All in Jazz
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2017 Grammy-nominated jazz pianist Fred Hersch brought his trio to the Logan Center last night. For me, the standout was drummer Eric McPherson, who was the master of the subtlety, as exemplified by his use of brushes and the gentle tap here and there.
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Carrington and company performed selections from her tribute to Duke Ellington's Money Jungle, now 50-plus years old. I was particularly impressed by saxophonist Mark Shin's guttural tone. The notes had an edge that was more out there than one might have expected.
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Friday night saw an exciting take on Latin jazz come to the Logan Center. Fourteen-time Grammy award winning Paquito D' Rivera brought his quintet to the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts for an evening of jazz that featured work from his 2014 album, Jazz Meets the Classics. On the bandstand were Diego Urcola (trumpet and valve trombone), Alex Brown (piano), Oscar Stagnaro (electric six-string bass), and Mark Walker (drums). Sitting in as a guest from Alejo Poveda on congas.
One of the highlights of this year's Hyde Park Jazz Festival was the opportunity to see and hear the great jazz trumpeter, Tom Harrell, together with TRIP, which also features saxophonist Mark Turner. A tight unit that plays gorgeous music. Still lots of humidty in the air, but the darkness and dark greenish-yellow hues portend Fall.
The Good News from the Chicago Jazz Festival: Legendary drummer, percussionist, and nice guy Avreeayl Ra was back in the saddle tonight, after having been jumped and then beaten by a group of thugs as he walked to the parking lot from Chicago's Green Mill Jazz Club a couple of weeks back. From my seats, he looked fully recovered, but my photographs reveal some purple bruising around his left eye. He was in excellent form and spirits.
Photographically, the Jay Pritzker Pavillion in Millennium Park is a hot mess. I didn't have a media pass, so I positioned myself just to the right of the media pit in the second row on the aisle, which gave me a relatively unobstructed view. What those in the pit learned very quickly is that the video screen behind the stage creates all sorts of problems.
Tonight we have Here and Now, a trio compromised of Tomeka Reid on cello, Mazz Swift on violin, and Sylvia Bolognesi on bass. When I read list of instruments, I can only wonder whether this will sound like a Hayden string piece.
Tonight it was vocalist Tammy McCann and guitarist Mike Allemana. As was true back in the Seventies, you might not think that the two musicians could keep it going for two one-hour sets, but you would be very wrong. Like Ella and Pass, and Eldridge and Peterson, tonight's performers captivated their audience.
Meanwhile, the crowd was enjoying a delicious dinner from the catering department, as well as the barbecue on the lower terrace. The figs, Italian meats, and cheese looked particularly tempting. And this was the first evening where the skies were that rich blue color that everyone associates with summer.
The music is very hard to describe. Certainly there were bits of Ravel running throughout it, but I also heard Joe Sample's piano from the Crusaders, some Philip Glass minimalism, and some nice jazz bass solos. If you pushed me, I'd also say that there were strains of Frank Zappa's orchestral music and the Mahavishnu Orchestra, but on a very unamplified basis. Ulery even sang on the second from last number.
The winter chill returned to Chicago today, but Chicago saxophonist Pat Mallinger brought a trio to the Museum of Contemporary Art warm the day and kick off the Tuesdays Jazz on the Terrace annual series. With Mallinger, were Pete Benson on piano and Matt Ferguson on bass.
