The Incomparable Dianne Reeves plays Jazz in July at Stamford's Columbus Park

Dianne Reeves

This past Wednesday, July 31, 2013,  on one of those perfectly moderate summer evenings we rarely get to experience, the  stars were aligned for an outdoor concert in Stamford's Columbus Park featuring Ms. Dianne Reeves. A walk through the crowd and one could find every type of fan, from young hipsters to seasoned octogenarians, who all came for a rare opportunity to see up close and be touched by the magic of Ms Reeves.

Ms. Reeves is a once in a generation singer who possess's a rare combination of an excellent voice, impeccable timing, a great range and the innate ability to deliver a song with a feeling that makes it an intimate experience between her and her audience. At the age of fifty-six it is not hyperbole to consider her in the same breath as singers of the stature of Nancy Wilson, Dinah Washington or Carmen McRae and indeed even Ella Fitzgerald or her idol Sarah Vaughn could be considered peers.

The four time Grammy award winner was born in Detroit but raised in Denver, Colorado to a musical family. Her father was a singer and her mother played trumpet, Her uncle was a bass player in the Denver Symphony Orchestra and she is a cousin to the respected fusion keyboard master George Duke, who sadly just past away on August 5, 2013. As a young woman Reeves had a penchant for Latin Music and played with Eduardo del Barrio's group Caldera, Sergio Mendes and later Harry Belafonte. Her solo career took off in 1987 when she signed with a reinvigorated Blue Note Records.

Ms. Reeves brought a group of top notch musicians with her to Stamford to help her weave her spell. The drummer Teri-Lyne Carrington, the bassist Reginald Veal, the pianist Peter Martin and Brazilian guitar virtuoso Romero Lumbambo are members of her latest quartet, the same core group  from her latest album When You Know.

The set started out with the band warming up with a rousing version of the Gershwin classic "Summertime" featuring some soulful walking bass lines by Reginald Veal and beautiful acoustic guitar work by Lumbambo. Ms. Reeves entered the Bud Light stage to generous applause and she greeted the crowd warmly. She started off her set with the tune "Dreams,"  written and made famous by Fleetwood Mac's Stevie Nicks. The song started with Peter Martin using a Bruce Hornsby-style opening on piano and featured some symbiotic interplay between Ms. Reeves marvelously flexible voice and Reginald Veal's supple, fleet fingered electric bass lines. Fans in the crowd mouthed the familiar words that were somehow transformed by Ms. Reeves into a most personal statement. Scatting acrobatically throughout the bridge of the tune, the band enthusiastically provided a driving rhythm behind her. With the cool crisp night's perfect weather, Ms Reeves assured the crowd that this night would be like a private concert in her own outdoor living room.

The second song of the set was a sensuous ballad once made famous by Lena Horne, from her evocative role in the 1943 motion picture of the same name Stormy Weather. Ms. Reeves has amazing vocal control and can leap a full octave flawlessly if her mood suits her and to great effect. Pianist Peter Martin offered a gorgeously lush cascade of well placed notes during his solo adding to the dreamy mood created by Ms. Reeves and her pliant rhythm section. At one point Ms. Reeves found herself trying to hold the intimate mood of the song despite a battalion of screaming fire trucks rushing down the street behind the stage. Like the consummate professional, she took it all in stride and humanized the situation with her grace and humor laughing at the ridiculously adverse conditions of the moment. Ms. Reeves modulates her voice bringing an inherent sense of  emotional power to her interpretation of a song. Despite the familiarity of the music she personalizes making it her own.

Her love of Latin music was showcased on the next song, a samba style rhythm and she sang in what appeared to be a pseudo-Spanish vocalese. Mr. Veal changed from electric to upright bass and Mr. Lumbambo played a beautifully fluid flamenco-style guitar solo. Like all good entertainers Ms. Reeves tells a story. In this case the story was about her love of Latin music and about how when she would  listens to some of it, she would often times not understand a word the singer was saying. It didn't seem to matter since the soul of the song was all about the emotion and the rhythm that it evoked. Despite the lack of understandable lyrics, Ms Reeves proved that the music could connect to the audience on a very personal level wordlessly.

