…speaking of real jazz
Earlier today I wrote about how the TD Ottawa International Jazz Festival is about a lot more than jazz. Well I just returned from the realest (most real?) jazz show that I’ve yet seen since this festival began last Thursday. It was pianist Joey Calderazzo and saxophonist Branford Marsalis playing in the 300-seat NAC Studio.
It was unamplified, they had no idea what tune they were going to play next, several times one would start a tune and the other would be stumped for a few measures, and their friendship and musical kinship was felt by everyone in the crowd. It wasn’t the most enjoyable show I’ve seen here (Brian Blade’s Fellowship Band gets that distinction) but it was close, and it was the one that, for me, was the best definition of jazz…joyful, spontaneous, accessible, soulful, risky and just plain real.
That sounds like so much fun. Happy for you! Would be fun to see what shows you selected to see and your thoughts.
I figured Branford would be great (the one Marsalis I hate to miss), but couldn’t manage to catch that show. I’ll be kicking myself for a month if I miss Jack DeJohnette (with Rudresh!) tomorrow, and I’m trying my damnedest to work it out.
Regarding sound: Houle was not quite so lucky. The techs of Fourth Stage gave us not so much “sound-reinforcement” as “sound interference.” They even laid on some electronic reverb effects, and the P.A. levels were such that sound from loudspeakers dominated any direct sound from the players. As bad as a room like that is for acoustics, I’d rather take my chances on au naturel. I’m glad Jack will be in the good space tomorrow.