NYC’s Winter Jazzfest Wraps With Assortment of Live Riches

Phil Gallo – Resavoir
Trumpeter Will Miller and saxophonist Irvin Pierce of RESAVOIR appeared at Nublu 151. Mostly performing music they have yet to release, Miller says RESAVIOR is “a band that basically doesn’t exist on the internet.”

It’s OK to have fun playing jazz again.

Smiles were flashing across musicians’ faces throughout the weeklong Winter JazzFest in New York — youngsters from England who implored the audience to dance, veterans such as Gary Bartz digging into their overlooked past, Christian McBride leading a celebration of the late Roy Hargrove — and not for one minute was the music any less serious or intense than in the years that favored stoicism over joy. Even the oh-so-somber musicians who record for ECM were grinning on the bandstand.

Granted, characterizing this weeklong potpourri of music, which concluded with two nights of music in 11 small venues like a miniature, horn-driven version of SXSW, to a single reaction is a bit of extreme reductionism. But it was palpable onstage and in the audience as observers were more often talking about the feeling evoked by particular artist rather than the technical elements of what they had done. In terms of this music developing a new audience, that’s refreshing and promising.

Multiple stages were themed during the Jazzfest Marathon and Pollstar used the opportunity to sample new music coming out of Chicago, the scene that launched Makaya McCraven and Jaimie Branch, and ECM, the storied jazz-classical label that turns 50 this year. On other nights, musicians from London were the main draw.

Surprisingly, the musicians who made the music stand out were not necessarily the horn players and pianist outfront. Two drummers stood out — not surprising considering the overflow crowds attempting to get in to see McCraven and Justin Brown — Chicago’s Jeremy Cunningham and the Ezra Collective’s Femi Koleoso. Cunnigham performed a calming and easygoing set of his own music, which will be released later this year, at Nublu 151 before backing trumpeter Will Miller, known for his work with Whitney and Chance, the Rapper, in RESAVOIR. In that band’s two-drum lineup, the music had a spiritual reach and an uncommon drive, pulling together elements many would associate with John Coltrane and the early Allman Brothers Band married to modern engaging melodies.

Phil Gallo – This Against That
This Against That’s saxophonist Ravi Coltrane and trumpeter Ralph Alessi performa at (le) poisson rouge. ECM will release their new album in February.

In Ezra Collective, Koleoso goes beyond providing furious rhythmic support. His drumming shapes the direction of each tune — Afrobeat, disco, blues, some Elvin Jones-rooted hard bop — as the groups saxophonist and trumpeter embellish that thrust with simple, groove-oriented melodies. (We’d also suggest keeping an eye on the trumpeter Emma Jean Thackray as a multi-genre bridge builder).

Each night, it was common to hear jazz  performed with no reins on direction by musicians who were playing music that had never been heard in New York. Saxophonist Nubya Garcia went from spacey dub to wide-ranging tonal exploration from one tune to the next; pianist Shai Maestro, an ECM artist whose music speaks to the core of the label’s temperate aesthetic, built each piece with his trio from a whisper to a gentle conversation dominated by the soul-baring bass playing of Jorge Roeder; and trumpeter Ralph Alessi, with his This Against That ensemble that featured Ravi Coltrane on tenor sax, played unhurried music that unfolded with delightful soulful surprises.

Among the week’s showcase events were the Hargrove tribute that lasted nearly five hours and featuring an army of groups made up of 150 musicians. Uplifting and spirited tribute, the Christian McBride-hosted event at Jazz @ Lincoln Center was an astonishingly complete celebration of the late trumpeter, educator and mentor.

Another was alto saxophonist Gary Bartz revisiting his second album, “Another Earth,” released 50 years ago, with two of the men who played on it, tenor sax man Pharoah Sanders and trumpeter Charles Tolliver. They took the piece out for a controlled and vibrant 30-minute ride, a triumphant conclusion to Bartz’s set that included the album’s other shorter pieces. Considering the current wave of interest in young musicians who are forging paths full of new compositions that reach far beyond jazz standards, to hear a forgotten work that had a similar reach five decades ago was a blessing and a delight. Bartz, Sanders and Tolliver were impressive on multiple levels and the joy they demonstrated on the bandstand was infectious. Now how can they get that show on the road?