Tomeka Reid Quartet w/ Tomas Fujiwara’s 7 Poets Trio 2/25/24 Real Artways

 Afternoon show at RAW started with drummer Tomas Fujiwara and his 7 Poets Trio. The music was pulled from their recent release Pith. The set started with Tomas dedicating the first tune to Marcus Smart. “Does anyone know who Marcus Smart is?” The Sunday afternoon grizzled Jazz intelligentsia was stumped. Did he invent the B-flat baritone clarinet? Did he perform with his Sackbutt trio in some industrial drainage piping? Ex-Celtic I exclaim, which got a drumstick acknowledgement from Tomas. Joined onstage by vibraphonist Patricia Brennan and Tomeka Reid on cello. The music swung wildly from contemporary classical to straight up jazz workouts. Tomas is a master of restraint using a bevy of brushes, metal and fibrous, giving subtle tones. Reid is also versatile. The jazz cello is welcome to my ears. The ability to go low or high, plucked, scraped or bowed can offer a wide palette to explore. The vibes brought the chaos. The signature quad mallet approach affords the most sound. Two mallets in each hand, with their business ends situated at 10 and 2 brought the sound to the foreground. Brennan’s furious striking caused the plates to jump around in their housing. Fujiwara must be a big hoop fan, as his other group is called the Triple Double.

The second group had Reid and Fujiwara joined by guitarist Mary Halvorson and standup bassist Jason Roebke. The music came from Reid’s forthcoming 3+3 release. Halvorson has been positively reviewed in this blog, her forward thinking runs and squalls  give critical acclaim to any group she inhabits. The interplay between Mary and Tomeka was great. They looked like two teens trying to one-up each other at a sleepover. I’ve dinged Halvorsen for her outdated wardrobe and nerdiness, but years of touring Europe seems to have afforded her an extreme makeover. She looked less like despised 70s babysitter and more like Dutch hepcat that could help you ace your brain surgery final exam. I had a weird angle on Roebke, he had slicked back hair and Clark Kent glasses. He treated the bass as percussion and was a great foil to Reid’s output. The room was full and cramped but it did not dampen an enjoyable afternoon of improvised jazz.

Linda May Han Oh 2/2/24 Sprague Hall Yale

 Its’s all about the bass says MeghanTrainor. Similarly, Yale’s Ellington Jazz Series seems to favor the low end. I have seen titans of bass Ron Carter and Dave Holland for these events, so it’s only fitting to view young lioness LMHO. Malaysian born, Perth raised Oh, came at the bass through classical training. She won a 2023 Grammy for participating on Terri Lynne Carrington’s album New Standards Vol. 1. She is joined onstage by Greg Ward on sax, Mark Whitfield Jr. on drums, Fabian Almazan on piano and effects, and Sara Serpa on voice. The concert was based on her recent release The Glass Hours, a collection of works that focused on “ abstract themes of the fragility of time and life”. Ward blew feverish runs, often in unison with Serpa and Oh on wordless vocals. The titles and explanations were zen-like, Circles, Antiquity, The Glass Hours, The Imperative, Phosphorus, Respite were all expertly delivered. Oh toggled between standup and electric bass with flashes of funk, drone, and modern composition. Whitfield Jr. was lithe and reminded me of Calvin Weston behind the kit. He looked as if he was on the verge of cracking up, like he had a Jerry Seinfeld on the Bluetooth. Almazan seems to be Oh’s partner as one tune was written for their three year old. He reveled in playing the Sprague Steinway which stretches for two city blocks. The addition of Serpa added a unique sound with some poetic passages, her Portuguese accent shining through. Gracious to be included in this historic series, Oh will be on the forefront of jazz for years to come.