Sep 4

Sep 4 Chicago Jazzfest-Day 2

Blues, Chicago, Chicago Tourism, Festivals, Jazz, Musicians, Performance, Things to Do in Chicago

The sweltering heat has yet to break, but jazz beckons, so today’s watchword was “Hydrate.” I repeatedly found myself purchasing water and lemonade as I moved from venue to venue. I began the day at the WDCB tent where Raices Latin Jazz Quintet was performing the first of two back-to-back sets. The group, which is comprised of vibist Joe Sonnefeldt, pianist Stuart Seale, bassist Eric Ferrer, timbales player Bobby Delgado, and conguero Jorge Leal, is hornless. According to the program, it resembles Cal Tjader’s ensembles from the Sixties.

I never “got” Cal Tjader, so I was probably not the target audience, but judging by the large crowd basking in the heat in front of the tent engulfing Raices Latin, more than a few people “got” and loved what this band was doing. I couldn’t argue with the sounds emanating from within the tent. The perfect vibe for Friday on the last official weekend of the summer. For me the highlight was Joe Sonnefeldt’s work on the vibes. The notes leapt upward from the vibraphone’s metal bars, filling the air with bright sounds. Nevertheless, if I were running the show, I would have added a saxophonist to the mix.

After listening to several numbers, I made my way to the Von Freeman Pavilion, where Maison Électonique was already in progress, with guitarist Nathaniel Braddock, bassist Matt Ulrey and drummer Giuseppe Paradiso holding forth. The program notes made reference to the Smiths and Sonic Youth. I would have never thought either band as the inspiration for what I was hearing, which to my ears suggested surf music, although the musicians might take issue with my characterization. Absolutely no complaint on my part. The separation between each instrument was fantastic. I, of course, loved the guitar work.

After a brief break for water, I returned to the Von Freeman Pavilion where the Scott Burns Quintet was already playing. Burns is a tenor saxophonist, but I assumed pianist and arranger Ryan Cohan war running the show. Also on hand was bassist Clark Sommers, trumpeter Eric Jacobson, and drummer Neil Hemphill. No matter who else is on the bandstand, if Clark Sommers is playing bass, the music is going to be great. As expected, this group played what is best described as straight-ahead jazz music. Enjoyable, but nothing revolutionary.

Around 3:45 PM, I headed to the Pritzker Pavilion for the evening’s opening set by the Jo Ann Daugherty Trio, featuring guitarist Henry Johnson as a special guest. Johnson is one of Chicago’s highly respect musicians. No monkeying around with fancy electric guitars. Johnson plays a classic hollow-body guitar, which produces rich, resonating notes. Rounding out the trio were bassist Joshua Ramos and drummer Ryan Bennett, who also doubles as Daughterly’s husband. Among the songs Daugherty included in the set were a self-penned number entitled Hold My Hand, which was inspired by Bill Evans, and Stevie Wonder’s Lately. The trio and its special guest delivered a respectable and enjoyable set.

Following the set change, guitarist and singer Luciano Antonio took the stage with his octet. Admittedly, I am not a fan of Latin-based jazz, particularly dance-rooted sambas, so Antonio was going to have a hard time winning me over. Nevertheless, the musicianship was top notch. Trumpeter Chad McCullough offered up a terrific solo.

Once Antonio and company left the stage, Dr. Emma Dayhuff’s Innovations & Lineage took the stage. Some of Chicago’s top players were featured in the lineup, including vocalist Dee Alexander, saxophonist Isaiah Collier, trumpeter Cory Wilkes, pianist Paul Cornish, and drummer Jonathan Pinson. Dayhuff used her set to showcase selections from her new album, Mountains. Much to my pleasure, the album is available for streaming. I’ve since has the opportunity to listen to it. Terrific, particularly the soundscape.

Dayhuff and company delivered the day’s strongest performance. Dee Alexander offered up what best might be described as AACM vocals—relying more on vocalizations than words and the American Songbook. At one point Collier and Alexander did battle, with Collier eventually breaking Alexander up as he imitated her vocalizations.

Collier and Wilkes have worked together many times before, so it came as no surprise that at one point they did what might be described as a mind-meld, performing as a singular unit. Both also proved to be capable percussionists, pulling hand-held instruments off a table.

Although Dayhuff, with her stylist red-framed glasses, hid in the back, she proved to be a terrific bassist. Presumably, she is responsible for the tight arrangements we heard.

Finally, Robert Glasper took the stage. Glasper is noted for his motion picture scoring efforts. My sense is that Glasper is an extremely capable musician, which is why I found his set disappointing. The thousands seated in Millennium Park, however, would take issue with my assessment. The audience offered up loud applause at the end of Glasper’s set. With Glasper were bassist Burniss “Boom Bishop” Travis II, drummer Justin Tyson, and DJ Jahi Sundance.

Surprisingly, at least to me, DJ Sundance did not play heavily into the overall performance I was hoping for lots of scratching and sound effects. A good portion of what I heard with vocal snippets. For my money, the set would have been vastly improved had those singers been present in the flesh.

Perched above the other musicians, Glasper alternated between several keyboards. At times he sang in a soulful voice that occasionally approximated a whisper. I detected a mix of jazz, soul, and hip hop. Not too bad, but from a dynamics standpoint, it could easily be described as hipster Muzak.

Glasper certainly isn’t bashful about using what might be described as a cheap applause line. He opened the set by repeating the phrase “You can’t change me. Fuck ICE.”

As I said, the audience ate Glasper up. I didn’t dislike him—there was nothing to dislike. But at the end of the day, Dayhuff and company should have been today’s headliner.

Click on an Image to Enlarge It. The Images Are Not Necessarily in Exact Chronological Order]