It’s not an easy proposition.  Finding live jazz music of a high caliber has become somewhat of a major production for fans these days in even the major cities outside of New York.  Oh sure, you can find local musicians honing their craft at the neighborhood bar or corporate-sponsored events staged in a concert hall setting, bringing with them all the inherent pomposity usually associated with old money and symphony orchestras.  Not that there isn’t a place for these kinds of shows, but live jazz has always been best experienced in a small club setting where one can grab a beer, pull up close, and become an active participant in the music-making.

To their credit, the folks at Detroit’s Music Hall have recently established a new concert space that meets all the criteria for presenting jazz in the most intimate of club settings.  The Jazz Café, in fact, has to be one of the best spaces in the northeastern part of the country to take in a jazz show and they’ve been able to drop some heavy names with an ambitious series filled with some of the finest musicians on the scene.  Most of these performers seldom venture through this part of the country.  If they have, they’ve fronted local rhythm sections, which is fine but rarely leads to the kind of expression that can be heard from a working ensemble.

Hitting town just a few days before Christmas, trumpeter Jim Rotondi fronted an all-star conglomerate of New York heavies for a two-night stint that brought in healthy crowds.  Opening the first set of the Saturday night gig, Rotondi would take the stage with vibes man Joe Locke, pianist Danny Grissett, bassist Barak Mori, and drummer Billy Drummond.  The brisk pace of “Stranger Than Fiction” gave notice that these men were there to play and over the course of the evening the energy would never wane, Drummond providing explosive impetus for some staggering solos by both Rotondi and Locke.

With a fine sense of pacing, Rotondi built both sets around some of his originals, a few old be-bop standards and some lesser-known contemporary items such as James Williams’s “For My Nephews.”  Apropos for the holiday season, the trumpeter also served up warm and ardent versions of “Christmas Time Is Here” and “The Christmas Song.”  As for Rotondi’s own compositions, he has always had a knack for writing pieces that speak in the mainstream vernacular while pushing towards something fresh and new.  Both “Shu Shu” and “Gravitude” were striking new pieces that Rotondi and the band delivered with assurance and finesse.

Taking nothing away from the other guys in the band, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the fact that I found myself for the better part of the evening shifting a good deal of my attention to either Drummond or Locke.  While the old axiom states that the drummer should not overpower the band with volume, Drummond came on like a steamroller and pushed the soloists in ways I’ve never witnessed before in a club setting.  The end product was electric and visceral in a manner that was extremely exciting.  As a soloist, Locke’s talents are nothing short of miraculous, leaping across the expanse of his instrument and looking back at his ensemble mates often with a large smile before delving into another spurt of frenetic activity.  With all this talent up front, it was extremely important for the bottom end to provide musical anchor and Mori had no trouble filling that role.  Furthermore, Grissett held his own in this fast company while demonstrating that his star is one that is on the rise.

By the end of the second set, it was way into the early morning hours and yet each member of the quintet was more than amicable about meeting and greeting patrons for some banter and autographs.  Spirits were riding high to the point that the club was promising a return engagement from this band sometime in the New Year.  In the final analysis, Rotondi and Locke lead the pack in showing us just how vital the mainstream tradition continues to be for those of us who love this music.  With allies such as Music Hall and the Jazz Café, the future of the music does appear to be in good hands.