I do love big-band music from the swing era: Fletcher Henderson, Count Basie, Duke, etc. Post-bebop big bands never did much for me, with the partial exception of some of the more out-there collectives– Sun Ra's Arkestra, or Muhal Richard Abrams. But Maria Schneider's orchestra has gotten a lot of critical attention, and Laura and I went to check them out when they played at Stanford's Bing Concert Hall this weekend.
Schneider's music is pretty high-concept, with lots of complex rhythms and harmonies, and at times it was interesting and exciting to hear, but more often cluttered and over-composed. Certainly she has assembled a fine group of musicians, including Donny McCaslin on tenor sax and Ben Monder on guitar, but they were seldom given an opportunity to really stretch out. A revelation for me was drummer Johnathan Blake, who plays with subtlety and color. Unfortunately, subtlety didn't help overcome the clamorous acoustics of Bing Hall. When alto sax player Dave Pietro finally got the chance to tear into an extended, high-energy solo, he was completely drowned out, especially by eight brass players at high volume. Will Stanford ever get the acoustics right in this place?
When all is said and done, small-group jazz in an intimate setting is way more my cup of tea. And what could be more intimate than someone's living room? Emmet Cohen is an awesome pianist with a great trio and some very talented friends, who drop by for jam sessions that he kindly shares on YouTube. Check out Marcus Strickland's swinging, modal solo to kick things off, and Christian McBride's extended, virtuosic solo later on. The trio's regular bassist, Russell Hall, is no slouch, but his expressions while listening to McBride are priceless. Drummer Kyle Poole barely seems to be moving his wrists while he propels the music forward. Plenty more where this came from on Emmet's channel.
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