If you don't know it already, I'm a little pedestrian in my tastes when it comes to jazz. So, last night's concert in the BopArts series was a bit of a stretch for me. Some of it was simply beyond my capacity, but it was apparent that it was not beyond the rest of the crowd's. There was much head-bobbing and quiet smiling going on in the group of 30 or so who braved the elements and left their homes last night. (Yes, I know it was a gorgeous night--where was everyone?)
There were musicians and musical "types" there. When I see them, especially my friend Greg Bell, I take notice of their expressions and ask about how they are experiencing the music. Head-bobbing and smiling . . .
The ensemble is a vocalist, Fay Victor, with a rich, deep, resonant voice. I appreciated the beauty of it, but I couldn't help wishing she would sing a "real" song. Her phrasing was adventurous; sometimes startling. She was, really, quite amazing. Her band consists of Swedish guitarist (now NYC resident) Anders Nilsson who has played with Sabir Mateen, Daniel Carter, Ras Moshe and many others. Bassist is Bop Shop semi-regular Ken Filiano, who appeared here earlier this month with Taylor Ho Bynum’s group. On drums is Michael T.A. Thompson who played here a few years back as a member of Sabir Mateen’s ensemble.
They were hot . . . in a very avant garde, jazzy kind of way. If the lights had been dim, I would have felt like I was in a subterranean jazz bar in New York City . . . one of the cool kids.
yours in music,
Tracy
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