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Live Reviews
Ottawa International Jazz Festival – Day Four, June 26, 2005
John Kelman
With the realization that there will always be more music coming at him than he can keep up with, John wonders why anyone would think that jazz is dead or dying.
Still, they were solid accompanists, if not a little on the safe side. Jordan is a multifaceted player, which should be immediately evident when one considers the range of people he's played with, from John Scofield to Keith Richards; and Sonny Rollins' gig may be the most mainstream of his career. Cranshaw is an in-the-pocket bassist who worked well with Jordan, although his playing seemed somehow nondescript. Dinizulu was, quite simply, nothing more than ear candy—adding some nice colour, but never really essential to what the group was doing.
On the other hand, Broom's warm hollowbody sound and approach, which blended a bluesy disposition with broader harmonic knowledge, allowing him to take things ever so slightly out without losing sight of the accessibility factor, made for some strong moments. Anderson has a warm tone that comes from Kai Winding and J.J. Johnson, but he was at his best when his solos were kept short enough to eliminate any concerns for longer-form sustenance.
The set was surprisingly short on bop, and Rollins' apparent infatuation with calypso music, despite its infectious and danceable rhythms, dragged the set down at times. With little in the way of harmonic or rhythmic variation, the songs seemed to drag out at times, especially when Rollins wasn't soloing. Still, his ability to develop a solo, building the dynamics and developing to its logical conclusion, remained the highlight of the performance. And isn't that what people came to see in the first place?
Tomorrow: Bud Shank and Bill Mays, Michel Coté Lapon Baleze, Norman Guilbeault, Benny Golson, and Robert Marcel Lepage.
Visit Tom McMahon, Moutin Reunion Quartet, Blues Gitan, and the Ottawa International Jazz Festival on the web.
Photo Credit
John Fowler
