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Eric Reed Quartet at Smoke
ByOn the opening tune, Shorter's "Yes or No," energetic solos emanated from Lewis and Reed whose theme and variations iteration contained strong head statements with variations that were largely invariable. Scott supplied intriguing "stick on stick" pyrotechnics in his lengthy solo with solid support from Douglas. Golson's popular swing tune "Along Came Betty" followed in a tempo that reflected a performance given over 40 years ago by Pat Martino.
Reed delivered a sustained tribute to jazz figure Herbie Nichols whose musicianship greatly influenced Reed, long ago inspiring his dedicatory composition "ICHN." A vibrant rendition of Thelonious Monk's tune "Thelonious" followed with sublime soloing from Reed and Lewis.
The Quartet performed with dexterous synchronicity and precise jazz conversation which has been a hallmark of hard bop and post-bop groups performing at Smoke since its inception. The small stage and clear audience sight lines demand a cohesiveness other present-day jazz rooms have not focused upon. They present wide varieties of musical stylists so that their audiences can continually expand. This is all fine, of course, but the small, tight, hard bop groups featuring such leaders as Horace Silver, Bud Powell, Clifford Brown, Lou Donaldson, Art Blakey and others were the essence of the magic in rooms like Basin Street, (the old) Birdland, the Five Spot, Fat Tuesday's, Sweet Basil's, and similar venues of yore.
Smoke has recaptured that essence and its new edition continues the tradition of that synchronous magic.
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New York Beat
Nick Catalano
Eric Reed
Miles Davis
benny golson
Wayne Shorter
Chris Lewis
Dezron Douglas
Kendrick Scott
Pat Martino
Herbie Nichols
Thelonious Monk's
Horace Silver
Bud Powell
Clifford Brown
Lou Donaldson
Art Blakey