Review: The Blue Note 7

Poor Peter Bernstein and Ravi Coltrane. The guitarist and saxophonist turned in very strong performances Friday night at the Gem Theater. Even so, their efforts were overshadowed by astonishingly brilliant contributions from the remainder of the Blue Note 7.

 

Above: Ravi Coltrane, the pride of John and Alice.

Such are the perils of playing amid a cast of all-stars. Assembled to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Blue Note Records, the ensemble comprises the world's premier jazz musicians. Two of them, pianist Bill Charlap and drummer Lewis Nash, were spectacular.

Charlap, the group's musical director, is boundlessly imaginative and endlessly creative. His solos were riveting and his support work was impeccable. Simply put, Charlap may be the perfect pianist.

Nash was just as impressive. Like Charlap, he shuns flash and showmanship. Yet his sheer musicianship is breathtaking. (We'll ignore his brief foray into scatting.) The flawless foundation the pair provided kept the occasional uninspired moments in the two-hour performance -- including an oddly flat version of Freddie Hubbard's "Hub-Tones" -- fascinating.

Charlap and Nash's efforts would have gone to waste without the sympathetic work of stellar bassist Peter Washington. His mellifluous solo during Wayne Shorter's "United" was particularly artful.

The group's youngest member, 35-year-old trumpeter Nicholas Payton, offered the evening's most intriguing performance. The New Orleans native is fully capable of playing with fire, but he kept the majority of his solos on a low boil. His reserved but highly effective work on Bobby Hutcherson's "Little B's Poem" was as unusual as it was unlikely. When he finally cut loose on Cedar Walton's "Mosaic," Payton's ferocity was made all the more effective by his prior restraint.

Bernstein may not have stolen the show, but it's not as if he had a bad night. The guitarist's fingers flew with authority on "Mosaic." Even then, however, Charlap's simmering support unintentionally overshadowed Bernstein.

Saxophonist Steve Wilson might be the least celebrated member of the Blue Note 7 but he showed the audience of approximately 475 that he clearly belongs among jazz's elite. Wilson's ravishing alto solo on Jackie McLean's "A Ballad For Doll" was deeply moving. He also added an immaculate solo to "United."

Coltrane, the 43-year-old son of John and Alice, is edgier than Wilson. It's no surprise that he shone brightest on the thorny "Criss Cross."

The Thelonious Monk composition was the night's nod to the label's adventurous side. Yet Wilson's sophisticated arrangement was far more refined than most of Monk's raucous dates. Charlap's interpretation of Monk, for instance, more closely resembled French composer Erik Satie than Monk's mad cacophony.

Charlap and company wore suits; they played accordingly.

The decision to closely align themselves with the hard bop format institutionalized on classic Blue Note recordings by the likes of Horace Silver and Art Blakey is safe but limiting. A selection by Eric Dolphy or Andrew Hill would have provided the somewhat staid group a chance to experiment. And why not acknowledge the present by covering a hit by Norah Jones, the commercial savior of the venerable label?

But that's just nitpicking.

The Blue Note 7's tour represents a rare confluence of preeminent artists and unparalleled repertoire. And after the tour is over, Bernstein and Coltrane can resume dazzling audiences without being shown up by Charlap and Nash.

| Bill Brownlee, Special to The Star

Comments

[Rob]

WHAT?!?!? Cover a hit by Norah Jones?!?! You must be kidding.

If that's the case, why not cover a hit by Jay-Z? They're both about as equally close to what most jazz lovers would call jazz.

Lame, lame, lame..."journalism" like this, coming from the Star of all places, is the very kind of thing that leaves Kansas City jazz in the dark.

[Charles]

and it's "jazz lovers" like rob that are overly protective of the old notions of what jazz is and isn't.

it's those "jazz lovers" that also keep the music in the dark by deeming what's acceptable and make the genre inaccessible for music fans who seek elevated understanding of jazz.

shame, shame, shame...not being able to escape from such a narrow musical view.

[Rob]

So, Charles, are there no music genres anymore?

I never said anything about sticking to "old notions of what jazz is and isn't"...in fact, I'm always saying "quit listening to just the dead guys...!"

I am a very adventurous jazz lover...listening to free-jazz, and some of the most "out" stuff out there...everything from David S. Ware to Peter Brontzman and of course Ornette.

But Norah Jones...come on, she's simply a pop singer on a jazz label. A pop singer doing Hank Williams covers (which is pretty safe).

Oh, and she's pretty too, so that always helps in today's shallow music scene, so she gets a ton of free press and is on the front of every music magazine around.

How is saying something is, or is not in the jazz genre, a narrow view? Is Vince Gill jazz? Or Ziggy Marley? It's simply categorization.