meg okura’s michael brecker quindectet feat donny mccaslin at birdland, nyc, oct 7
photography by ©Clara Pereira / text by Filipe Freitas
The legendary Birdland was the stage for Japanese violinist and composer Meg Okura’s tribute to the late, great saxophonist Michael Brecker, with whom she once toured. With the Quindectet, Okura explores new arrangements of a revisited repertoire that takes on vibrant sonic coloration at the hands of featured soloist, tenor saxophonist Donny McCaslin, and a horn section composed of Charles Pillow on flute and soprano saxophone; Dan Willis on oboe, English horn, and tenor sax; Roger Rosenberg on bass clarinet and bari sax; Justin Mullens on French horn; David Smith on trumpet; and Jacob Garchik on trombone. The string quartet within the ensemble includes Okura, second violinist Tomoko Akaboshi, violist Benjamin von Gutzeit, and cellist Dave Eggar, while the rhythm section comprises veteran guitarist Pete McCann, bassist Boris Kozlov, percussionist Daniel Sadownick, and drummer E.J. Strickland. The ensemble was conducted by Erica Seguine, who is also associate artistic director.
In a Gil Goldstein arrangement, “Arc of the Pendulum” comes out of the gate with powerful force as McCaslin designs a multitude of motifs in crescendo, followed by the fluidity of Smith’s trumpet and the adventurous outside approach of McCann. Strickland enjoys the space allocated to him within a final waltzing vamp.
Introduced beautifully by the string quartet, “Broadband” has the band indulging in a septuple meter with natural flow, underpinned by a fierce bass groove. “African Skies,” buoyed by the synergistic conjoint work of drums and percussion, ends in chamber splendor after McCaslin’s staccato-rich, pattern-driven improvisation and Okura’s high flights. The tenorist draws the loudest applause from the audience on “Delta City Blues,” a piece that also featured Willis on tenor and Pillow on soprano, the latter operating over a Cuban-infused rhythmic flavor.
Okura’s surprising arrangement of “Itsbynne Reel”—in a kind of Irish folk fashion—had its world premiere that night (just like “African Skies”), also offering conversational exchanges between the bandleader and McCann. “Syzygy” opened with a spectacular tenor-over-drums agitation, and the concert closed with the tender ballad “Angle of Repose,” over which Kozlov expressed his thoughts clearly. This final piece was conducted by Ryuta Yoshimura.