- 583Recommend It!
- 7,559views
Live Reviews
Newport Jazz Festival: Sunday, August 8, 2010
Timothy J. O'Keefe
Tim O'Keefe covers jazz in the Boston area.Sunday's high temperature eclipsed that of the previous day, and amidst the heat, a collection of electronic swells, snapping harmonics, and bursts of feedback melded atop a banging backbeat—Ken Vandermark's Powerhouse Sound exploded into "Shocklee." Elsewhere, David Binney's Third Occasion Quartet could be heard on the Quad stage, and Dave Brubeck sat in with Wynton Marsalis.
The day was still far from over, and in the late afternoon, Jason Moran began his set by encouraging the audience to sing "Happy Birthday" to the Bandwagon. Moran's last endeavor, Ten (Blue Note, 2010), is named to celebrate the decade his band has spent together creating music.
Opening an electrifying set, Moran's ethereal piano playing segued into sparse chords and repetitious notes, as the band tore into "Blue Blocks." Bassist Tarus Mateen and drummer Nasheet Waits worked odd meters, procuring deep rhythms, and bringing to life "RFK in the Land of Apartheid." Other selections from Ten included "Crepuscule with Nellie," "Study No. 6" and "Pas de Deux."
As Moran's set ended, Herbie Hancock played on the main stage. In an interesting twist, Conrad Herwig explored Latin-infused versions of Hancock's music on the Harbor stage, and Chris Botti closed the night on the Fort stage.
