Art Blakey Tribute Concert
On Saturday, October 12, 2019, one hundred years and a day after jazz legend Art Blakey’s birth, the San Luis Obispo County Jazz Federation (http://www.slojazz.org) presented the Dave Becker All Star Sextet. Becker & Co. treated a full house to a sizzling evening of straight ahead jazz, hard-bop, and bebop. All the tunes performed were from Art Blakey albums. The program emphasized compositions by Wayne Shorter and Freddie Hubbard, with additional tunes by James Williams, Pamela Baskin-Watson, Wynton Marsalis, and Curtis Fuller.
Excellent musicians, though visibly present on-stage, become almost transparent as they perform. Their instruments provide direct channels from the music living in their souls to the audience. No filters — just the music coming through. That effect was front-and-center throughout the concert. It was amazing to witness.
The 2.5 hour performance flew by, and at the close of the final tune, the audience members leaped to their feet to applaud. As we were leaving, my wife said, “That was so good that I felt like I was doing something wrong just by being here — like the police were going to come.”
So it goes with jazz, which is, after all, Music for Troublemakers.
About the Musicians:
Looking Left (five out of six)
Looking right (at Drummer Voss)
Dave Becker (http://music.calpoly.edu/faculty/becker) — Tenor and Alto Saxophone. In addition to his active performance schedule, Dave Becker teaches applied saxophone at both Cal Poly and Cuesta College. At Allan Hancock College he teaches theory, recording arts, electronic music and music appreciation.
Bob Bennett — Trumpet and Flugelhorn. Bob Bennett is a former member of the Woody Herman and Brian Setzer Orchestras and former lead trumpet for the Artie Shaw Orchestra. He has won Jazz Soloist awards from the Fullerton Jazz Festival and The International Trumpet Guild. He teaches trumpet at Cuesta College and directs the Cuesta College Jazz Orchestra.
Kevin Hicks (https://www.khicksmusic.com) — Trombone. Kevin Hicks is an award-winning jazz trombone player and music educator. He runs an online lesson studio and has released the books Trombone Visualizer and Sight-Reading Monster. He drove up from LA for the gig.
Dylan Johnson (http://www.dylanjohnson.net) — Bass. Electric and acoustic bassist Dylan Johnson has been involved with many styles of music for over twenty years. Currently based on the Central Coast of California, he performs regularly with Inga Swearingen and Charlie Shoemake. Dylan maintains a large portfolio of music projects and frequently accompanies touring jazz artists. He is on the music faculty at Cuesta College.
Marshall Otwell — Piano. Marshall Otwell began piano studies at an early age. While in college at Princeton, he spent all his free time in NYC absorbing the jazz scene. He eventually relocated to LA, where he found success backing up such greats as Carmen McRae, Ernestine Anderson, and Cal Tjader.
Darrell Voss — Drums. Darrell Voss has taught applied percussion at Cuesta College since 2000. He was raised in a musical family and has played drums since the age of 3. Cuesta College was an important training ground for his music studies, where he obtained an AA degree in 1989. Darrell earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree in music from Cal Poly as a member of the Charter Class in 1994.
Addendum:
For the detail-oriented jazz aficionados among you, here are my notes from the show.
Set One:
One by One — Wayne Shorter. Sweet ensemble playing and a good swing. Very “straight ahead.” This was a well-chosen lead-in for the show. Dave Becker’s very first tenor solo is what made me think about how great performers disappear into their music.
Thermo — Freddie Hubbard. Lots of dissonance in the head. Lots of bop throughout. First released on the Freddie Hubbard album The Body and Soul in 1963, and truly evoked that era.
Sweet n’ Sour — Wayne Shorter. Jazz waltz. Another tune with a strong bebop vibe.
The Core — Freddie Hubbard. Seriously up-tempo here. This one began with an out-front, a cappella bass solo that was longer — and a lot better — than the recorded version I found on Spotify. Fragmented (in a good way!) arpeggio-heavy solos, characteristic of bebop, from the front line.
The Soulful Mr. Timmons — James Williams. He (allegedly) composed for his predecessor, Bobby Timmons. I thought this tune really swung. It opened with Marshall Otwell’s piano solo. Becker picked up his alto for a bluesy solo, after which Otwell took another turn. A great vibe on this one.
On the Ginza — Wayne Shorter. “The Ginza” is the famous shopping district in Tokyo. Not sure the connection with the feel of the song, though it does have a sophisticated, big-city lead line. Bob Bennett and Kevin Hicks did the heavy lifting on this.
This is for Albert — Wayne Shorter. Featured Darrell Voss’s excellent drum work, with the band providing a steady rhythmic field, which allowed lots of space for Voss’s pyrotechnics.
Ms. B. C. — Pamela Baskin-Watson. Her husband, alto player Bobby Watson, performed on the Art Blakey album that introduced this song: “Album of the Year / Recorded in Paris.” Despite being released in 1981, this uptempo number was very reminiscent of bop’s heyday.
Set Two:
Ping Pong — Wayne Shorter. An explosion of bebop to launch the 2nd set!
Great drum interlude by Darrell Voss took us from “Ping Pong” to “Crisis.”
Crisis — Freddie Hubbard. Voss carried his solo right into this tune. Cool melody, with lots of descending passages that lead into soulful turnarounds. This felt very “hard bop” to me, with a clear gospel flavor in the chords. Excellent solo work all around.
Wheel Within a Wheel — Wynton Marsalis. This felt like a recursive pattern, which, I suppose, is what the title tried to express. Very polished in structure, melody, and harmony. Great interplay between Dylan Johnson’s bass and Marshall Otwell’s piano work.
Children of the Night — Wayne Shorter. I guess I expected some sort of vampire-themed music here, but it sounded to me like big city night life. A recurring theme in the sax part (behind a repeated rhythmic figure on the keys) invoked images of tuxedos & evening gowns, big cars & smoke-filled clubs. I suppose vampires could find their groove in the city.
Down Under — Freddie Hubbard. Lots of swing, again with gospel nuances. The performance featured an amazingly melodic bass solo by Dylan Johnson, during which, somehow, the bass sang with an almost human voice. Johnson’s work was subtly backed by Voss on drums.
Arabia — Curtis Fuller. Harmonic Minor-laden melody over driving bass and repeated two-chord structure with a moderately complex turnaround. By this point the band was on the home stretch, but they stayed on top of the beat to the last.
About the SLO Jazz Federation::
The San Luis Obispo County Jazz Federation has been presenting concerts to the community since 1983. The Jazz Federation’s purpose is to support and encourage the performance and appreciation of jazz, both professionally and educationally. This is done by sponsoring live jazz performances and jam sessions, and by giving scholarships and grants to young, talented, central coast musicians who have a special interest in jazz.
Visit: http://www.slojazz.org for more information.