« May 2010 | Main | July 2010 »
Photo courtesy of Peter Gannushkin / DOWNTOWNMUSIC.NET
Hey, look what I forgot to mention: NPR’s All Things Considered ran a brief Henry Threadgill profile last week. I’m in there mouthing off about his approach to form. Tom Vitale wrote the segment, which I should have plugged sooner. Then again, this is a story pegged to an album released last year, so tardiness may not be a cardinal sin here.
Friday night’s Maxwell show was a stunner -- one of the savvier pop productions I’ve ever seen at the Garden, and a strong argument for his recent emergence as an R&B great, an heir to the legacy of Green and Gaye. I think I’ve conveyed my enthusiasm in the official review, but one thing had to be mentioned only in passing: the heavy jazz contingent in his band, and the ways in which it elevated the music.
You may have heard that keyboardist Robert Glasper and drummer Chris Dave are key members of Maxwell’s entourage. So is bassist Derrick Hodge. The horn section includes Keyon Harrold on trumpet and Kenneth Whalum III on tenor saxophone, along with Saunders Sermons on trombone. These are all jazzmen, and their training comes across clearly, even if Maxwell’s production doesn’t leave much room for solos (it doesn’t) and he isn’t remotely a jazz singer (he isn’t).
What am I talking about? This is what I’m talking about:
This clip of “Bad Habits” dates from an earlier point on the tour continuum -- I didn’t want to subject you to shaky smartphone footage -- but still conveys the atmosphere of the band. A skeptic could say that this merely represents a good gig for some overqualified cats. Of course, that skeptic would be an idiot.
