Recent concerts with Charles McPherson or Joey Baron
and this week at Dizzy's: the Billy Hart Quartet featuring Craig Handy
On Saturday I saw the 10 PM set at Smoke: Charles McPherson with Steve Davis, Jeb Patton, Boris Kozlov, and Kenny Washington.
It was not what I expected. Charles seems to have hit upon a late style: a primeval roar of the human spirit. He played bebop, of course, but I heard Ornette in there, Jackie McLean, even Eric Dolphy. The changes were almost discarded! It was pure freedom and pure blues. Just extraordinary. Avant-garde alto saxists only wish they could take it to where Charles took it for this third set, especially on “Darn that Dream,” “Lover,” and a valedictory B-flat blues.
I’ve been going to the Village Vanguard since 1991. Early on, I learned to sit in “drummer’s corner” where you can watch the hands and feet: Paul Motian, Tootie Heath, Al Foster, Jeff Ballard, Nasheet Waits, Billy Hart, Eric McPherson, Jeff Watts, many others.
Last night I sat right next to Joey Baron as he played a set with Julian Lage and Jorge Roeder.
Joey was notably awesome, even by Joey Baron standards. He has always been someone who could play both swing and a backbeat with immense personality, and the Lage trio is a perfect showcase for his unique talent. The whole set went by as a dream; 70 minutes felt like 40. Terrific trio, and they are recording this week.
To some extent the set climaxed with the most straight-ahead piece, a fierce romp through the Cole Porter chestnut “Everything I Love.” This reminded me of another version on Deep Down with Enrico Pieranunzi and Marc Johnson from 1987.
I know this track thanks to Falk Willis, the German drummer who I played with quite a bit when I first moved to town in 1991. Falk was into Joey Baron and played me this album with an emphasis on “Everything I Love.” It still sounds great to me, especially the drumming, which is definitely in the tradition but only could be from Joey Baron. (The low and open tuning alone was wildly innovative at the time, although many drummers have since followed in Joey’s footsteps.)
The Billy Hart quartet plays Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at Dizzy’s.
The band includes Ben Street and myself as usual, but Craig Handy is in the tenor chair. Craig and Billy have played together a long time now, and in fact, one of those Vanguard nights watching Jabali closely from drummer’s corner was for the Ray Drummond quartet with Craig and Stephen Scott (as heard on the 1997 album 1-2-3-4).
This week should be a lot of fun!
My favorite night in the drummer's corner at the Vanguard was a blistering mid-'80s George Adams / Don Pullen Quartet set with the incredible Dannie Richmond.
What I'd give to hear the version of "Darn That Dream" to which you refer... Which gives me another opportunity to let your readers know they really must make sure to check out your own amazing version of that gem on your album "The Purity Of The Turf."