hendricks lyrics came next. It was popularized by Betty Carter in 1980. Reeves and the group made it all their own with the vocalist's facile scatting strongly accenting the music. 

Horace Silver's "Peace" is a ballad that was released by the pianist in 1959. It is a meditation on finding inner peace and tranquility, often through contemplation of nature's beauty. Reeves's soulful interpretation here transforms the ballad into a moving prayer with her Gospel-inspired performance.

The Brazilian master composer/vocalist Milton Nascimento's "Ponte de Areia" was first released in 1975 on his Minas and famously reimagined on Wayne Shorter's seminal Native Dancer of the same year, with Nascimento singing this mournful song. Reeves beautifully pliable voice and her talented band recreate this breezy song- a nostalgic story about the loss of a railway station as a metaphor for lost personal connections and its emotional effects. Reeves's commanding vocal acrobatics deftly replaced Nascimento's high-pitched falsetto to great effect.  Lumbaro's authentic guitar playing and the added jazz sensibilities transformed the audience into being part of a true Brazilian experience.

Reeves with Lumbaro on acoustic guitar played as a sensational duet, one on Reeves's composition "Nine" and the other on the Gershwin standard "Love Is Here to Stay," both intuitively presented in a way that captivated the audience with a feeling of intimacy. Lumbaro's guitar work never fails to emanate with intelligence and sensitivity.  

The set included another beautifully delivered Gershwin standard "Someone to Watch Over You" and the more challenging Wayne Shorter masterpiece "Footprints," which featured this group's musical acumen. After receiving a sustained and admiring applause from the audience, Reeves returned for her encore with her endearing composition "Better Days." If there was any doubt that Dianne Reeves's enormous stage appeal and upper-tier vocal talent were diminished in any way by her recent disappearance from the public's spotlight, this evening's performance put any doubts firmly to rest. She remains the ruling queen of vocal jazz.

The John Patitucci Brazilian Trio with Yotam Silberstein and Romero Boccato at the Old Church March 2, 2024

It is always a treat to get to see one of the world's finest electric and acoustic bass players in the world and John Patitucci rises to that level. I have seen John play twice before. Once with Chick Corea and his Elektric Band in Tarrytown, NY, and recently with the Jon Cowherd Quintet at Portland's now-defunct 1905. Each time you see this master musician in his milieu, his artistry and love for playing transpose you into a happy place. As the music critic, Rick Mitchell said, Patitucci is "...both a master of tone on the double-bass and the best electric bass guitar soloist since Jaco Pastorius."  Praise that I certainly concur with wholeheartedly.

The evening at the Old Church, the fittingly closing concert of the festival, took on the rhythmic sway and lilting beauty of Brazilian music. The accomplished Israeli guitarist Yotam Silberstein, who had previously performed as a leader in one of the festival's other concerts, played beautifully. Brazilian master percussionist Rogerio Boccato offered exquisite authenticity to the trio with his understated but timely drum and percussion rhythmic work. To watch this artist provide the most subtle but powerful accompaniment was a real treat.

The group played a series of Brazilian compositions from artists like Ivan Lins, guitarist Garoto, Milton Nascimento, and singer-songwriter Djavan. One highlight of the evening was the fluid Brazilian piece "Nilopolitano" from master accordionist Dominguinhas, which showcased the rapid-fire synchronous playing of Patitucci on his six-string electric bass along with Silberstein's equally blinding guitar lines. Another treat was Chico Buarque and João Bosco's composition "Sinhá" which was opened by a facile solo on Patitucci's custom electric bass. Toward the end of the performance, there was a Silberstein composition, "Requiem for Armando," a dedication to pianist Chick Corea, which highlighted the guitarists' most sensitive skills and Boccato's brilliantly subtlety. Patitucci did a solo encore and chose to play a hard bop piece on his double bass that showed just how liquid this inventive master can be.

Contemporary Bassist & Composer Ben Allison plays Carnegie Hall and fittingly celebrates New York.

As the epicenter of modern jazz, New York City has always been a magical lodestone, irresistibly attracting talented musicians at every stage of their development and careers. The city offers an unparalleled opportunity for musicians to play and collaborate with legendary performers, teaching mentors and talented peers, providing the fertile environment essential for inspiration and creativity.

The composer/bassist Ben Allison came to New York City from nearby New Haven, CT in the late 1980’s, drawn by the same irrepressible need to participate, to absorb, to create. I first saw Allison performing in the inauspicious basement of the Brooklyn Public Library, at Grand Army Plaza, back in April of 2008 (see my jazz.com review of that show here.) At that time Allison was performing with his group “Man Size Safe,” a tongue in cheek reference to a strongbox reportedly kept in then Vice President Dick Cheney’s office. Admittedly, being attracted to the audacity of the title of his group, I also found the music surprisingly fresh, intelligently conceived and masterfully executed. Allison was able to attract a variety of talented young musicians who bought into his music, making it come to life.

