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.