winter jazzfest 2020 - MANHATTAN marathon 2, nyc, jan 11
photography by © Clara Pereira / text by Filipe Freitas
For the second Manhattan Marathon, we planned to see Steve Lehman Trio + Craig Taborn at Zinc Bar, but at the time we arrived, the place was full-packed and we couldn’t get in. I honestly think that this venue, crammed with tables inside, was not an appropriate choice to host a group that attracts so many followers.
HELEN SUNG presents SUNG WITH WORDS
The good thing is that we got time to fully cover the project Sung with Words by pianist Helen Sung at The Dance. Her most recent work, inspired by the poems of Californian Dana Gioia, was presented with a quintet that included vocalist Christie Dashiel, saxophonist Steve Wilson, bassist Reuben Rogers, and drummer Kush Abadey. They kicked off with “Convergence”, marked by a vivid jazz section and a lyric solo piano passage before Abadey could magnify a few rudiments over a vamp. Then came “Pity The Beautiful”, a sort of mantric recitation; the warm and splendorous “Hot Summer Night”, where Wilson, Dashiel and Sung improvised on a rotational basis; the ballad “The Stars on Second Avenue”; the love-themed “Too Bad”, interpreted with a breezy samba flavor and with Wilson providing backing vocals for Dashiel (a surprise, even for Sung); and finally the soul-jazz of “Mean What You Say”, which put an end to a concert irrigated with lots of fun.
UNHOLY ROW - JASON LINDNER, TIM LEFEBVRE, MARK GUILIANA
Unholy Row is a powerhouse trio composed of keyboardist Jason Lindner, bassist Tim Lefebvre, and the festival’s artist-in-residence, drummer Mark Guiliana. Playing for the first time in this configuration, they burned The Dance down with a panoply of alternative electronic moods and experimental textures, sometimes filled with tension and momentum, and other times with controlled ambient restrain. The robust sound design included samples with background white noise, obstinate synth beeps, crescendo moments built up with frequency modulation, industrial metal fluxes à-la Ministry, downtempo grooves with inventive beat, droning bass figures with towering reverberation, and sudden percussive eruptions that could easily land on a fixed IDM rhythm. Earning thunderous applause from the public, this wildly explorative trio makes music to be enjoyed at loud volumes. Yet, on that night, it should have been a little less loud than it was.
MEGhAN STABILE’S BRAVE CONFESSION
The concert of Robert Glasper Electric Trio, a Musicians Wellness Benefit, started nearly one hour late, after producer Meghan Stabile, the CEO and founder of Revive Music Group, has walked onto the stage to courageously disclose her childhood traumas, including physical and sexual abuse, as well as issues with alcohol, drugs, and suicide attempt. She was introduced by WJF founder/producer Brice Rosenbloom, got Mark Whitfield’s guitar to play an emotional song, and was comforted by Glasper. The audience listened respectfully and showed its support.
robert glasper electric trio
Pianist Robert Glasper gained notoriety for bridging jazz and hip hop with infectious results. At Webster Hall, he led his Electric Trio, which features bassist Burniss Travis II and drummer Justin Tyson. Turntablist DJ Jahi Sundance joined the threesome, enhancing the beat with creativity. Glasper started off visibly upset with the quality of the sound and an unstable microphone stand that kept taking his concentration away. In addition to grooves, samples, beats and scraps, the audience could enjoy a beatboxing contest between Glasper and the guest artist Taylor McFerrin (the clear winner). At a later time, other guests were called to the bandstand, including saxophonist Terrace Martin. However, even stuffed with all this activity, the concert never really got hold of me.
anna webber septet - clockwise
Back to The Dance, we were presented with the best concert of the marathons, thanks to the game-changing compositional effort Clockwise, the most recent work from saxophonist/flutist Anna Webber. With the exception of pianist Jacob Sacks, who filled in for Matt Mitchell, the septet included the same musicians who recorded the album, namely, trombonist Jacob Garchik, tenorist/clarinetist Jeremy Viner, cellist Chris Hoffman, bassist Chris Tordini, and drummer/vibraphonist Ches Smith. “Idiom II” launched the show while “Kore I” finished it. In between, the pieces followed one another with flair and flurry, encompassing extended horn/cello buzzing, impromptu atonal inflections, massive unisons, and diligent counterpoint. Brilliantly orchestrated, these extraordinary compositions produced equally outstanding effects when performed live.
Winter JazzFest, a New York cultural landmark, promotes diversity and integration in every aspect, offering a unique vibe that deserves to be experienced. Thanks for this 16th edition and see you next year.