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Live Reviews
North Sea Jazz Festival, July 8-10, 2011
R.J. DeLuke
R.J. DeLuke is an indefatigable jazz fan and arbiter elegantiarum who aspires to ultimate hipness; also an upstate NY freelance writer for various media.John Scofield plays a different kind of guitar, with elements of blues and touches of rock, but jazz chops always finding their way in. He also has a unique sound, and it was in good form with the great Mulgrew Miller, Scott Colley and Bill Stewart. Miller fed well off Scofield's angular guitar work.
Kurt Elling started the day doing the vocalese stuff with Jon Hendricks and Al Jarreau, in front of the Metropole Orkest with Vince Mendoza. But he ended it in the wee small hours singing the material of Frank Sinatra with the Kluvers Big Band. He's the best male jazz singer on the scene, and the one who can best pull off Ol' Blue Eyes. He has the swagger, but with jazz chops Sinatra didn't have. "Luck Be a Lady Tonight" saw him turning phrases much differently. This was not imitation, it was Elling's spin. "April in Paris," like the version he's been doing for awhile, was adapted for big band, and remained scintillating.
Day Three
Jan Akkerman, another Dutch musician, plays a fusion type of guitar that touches jazz, pop and rock genres. He had a nice sound and played over a backbeat, using space and ethereal runs to evoke a certain mood. Eric Vloeimans joined him on trumpet, fitting nicely in the groove, adding a good horn sound circulating through and around the rhythms. He had more guests scheduled, but at another venue the Dutch big band Nationaal Jeudg Jazz Orkmest, conducted by Benjamin Herman, was cranking out some smart, swinging tunes.
This was a very young group of musicians, but they played sharply and swung like mad. "Spanish Rider" had a strong, robust tenor sax solo from Ben Rodenburg.
It was a pleasure to hear part of the set by Fay Claassen with the renowned WDR Big Band, which featured arrangements, and was conducted, by the talented Michael Abene. Claassen was in great voice, influences of Anita O'Day in her approach and the Dutch lady had the audience in the palm of her hand. She was a real jazz singer who swung the hell out of "Tea for Two" and showed a sultry side on "Love for Sale."
Veteran Barry Harris ended his set with an audience participation segment where people sang certain chords that went with his bluesy piano, backed by Ray Drummond and LeRoy Williams. As he played a bluesy vamp, Harris—who was on the scene with Charlie Parker, Dexter Gordon and Thelonious Monk—half-joked about North Sea not being a jazz fest because of all the rock music he heard during the day. Then he dipped into a version of Stevie Wonder's "Isn't She Lovely" that was a slick, hip jazz story, with Harris humming the melody as he deftly reconstructed it on piano.
Tom Harrell continues to play some of the most melodically imaginative trumpet around, and was in good form. Wayne Escoffery played more intensely, out of Rollins and Coltrane, and had a crisp, burnished sound. The difference works well and the band played a solid, noteworthy set.
Waiting for a Miles Davis Tribute Band made it necessary to miss people like Eddie Palmieri and Gary Burton. But a final dash, to see the wonderful Tineke Postma, was well worth it. She's been doing gigs in the U.S., but her European group, consisting of pianist Marc Van Roon, bassist Frans Van Der Hoeven and drummer Martijn Vink, played music from her new CD, The Dawn of Light (Challenge Records, 2011). They were sharp as a tack, completely in step with Postma's moves.
Her stories on sax were bright and expressive as she wove through her fine compositions, like the ballad "Before the snow," which was a highlight. Her playing could be serene or hot, and she's already found a strong voice within the combination of it all. There was strong group interplay throughout the set, decorated by the occasional individual statements.
Rotterdam can be justly proud of the North Sea Jazz festival and the way it puts on display so much of what jazz is and what it is becoming. Sure, there is a lot of outstanding music that a person just can't get to because of the sheer volume. But it's also impossible to go without seeing vital, interesting, important music. And fun music too.
Photo Credit
All Photos: Courtesy of North Sea Jazz