Ms. Reeves then introduced a song written by the young phenon bass player Esperanza Spalding, titled "Wild Rose." The song had a lilting, bouncy beat that had descending bridge, the perfect vehicle for Ms. Reeves, who can navigate swift changes with the aplomb of a seasoned sea captain in treacherous waters. Ms.Carrington accentuated the music while a series of rolling toms as Mr. Martin comped on what sounded like a Rhodes electric piano.

The next song, the powerful, "I've Grown Cold," started with Ms. Reeves speaking to the audience about the meaning of the song's lyrics, a true ending of a relationship. Mr. Veal produced a thumping lead-in bass line and contributed an accompanying duet vocal with Ms Reeves on the chorus.

Introducing the Brazilian guitarist Romero Lumbambo as her brother from another mother, Ms. Reeves started the unnamed bossa by vocalizing, almost operatically, over Mr. Lumbambo's breezy guitar rhythms. Ms. Reeves affinity for both Latin and Brazilian music is clearly reinforced by Lumbambo presence in her band . He offers a creative counter voice to Ms. Reeves and the two share a musical symbiosis that Downbeat's John Murph likened to the relationship Billie Holiday had with Lester Young.

One of the highlights of the show was Ms. Reeves creative rendition of Bob Marley's classic
"Waiting In Vain." The familiar reggae tune was brought to life by Mr. Martin's stirring piano solo, Mr. Veal's rock steady pulse and Ms. Carrington's propelling drums. But it was all Ms. Reeves show as she wailed "Ooo girl" Ooo girl" with convincing anguish and then went into an authentic Jamaican rap that had the crowd swaying. All we needed was a rum cocktail with a tiny umbrella to complete the journey.

The finale was a slow blues burner that allowed Ms. Reeves to beckon on her Gospel and blues roots. "Your Love is King" featured some soulful organ work by Peter Martin and a scorching Lumbambo solo on electric guitar that was a tour-de-force of melancholic artistry. Ms. Reeves can belt out the blues with the best of them, getting a raspy, snarling sound at will and singing with the command of a Baptist preacher at a revival meeting.The concert was a huge success as Ms. Reeves once again proved she is the premier female jazz vocalist of her generation. If you haven't yet caught her she will be performing with her marvelous quartet at the Tarrytown Music Hall on September 28, 2013. A word to the wise, don't miss the chance to see this fantastic performer when you can.

Jazz Up July: The Brubeck Brothers in Columbus Park in Stamford July 17 2013

The Brubeck Brothers Band in Stamford

On a hot, steamy Wednesday evening in July, the sons of piano jazz legend Dave Brubeck entertained a dedicated group of jazz lovers from the Columbus Park stage in downtown Stamford. The Brubeck Brothers band was the second major act in the Jazz in July series. The series brings top notch jazz artists to downtown Stamford. The previously free outdoor concerts now have a nominal ten dollar cover charge. The confusion over the entry charge could have conceivably prevented some people from attending the concert which appeared to be a free event since there was no assigned seating. The concert was somewhat sparsely attended. In addition the public parking garage took advantage of  the event to charge a flat fee of seven dollars whether or not you were attending the event. This less than inviting extra charge sends a mixed message about Stamford's commitment to bringing jazz to the public in an open air event. If these extraneous charges discourage people from coming to these events, it will also discourage top rated performers from committing to  play a venue like Stamford when they play to less than overflowing crowds.

