Concert Review by: Theresa Crushshon
Place: Minneapolis, MN
May 12, 2009 - On Tuesday, May 12th, Delfeayo Marsalis appeared with his quintet at the
Dakota Jazz Club in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The quintet included: Delfeayo
Marsalis (trombone), Richard Johnson (piano), Marion Felder (drummer), Dean
Hewlett (bass), and Mark Gross (saxophone).
Marsalis who has a unique improvisational style says that when he is
performing in Japan or in South America people often come up and ask... "Why do
you not have any words to your music?" He said that he actually had to stop and
think about that for a minute.
“I called dad. Long distance and collect,” Marsalis chuckled. He continued,
“I explained the situation to dad. He said, Well... do something with words.”
The next thing we knew jazz vocalist Charmin Michelle was on stage singing a
sultry rendition and richly textured version of “Bye, Bye Blackbird.”
Her presentation was animated and touching. She enchanted the audience by
toying with phrasing, pitch and tone which was fluid and graceful. Coupled with
the amazing sax solo, the gentle and brisk piano improvisations, the light and
airy bass lines, the muscular drumming syncopated with Marsalis’ infectious
pitch and dramatic silences, the moment became jazzical.
As a producer, Marsalis did the obvious. He took advantage of each
performer’s unique sound and created unforgettable moments throughout the
evening. Scenes and subtleties became picturesque on the intimate stage at the
Dakota. What unfolded was a delicate yet smooth and swingful event which
exemplified how jazz musicians are able to spiritually connect with one another
on the bandstand and create rhythmic brilliance.
The magic of the band came to life on “Do Wap, Do Wap, It Don’t Mean a
Thing.” On this Ellington piece, the ensemble started off on a slow musical
discourse before moving into a lively tempo that escalated into a full-blown
jam. Even with no human voice, we could hear the words vivaciously swing through
the saxophone and the trombone. Once the musicians respectfully began a rigorous
conversation with the piece the movement became piercing, poignant, and
powerful. The pianist’s improvisations were remarkable.
On the other hand, “Johnny Hodges - Track 13” was equally as interesting.
Johnny Hodges was one of Duke Ellington’s sideman. He was known for his polished
deep lush tone and his ability to slide from note to note on his saxophone.
Thereby, making his sax sound like a trombone. Gross skillfully projected this
technique throughout the night. It is always a delight to watch musicians cruise
like this and it brought to mind some of Marsalis' homegirls Germaine Bazzle and
Charmaine Neville who do just the opposite by transforming their voice into
musical instruments.
But, yet the musical brilliance and productive spirit of Marsalis extended
musical palette is intense, engaging, and full of thought provoking surprises.
Question. Who is dad?
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