June 14th @ Vision Fest

[Steve Reynolds]

Got there right before the Bern Nix quartet featuring Matt Lavelle on trumpet and what was a smallish looking bass clarinet.

Fine gritty at times funky stuff with wonderful drumming from Reggie Sylvester. Nix is a marvel and Lavelle has a clear bright sound on trumpet but less comnvincing on his second horn.

The East West Collective was a huge surprise to me working on levels I haven't even tried to figure. Ochs was great and the French cellist and French clarinetist were both spectacular. I will look up their names later. Theatrical and bracing, all three pieces were distinct and the music was thoroughly uncategorizable lying somewhere above or below or beyond jazz, improvisation, theatre and having some of the feel of thes best eai. The set was just over 45 minutes and the crowd who doesn't normally expect something of this nature was engaged within 5 or 10 minutes as was I.

Final set which was the reason I went did not disappoint. After a rough beginning where Drake came on a bit too strong and Jordan and the great Louis Sclavis seemed to struggle to find their place in the ensemble playing over each other more than with started to give me pause as to what kind of musical train wreck the next 50 minutes or so might be.

When the pianist Bernard Tusque came the the fore when the horns laid out, the trio of Parker, Drake and the pianist starting to get the dynamics and vibe in line. I think then Sclavis (solely on bass clarinet throughout) re-emerged it was via a more traditional approach carving post bop lines with Drake re-elevating the volume this time without overwhelming the ensemble.

When they got to Drake's solo after some strong playing by all including Kidd soaring and preaching much more clearly than at the beginning, I was all in. The show ended with an almost elegiac improvisation and/or Parker sounding theme with Jordan especially almost bring the crowd as a whole to tears so deep was the vibe and the band faded to silence a little over an hour after they started

Peace and blessings

[Steve Reynolds]

Another comment - Sclavis even organically incorporated a stunning circular breathing passage about half way in which, planned or not, brought the rest of the band to silence.

And maybe of course, maybe the strongest portions of the show were the bass-drums sequences where the famous by now even legendart rhythm section played something not quite old, but not quite new, but always what will be a mystery of the unknown groove. A groove that only exists in the air once, never to be played by any other pair, invented and channeled through the two great men.

An experience that demands to be viewed, listened to, lived, and if one has a history with them, to be adored, cherished and loved like the air I breath.

Never old, I'm never jaded to it, I've heard many, loved many, but for what they live and what they do, there is no greater joy than being 15 feet from The King of New York, Mr. William Parker when he is the right of the master of the vibe, the great Hamid Drake

[uli]

An experience that demands to be viewed, listened to, lived, and if one has a history with them, to be adored, cherished and loved like the air I breath.

I am glad you enjoyed it! I am looking forward to hear them We.

Edited June 15, 2013 by uli

[Steve Reynolds]

The tenor player overheard me chatting with the drummer and said "tell Uli Kidd says hello"

[uli]

The tenor player overheard me chatting with the drummer and said "tell Uli Kidd says hello"

Thanks, Steve

[uli]

Since there has not been any more post about the vision fest I don't feel I am interrupting by letting Steve know that I run into Josh Abrams again on Saturday. this time with this group. Nice

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZ1FNAgCh1Q

[uli]

http://jazztimes.com/articles/94084-vision-festival-18-in-photos