The two outstanding jazz events that ushered in the summer of 2010 in the Susquehanna Valley were more than an pioneer glance at some tomorrow's feature performers. Esperanza Spalding's opulent discharge last Sunday at Long's Park and the just out Central Pennsylvania Friends of Jazz Festival showcased the expanded responsibility of female leaders, composers, and performers and their lively personalities. And jazz, as a marginalized commercial music genre, needs their input and emotional engagement. The aspiring pianist Helen Sung kicked off CPFJ's ticketed events at the Harrisburg Hilton with a crowd-pleasing program of character compositions from her recently released "Sungbird" CD based on Spanish-influenced workshop by Isaac Albeniz. Sherrie Maricle's capital Diva Jazz Orchestra followed.
The orchestra has 15 members, is 17 years young, and has yielded 7 recordings, the terminal one made at New York City's Lincoln Center. One concert goer commented on the Maricle band's correspondence to Buddy Rich's big band. Maricle's semi-rough Vegas-style, Buddy Rich wise-cracking kept the audience loose, but the tough-talking bandleader couldn't flog her tenderness for her hard-working ladies.
Despite the amusing "diva" title, this group is hardly a uniqueness act. This orchestra is stocked with critical predisposition and bandleaders sitting in almost every orchestra chair. Jamie Dauber's show-stopping flugelhorn alone on "Stars Fell on Alabama" and alto saxophonist Sharel Cassity's multiple walks to the center microphone were only some of the standout solos.
Cassity has a generous folio article on her in this month's DownBeat journal and a fresh CD, "Relentless." She got a worst shout-out from the snazzy festivities announcer, Jeff Duperon. Duperon, the longtime jazz DJ for Philly's WRTI 90.7 FM (Friday 6-10 p.m., Saturday 6-9 p.m. and Sunday 8 p.m.-midnight) plays supplemental mainstream jazz releases and has been a obstinate bettor of the festival's performers and emerging jazz talents.
Saturday's CPFJ Fest's three-band lineup kicked off with the fascinating Hot Club of Detroit five-piece Django Reinhardt-Stephane Grappelli eulogy band, with customer clarinetist Anat Cohen. The strip arrangements were relaxing but briskly-tempoed and Cohen's brilliant soloing shawl the show and added the skilful penetrating comedic stroke to this humane and demonstrative music. The audience was plainly delighted, and the Hot Club band's CD sold briskly after their set. Next up, Beyoncé's touring saxophonist from 2006, Tia Fuller, brought in a very young, very hard-riffing quartet of women who had the undesirable struggle of pleasant a nostalgia-hungry audience waiting for headliner Patti Austin.
Austin did her continual Ella Fitzgerald show, and peppered her exhibit with compelling stories about Fitzgerald and what it's counterpart to be a Grammy winner. Austin's "Avant Gershwin" CD won a Best Vocal Grammy in 2008, and the nine-time nominated singer, using her best comic-sulk voice, thanked Diana Krall for being enceinte and making that music accord possible. The CPFJ thirtieth anniversary weekend also included the induction of chorus-boy Cathy Chemi in the Jazz Hall of Fame and a silent documentary on the hard-living songster Anita O'Day, along with some protracted exasperation among the CPFJ's hard-working board members at the festival's ignition turnout.
A touch off output was not the wrapper at the rear Sunday at Long's Park, as thousands of listeners filled this hillside for shooting celebrated Esperanza Spalding's quartet. The singer/bass participant loosened the flood up with a half hour of densely-patched chat lyrics and accentuation that seemed youthfully self-dramatizing and perfectly of troubled energy. But what followed was a nearly hour and a half of perfectly-pitched, startlingly creative and mostly resplendent show off of jazz strength in Long's Park, the best since the Basie Band two years ago. The most recognizable air was "Ponte de Areia," covered most marvellously on saxophonist Wayne Shorter's "Native Dancer" LP from 1975.
But Esperanza Spalding's precious wildness, Samba grooving, and Bossa Nova fusion gave the audience a most catchy tuneful joyride on a finish evening. With a irrational original month line-up of Grace Potter, Ralph Stanley, Spalding, and Angelique Kidjo (this Sunday), doesn't Stella Sexton and the Long's Park option panel be worthy of a assortment hug?
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