Post by ghostsurfer on Oct 15, 2006 17:22:17 GMT -5
A saturday night off and I go to the World Cafe Live to see the final trio performance of Jack Dejohnette, Jerome Harris, and Bill Frisell. The show began with the esoteric yet funky “The elephant sleeps but still remembers,” as the psilocybin in my veins began to color the intimate venue with vibrant hue shadows and splotches of dancing light patterns. The next tune was an intricate jazz number by Harris that provided Bill with opportunity to display his mastery of melody, comping, and everything in between. Dejohnette laid a steady groove behind it all, swinging hard and pounding his toms with the vigor and tenacity of a young man (the years have been good to Jack).
The third tune was a composition by an African guitarist whose name escapes me. Rhythmic heaviness and pentatonic repetition were the hallmarks of this 20 minute piece, which epitomized the openness and earthy groove that pervaded the entire performance. Rounding out the first 4 songs was “Flamenco Sketches” by Evans and Davis, an under-recorded tune according to Dejohnette, who left his drum set for a digital piano at the left of the stage. While Harris and Frisell provided sparse harmony in the background, Dejohnette tinkered away the unforgettable melody and wonderfully altered jazz chords with beauty and conviction.
Returning to the drums, Dejohnette then wowed the crowd with a 15 minute percussion solo as Harris and Frisell looked on with smiles. Picking up their axes, they joined the jazz veteran for the trio’s final number of the evening, a galvanizing jam that revolved around 4 ascending chords that created a whirling of tension and resolution.
The improvisations by Dejohnette, Frisell, and Harris rocked the crowd continually, leading us through places of stark silence, roaring beats, mystical African landscapes, and zany cartoon lunacy, all the while maintaining a loose yet strong connection between members. The set was mostly centered on the veteran drummer’s ideas, but Harris and Frisell both shined, at times with blazing excitement. This show was very different from past Frisell performances I’ve seen, but it was amazing nonetheless; go see this group the next time they tour and check out Jack Dejohnette and Bill Frisell’s album “The elephant sleeps but still remembers.”
The third tune was a composition by an African guitarist whose name escapes me. Rhythmic heaviness and pentatonic repetition were the hallmarks of this 20 minute piece, which epitomized the openness and earthy groove that pervaded the entire performance. Rounding out the first 4 songs was “Flamenco Sketches” by Evans and Davis, an under-recorded tune according to Dejohnette, who left his drum set for a digital piano at the left of the stage. While Harris and Frisell provided sparse harmony in the background, Dejohnette tinkered away the unforgettable melody and wonderfully altered jazz chords with beauty and conviction.
Returning to the drums, Dejohnette then wowed the crowd with a 15 minute percussion solo as Harris and Frisell looked on with smiles. Picking up their axes, they joined the jazz veteran for the trio’s final number of the evening, a galvanizing jam that revolved around 4 ascending chords that created a whirling of tension and resolution.
The improvisations by Dejohnette, Frisell, and Harris rocked the crowd continually, leading us through places of stark silence, roaring beats, mystical African landscapes, and zany cartoon lunacy, all the while maintaining a loose yet strong connection between members. The set was mostly centered on the veteran drummer’s ideas, but Harris and Frisell both shined, at times with blazing excitement. This show was very different from past Frisell performances I’ve seen, but it was amazing nonetheless; go see this group the next time they tour and check out Jack Dejohnette and Bill Frisell’s album “The elephant sleeps but still remembers.”