On Friday evening the Ben Allison odyssey achieved a significant milestone, playing a prestigious concert at Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Auditorium. His music has steadily matured. His most recent album Action/Refraction made my best of 2011 list and I was anxious to see his latest group perform “live”. On this momentous evening Allison was joined by his long time friends and collaborators, the tasteful guitarist Steve Cardenas and talented saxophonist Michael Blake. His rhythm section was comprised of the effervescent drummer Rudy Royston and the amazingly adroit percussionist
Rogerio Boccato. Firebrand guitarist Brandon Seabrook provided edginess with raw, rock-inspired licks, his clever use of electronics and some unorthodox banjo playing. The performance and drag artist Joey Arias, who dressed in both elegant and proactive attire, lent a farcical, musical theater-like atmosphere to a few of the numbers.

Ben dedicated the show to his adopted home of New York and started the set with his composition “Roll Credits," a cinematic piece from his Little Things Run the World cd from 2007. Saxophonist Michael Blake stated the melody line, with guitarists Cardenas, Seabrook and bassist Allison keeping the ostinato background flowing. Blake is capable of a great range of emotions from his tenor. Eliciting a silky smooth, Dexter Gordon-like tonality one minute, instantaneously changing to a gruff, raw and guttural sound reminiscent of a back alley speakeasy in the very next breath.

Allison’s “Platypus” from his 9th album Think Free was next on the playlist. After Ben briefly extolled on the unique evolution of the Platypus, Brandon Seabrook introduced the song with an electronic guitar riff. The energy from Seabrook is frenetic and palpable and Allison seems to feed off the afterglow of this kinetic player. His solid bodied guitar sound can be searing and jagged in stark contrast to Cardenas’ more fluid, warmer toned, semi-hollow bodied sound. Blake adds soprano to the mix and the tune grooves behind Allison’s bass and Royston’s populsive drums which are explosive at the ending. Rogerio Boccato, who I first saw play with saxophonist Kenny Garrett, is an especially intuitive percussionist. Boccato's arsenal of sounds, in combination with Royston’s rolling toms and Allison’s snapping bass lines create as formidable a rhythm section as you’ll find anywhere.

Allison wrote a new tune for this very special concert and he titled it “DAVE” for "Digital Awareness Vector Emulation”. This is pure performance piece and a likely homage to the Kubrick/Clarke masterpiece “2001 a Space Odyssey” for the new digital world. Joey Arias, dressed in elegant drag, sang the droning automatronic words “I cannot allow you to disconnect me Dave.” as he danced robotic moves and used controlled screeches to match the errie sounds emanating from Seabrook’s guitar and Blake’s soprano. While not my cup of tea, the audience was mesmerized, as the group provided mind bending, experimental, musical performance art.

One of Allison’s most enduring melodies is the rambling “Fred” also from his Think Free cd. Brandon Seabrook played an impressive banjo that included some unorthodox strumming and wild bowing. I missed hearing Jenny Scheinman’s haunting electric violin from the original recording, but the combined voices of Seabrook’s banjo, Cardenas’ guitar and Blake’s soprano offered their own rewards.


From the Dick Cheney repertoire, Allison revived his song “Tricky Dick” with Michael Blake and Steve Cardenas playing melody as Seabrook and the rhythm section set the background.

The fractured “Broken” brought Joey Arias back to the stage, this time donning a provocative skin revealing, black lingerie outfit. Seabrook utilized multiple electronic synth-like effects on his guitar. Arias screeched, amazingly in tune, prancing across and fluttering his black stocking-clad legs from a prone position on the floor from center stage. Quoting the audacious queen Joey “Who needs words when you have vibrations.”

Often inspired by the music and events of his times, Allison’s witty deconstruction of popular songs is one of his most engaging attributes and has let him cross over into a wider audience than is generally afforded most jazz artists. He has included treatments of John Lennon’s “Jealous Guy”, Donny Hathaway’s “Someday We’ll All Be Free”, Neil Young’s “Philadelphia” and P.J. Harvey’s “Missed” to his repertoire.

On “Green Al,” influenced ever so slightly by the pop/soul singer Al Green and equally borrowing from the cinematic music associated with James Bond movies, Allison somehow pulls off this weird juxtaposition. You find yourself relating to Ben’s creative blend of the familiar and the mysterious. The song featured exceptional performances by Rogerio Boccato, Rudy Royston and a tenor solo by Michael Blake that was particularly fetching.



This concert was as much a celebration of Allison the composer as it was as Allison the musician. Ben appropriately limited his musical selections to his own compositions. A growing body of work that speaks for itself.

The encore was the brilliant “Man Size Safe” from his album Little Things that Run the World. It was a joyous celebration and a good representation of the man's music; interesting, approachable, relevant and fun. The crowd was pleased and gave the group a well deserved standing ovation.
The Ben Allison Group will be on tour through June 22, 2012 at various venues around the country so if you get the opportunity to see them near you be sure to make the effort, you won't be disappointed.