Photos by Keith Myers/The Star
Norman Brown's Summer Storm tour touched down at the Midland Theater Saturday night. The 11-member ensemble's smooth jazz sound can be as refreshing as a light mist. Yet severe weather in the form of thunderous bass reverberation and a hail of echoes threatened to undermine the otherwise delightful performance.
The efforts of guitarist Brown and guest stars including vocalist Chante Moore, keyboardist Alex Bugnon and saxophonist Paul Taylor were stymied by absolutely abysmal sound quality in the first half of the
concert. Smooth jazz doesn't place enormous demands on its listeners but it does require a crisp sound field.
The distorted rumble resembled the showroom of a busy car stereo dealer. Perhaps the cavernous room's empty seats were to blame. Approximately 800 fans were seated on the floor level and a handful of people looked on from the second balcony. The top two tiers were closed.
The sound mix markedly improved after intermission. Moore's contributions reflected the show's disparate halves. Ear-splitting feedback plagued her in the first set. "Is my earrings to big?" she wondered.
Yet Moore's dazzling versatility shone brightly near the conclusion of the two-hour concert. Her sure-footed scatting on the standard "This Could Be the Start of Something" recalled Ella Fitzgerald, while the
vast vocal range Moore showcased on her sultry R&B hits demonstrated that she's at least the equal of Mariah Carey.
Bugnon struck precisely the right balance of ear candy and and substantial jazz chops on a sensational cover of "Sweet Sticky Thing." His inventive solo on the Ohio Players song referenced both Duke
Ellington and Dizzy Gillespie. Bugnon's depth contrasted sharply with Taylor's cloying sensibility on alto and soprano saxophones. His melodic approach is familiar to millions of Kenny G fans.
"It all started with the straight ahead stuff," Brown explained. "All we did is add an R&B groove underneath and called it smooth jazz."
Brown was generous to a fault in his role as host. The 44-year-old Kansas City native took only a handful of solos.
"Is this a beautiful theater or what?" Brown exclaimed. Indeed, the newly renovated Midland is absolutely magnificent. Brown's was the third concert at the Midland since it reopened. Here's hoping the sonic storm was a one-time growing pain.
| Bill Brownlee, Special to The Star
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