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35th Annual Tri-C JazzFest Cleveland

35th Annual Tri-C JazzFest Cleveland
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Playhouse Square
Tri-C JazzFest Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio
June 26-28, 2014

For the first time in 35 years, Cuyahoga Community College's annual jazz festival received a major makeover via the shift from a two week event in April to a three day happening in June. Also key to this paradigm shift was a move of all concerts downtown to the newly rededicated Playhouse Square. With the second most significant theater district in the country next to New York City, Cleveland boasts four beautifully appointed theaters right in the heart of downtown and the twelve ticketed concerts were spread among these venues during the weekend festivities.

If the main shows didn't provide enough food for thought, there also happened to be seventeen free shows spanning several genres that mingled with various food venders in the US Bank Plaza. In its spirit and attempt to establish a wider awareness of the music, the set up mirrored what takes place along Woodward Avenue during the Detroit Jazz Festival. That's probably no coincidence, seeing that JazzFest director Terri Pontremoli recently served a five-year stint as director of Detroit's festival before returning home to her native Cleveland.

The festival kicked off with a Thursday evening performance by Sean Jones and his quartet, which was then followed by artist-in-residence Christian McBride taking the stage with the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra. Throughout Friday and Saturday a range of styles filled the bill, including a sold out set by Gregory Porter, the Latin stylings of Raul Midon, and a performance by fusion icons Marcus Miller and Dave Koz.

This reviewer's Friday evening started with a set by John Scofield and his group Uberjam. The guitarist cheery picked some of the best tunes from the group's recent album Uberjam Deux and it proved to be a well-rounded recital that never did manage to wear out its welcome even with the plethora of electronic effects.

"Cracked Ice" provided the type of groove that Scofield thrives on, with Avi Bortnick providing the wah-wah effects as a support. Drummer Tony Mason's slamming two and four anchored "Boogie Stupid," while Scofield closed his eyes and let loose a string of his signature bop-inflected runs. By contrast, the reggae vibe of "Dub Dub" offered some of Scofield's most melodic work of the evening and "Endless Summer" struck a chord akin to vintage Metheny Group material, thus making it one of the crowd pleasers of the set.

For the second half of the show, the stage was struck and a party atmosphere ensued with the appearance of Trombone Shorty and his group Orleans Avenue. Shorty, whose real name is Troy Andrews, managed to stir up the crowd like he has done previous times at the festival, but his range of emotions is quite narrow and everything seemed to steam along on one setting. For what it is, the crowd definitely responded favorably, but save for a nostalgic take on "Sunny Side of the Street," much of the evening was filled with high octane blasts that were fueled by a decidedly rock inspired muse.

Rounding out Friday evening's offerings was the return of Eddie Palmieri and his orchestra. Making his third appearance at the festival, the 77-year-old dynamo shows no signs of slowing down and his ten piece ensemble lit up the night with its incendiary grooves. Lead singer Herman Olivera is somewhat of a powerhouse himself, able to enunciate the trickiest of Spanish lyrics with grace and enthusiasm. Although seemingly modest by outward appearances, tres player Nelson Gonzalez was featured at length on two occasions and played with nothing less than inspired abandon.

Also integral to the presentation were bassist Luques Curtis and trombonist Conrad Herwig. As Eddie led the band from behind his keyboard, Curtis could be seen smiling from ear to ear, his foundation being the buoy in a sea of musical commotion. A regular of the Palmieri fold for over 30 years, Herwig's solos were full of urgency, particularly on the iconic centerpiece of the set, "Azucar Pa' Ti."

The next day got off to a rocky start as a crowd bursting at the seams was forced to wait in the lobby for a late sound check to finish, delaying the start of Eliane Elias set by almost an hour. The pianist/vocalist then took the stage for a brief recital that seemed just a bit too trite to really stand out beyond the type of presentation heard in a typical cocktail bar. The Brazilian numbers like "Chega De Saudade" and "So Danco Samba" were the pick of the lot, while the Chet Baker-related material from her latest album was much less effective. As bassist Marc Johnson seemed almost aloof and blasé, drummer Rafael Barata would get to stoke the fires on a few occasions, his extended samba jams among the few highlights of the set.

There was also a sense of emotional detachedness that came with drummer Terri Lyne Carrington's performance as she offered reimagined takes on pieces from the iconic Duke Ellington album Money Jungle. Aside from her opening remarks and closing introductions, Carrington spoke not a word and one selection quickly segued into the next. To say that the pieces were reworked would be somewhat of an understatement, a few of them being so far removed as to be practically unrecognizable.

Bass vamps and odd meters were the basis for many of these new explorations. For example, "Fleurette Africain" was set in 7/8, Jaleel Shaw's soprano voicing the melody. The beautiful "Warm Valley" was somewhat less affective in a more upbeat version, although Carrington would allow the reverence of "Come Sunday" to speak through aided by the sparkling piano work of Aaron Goldberg, who was sitting in for the oddly absent and previously billed Gerald Clayton.

But if the afternoon had started out tentatively, it wouldn't stay that way for long. Christian McBride is an entertainer, in addition to being one hell of a bandleader and bassist. His set was nothing less than invigorating and his accompanying musicians belong at the top of the list of talent deserving of wider recognition. Pianist Christian Sands was a whirlwind of activity behind the keyboard, as he let loose with a pianistic style that combined the technical virtuosity of an Oscar Peterson or Phineas Newborn with the tactile soulfulness of Bobby Timmons or Wynton Kelly. Another superb technician whose approach is tempered with supreme musicality, Ulysses Owens, Jr. proved to be just as tasteful with the brushes as with his sticks.

The Oscar Peterson chestnut "Hallelujah Time" was typical of the type of interaction this trio has established on the road, complete with a sublime brush solo from Owens. The funky Freddie Hubbard line "Povo" found Sands digging in for one of his best solos, blistering in its display of chops and intensity. McBride put himself in the spotlight as well, including a lovely bowed statement on "I Have Dreamed" from The King and I. Dedicating his performance to Cleveland soul icon Bobby Womack, who had passed just the day before, McBride got the audience to serve as back-up singers as the trio had fun with Johnnie Taylor's "Who's Making Love."

Wrapping up the festival, it was almost half part ten in the evening when Dave Holland and his group Prism took the stage for a lengthy set that finished just after midnight. The group's five selections offered a wash of sound that put listeners in almost a trance-like state. Things got started with Holland's "A New Day," the kind of vamp number that he often uses as a launching point for the solos.

Guitarist Kevin Eubanks amply demonstrated that he has lost none of his major jazz chops as he dominated most of the evening with some of the best guitar work this reviewer has recently heard. Coming on with thick chords and sagacious use of his effects pedals on his own "Evolution," Eubanks would also speak wonders in the reflective calm of Holland's "The Empty Chair."

Working with both piano and Fender Rhodes, Craig Taborn remained somewhat in the background at first, but then came in charging full force on his own "The Meaning of Determination" and "The Watcher." Of course, one of the keys to the success of Holland's ensembles over the years has always been the drummer. In Eric Harland, he is further supported by a dynamo of time and textures. In an unusual set up that included double bass drums and two snares, Harland guided the music with the refinement and skill of a dancer and the collective effect was a deepness of spirit that you only get with this type of super group.

Photo Credit: C. Andrew Hovan

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