Live From
the Detroit Jazz Festival - 2014 documents the third incarnation of the Mack
Avenue SuperBand, an all-star ensemble of bandleaders from the superb roster of
the Motor City jazz label. Once again, this powerhouse congregation joined
forces under the leadership of bassist Rodney Whitaker to dazzle a hometown
crowd in picturesque Hart Plaza, with the results captured for another knockout
live recording.
Joining
Whitaker as three-time veterans are his longtime rhythm section partner,
drummer Carl Allen; pianist Aaron Diehl; and guitarist Evan Perri of Hot Club
Of Detroit. Alto saxophonist Tia Fuller returns from the SuperBand's debut
outing after taking the second year off, while vibraphonist Warren Wolf and
tenor saxophonist Kirk Whalum make it two in a row after joining the band for
the first time in 2013.
The
SuperBand comprises a distinctive blend of generations and styles, which Mack
Avenue Records President Denny Stilwell says captures the diversity of the
label itself. "The SuperBand has always been and will always be a mix of
veteran players and top younger talent, which really represents the Mack Avenue
roster. When you look at this particular line-up, there are a wide range of
styles represented: from the Django-influenced guitar approach of Evan Perri to
the soulful/gospel leanings of tenor saxophonist Kirk Whalum, and when you
consider the other players, you can find just about everything in between. And
each of them are bringing performing and writing chops that are top
shelf."
The final -
and perhaps most important - member of the ensemble is the enthusiastic Labor
Day weekend crowd. "The Detroit Jazz Festival is one of the best live
festivals on Earth to play," Whitaker says. "That audience is pushing
you to play and encouraging you. Then you're on the bandstand with a lot of
cats that really admire each other, so the combination of having a good time
and an excited and lively audience makes for a great recording."
Or, as Diehl
adds succinctly, "Quite simply: Detroit knows jazz. They'll let you know
when you're on the right track, and certainly when you're not."
Whitaker
sees the gospel roots of most of Mack Avenue's artists as the common thread
that binds them together and allows a once-a-year gathering like the SuperBand
to be so successful. Even guitarist Perri, who would seem to be an outlier with
his gypsy jazz influences, is a Detroit native in whom the bassist recognizes
the influences of Motown, funk, and soul. The SuperBand helps to lend a
distinctive identity to a label whose artists spans multiple generations,
styles, and hometowns.
"These
days, not everyone who plays jazz necessarily lives in New York," Whitaker
points out. The Detroit Jazz Festival is the culminating place where we all get
together every year and talk about music and career development - and form a
mutual admiration society. It makes the label more of a family. The hang is
part of the music, and the hang happens every Labor Day weekend."
For Whitaker
as music director, the hang begins several months earlier, as he reaches out to
each musician to solicit their contributions to the year's repertoire. Of the
half-dozen tunes on this year's release, all but one were written by members of
the SuperBand. The exception is Herbie Hancock's "Riot," which kicks
off the album in combustible fashion with fiery solos from Wolf, Perri, Diehl,
Whitaker, and Allen.
Wolf's
soulful, plaintive "The Struggle" follows, with the composer, both of
whose impressive albums were Mack Avenue releases, building a solo of great
craft and intensity. He wrote the tune with Whalum in mind, and this performance
shows off the saxophonist's deeply felt blues roots. "Being able to share
Mack Avenue with these artists is truly wonderful," Wolf says.
"There's just so much history on the label it's hard to beat or compete.
Playing with my label mates is a lot of fun. Everyone is a band leader in their
own right, it's not often that we get to play together."
The music
director, who has two co-led albums with Carl Allen on the label along with his
own 2014 release When We Find Ourselves Alone, contributes "A Mother's
Cry," the theme song from his score to the PBS documentary "Malawi
& Malaria: Fighting to Save the Children." Despite the darkness of the
theme, the song retains a hopeful melodicism and is highlighted by Whitaker's
meditative solo bass intro and a solo that passes among most of the band
members, with a keening sense provided by Fuller on soprano and Whalum on
flute.
Opening with
a tour de force piano intro, Diehl's "Santa Maria" is a showstopper
that reveals traces of the composer's jazz, swing, blues, and classical
influences all in one package. The pianist recently released Space, Time,
Continuum, his sophomore Mack Avenue album. He calls the yearly get-together
with the SuperBand "an incredible experience because we typically have our
own separate projects. Mack Avenue has an exemplary roster with a variety of
artistic approaches. I'm just honored to be a part of it all."
Perri and
the Hot Club of Detroit have released four albums of Djangology on the label,
and "For Stephane" is prime evidence of his ability to take his gypsy
jazz influences and transform them into his own distinctive take on modern
jazz. The tune's shifting time signature spurs intricate playing from Wolf and
Perri.
The set
draws to a close with Kirk Whalum's "Bipolar Blues Blues," which may
come as a surprise to those who know the saxophonist only in his smooth jazz
guise. Whalum's Mack Avenue discography includes homages to soul icons Babyface
and Donny Hathaway, the collaboration of John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman, and
the conjunction of gospel and jazz. Here, his tenor duels with Fuller's soprano
on a down-home blues that feels right at home on the streets of Detroit.
By the time
this set draws to a close, listeners at home may feel transported to the city,
or at the very least feel some of the excitement that the Hart Plaza crowds
were swept up in last August.
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