Charlie Parker Jazz Festival 2015, Tompkins Sq. Park, Aug 23

• photography by Clara Pereira / text by Filipe Freitas

Joe Lovano, an undeniable icon of the modern jazz scene, proves every time he blows his horn why is that so. The good ideas keep coming out from his saxophone, creating complex and articulated speeches that show all his wittiness and intention.
Played with a straightforward attitude, the spirited Parker-ish tunes often acquired a pulsating funky groove thanks to the rhythm section composed by the expeditious pianist Leo Genovese, the always joyous Esperanza Spalding, whose contagious bass lines and impulsive feeling triggered some extra stimulus in the audience, and the veteran drummer Lewis Nash whose attack and timbre are quite remarkable.
Although I’ve seen better from these musicians, I had lots of fun during this fantastic one-hour joyride.

The work of the skilled pianist Myra Melford is highly recognized for the insatiable explorations, in which the continuously variable moods and intensities are strongly built through the incessant interactions sparked off by the fabulous musicians who follow her ideas. 
Exceptionally cohesive, the band that accompanies the perceptive leader in this intriguing journey was practically the same that recorded her esteemed album ‘Snowy Egret’. The floating Ron Miles on cornet, the self-assured Liberty Ellman on guitar, the half-airy half-airless Stomu Takeishi on electric bass, and the bold Ted Poor (replacing Tyshawn Sorey) on drums, were the ones responsible for the organic, progressive, and haunting musical moments that kept coming out of this thoroughly conceived performance.

There’s nothing better to close a Festival dedicated to Charlie Parker than a super energetic concert based on a record that originally honors the brilliant father of the bebop.
I’m talking about the fiery alto saxophonist/composer Rudresh Mahanthappa whose latest record entitled ‘Bird Calls’ holds an innovative concept of Parker’s music.
The disconcerting, temperamental tunes, rich in modulations and played in an authoritarian way, suggest Parker’s motifs and characteristic phrasings, echoing with a powerful rhythmic stamina and sparky solos. The improvisations were headed by the bandleader, whose winged, extended runs never compromise the precision of his language, and the emerging young trumpeter Adam O’Farrill whose potential is tremendously bigger than his age.
Both found the required consistency in the disciplined rhythm section constituted by Matt Mitchell on piano, Thomson Kneeland on bass, and Rudy Royston on drums.
It was an exuberant and explosive performance that shook the audience in a positive way.