The Brubeck Brothers Quartet featured Chris Brubeck on electric bass and trombone, Dan Brubeck on drums, Chuck Lamb on keyboards and Mike DeMicco on guitar. The first song I heard was a song written by their father Dave titled "Kathy's Waltz." Chris explained that their father was inspired to write this song seeing his daughter Kathy prance around as a young girl in her dance tutu. While most waltz's are in 3/4 time this one was played mostly in 4/4 . The song started out with DeMicco's delicate sounding guitar playing the melody and with Chris on electric bass. Pianist Lamb played a beautiful solo on the black baby grand as the Brubeck brother's carried the rhythm.  Chris played a thoughtful bass solo and guitarist DeMicco finished playing the dancing melody to a bright ending.

Chris introduced the next tune, relating that it was the most recorded song of his father's vast repertoire.
 " In Her Own Sweet Way." was written for Dave's wife Iola, who he was married to for an amazing seventy years. Chris played a mournfully, poignant trombone over the famous melody. Chris Brubeck is a superb trombone player who manages to evoke great emotion through his use of bellowing runs and emotionally laden slurs. Guitarist DeMicco's solo filled the space with beautifully fluid arpeggios. Pianist Lamb and drummer Dan Brubeck anchored the melody throughout.

Before the next song Chris talked about a song not often associated with their father titled "Jazzanians."
The "Jazzanians" was a group of disparate African musicians, some from normally warring tribes, that the eldest brother Darius Brubeck brought together to play music in a school where he taught music in Africa. The Afro-Cuban beat was driven to perfection by Dan Brubeck as he played the complex, dancing rhythm in the most stirring piece of the show. Pianist Lamb seemed to be released from his role as a complimentary musician and played a rousing solo building dramatically to a towering crescendo of sound. Guitarist DeMicco took his turn and was equally torrid in his approach to soloing.The climax of the tune was a series of bombastic, rhythmically diverse solos by the younger Brubeck who demonstrated a intuitive sense of drive and used his entire kit to the delight of the briefly mesmerized crowd.

The group did a beautiful ballad where Chris Brubeck played his most soulful solo on trombone. They followed with the Brubeck classic "Blue Rondo a la Turk," with Lamb, DeMicco and Brubeck playing the staccato melody rapidly in precise 9/8  time. The bluesy 4/4 break in the song, allowed  DeMicco and Chris Brubeck to solo in an extended blues-tinged mode. DeMicco was particularly inventive during his solo. At times he ripped into a rock inspired tirade where he just shredded on his electric guitar in a very gutsy performance that gave the old classic a fusion-like energy.

The finale was topped off with the Paul Desmond classic "Take Five," a tune that single-handedly introduced odd time signatures to the general listening public. The composition's readily identifiable signature line immediately caught the attention of the audience. Chuck Lamb played a ruminative solo that introduced elements of Gershwin's "Summertime" into the piece,  as he wandered in an exploratory excursion.The talented pianist delved into harmonically rich territory that was barely connected to the tune's driving 5/4 line. Guitarist DeMicco took his turn at soloing over the driving time signature that the Brubeck Brothers maintained throughout. Once DeMicco gets started he can create streams of guitar lines that just seem to flow like electrons arcing through the humidity drenched air.

The night air turned out to be appreciatively cooler than when it started, with the music being the most incendiary part of the evening's event. It is certainly laudable that Stamford is attempting to bring top named jazz artists to the City, one would hope that the confusion over the entry and parking fees will be cleared up before the next concert.

The sponsors, which include People's United Bank, Stamford Town Center, Purdue Pharma and Bud Light should be applauded for their generous support of the arts and jazz in particular. The series has a stellar line-up remaining with Poncho Sanchez bringing in his Latin-jazz band to the Park on Wednesday July 24th, the inimitable chanteuse Dianne Reeves brings her wonderful jazz vocals to the Park on Wednesday July 31 and the series ends with the incomparable pianist Chick Corea, bassist Christian McBride, drummer Marcus Gilmore and guitarist Charles Altura.

If we want these world class performers to continue to view Stamford as a vital and thriving community receptive to jazz artists then I truly hope music lovers from the area will turn out in droves to support these musicians and ensure the success of this effort.