Academic Reportage

Experiential Reportage
The Rex Jazz & Blues Bar
April 9/07
Humber College Jazz Ensembles

What immediately confronted me at the Rex was a chops heavy trio from Humber College. I thought their intended style was in an electric jazz sort of vein analogous to modern groups such as Metalwood and Martin, Medeski and Wood. This type of style has roots in later Miles Davis music like Bitch’s Brew (1970) which utilizes electric instruments and funk influences. However, the guitar player’s rock style shredding was completely out of place in this groove heavy music in which his task was to improvise over repetitive bass lines that are constructed over simple harmonies. While chops were evident, musicality was not and the music was far too “in your face” for this venue. When the rest of the ensemble members – sax, percussion and keys – joined the rhythm section on stage, the guitar player settled down. Finally the prog rock-esque jams gave way to some ballads featuring soprano sax and some lighter textures. This gave my ears a much needed break.

This group was followed by the real group I came to see that a friend of mine sings in: Rick Lazar’s Latin Jazz Ensemble. What a fun group. The instrumentation includes three percussionists who alternate on drumset, congas, timbales and a slew of Brazilian percussion including surdos and caixa; piano, guitar, bass, trombone, sax and two vocalists. They played a range of repertoire that spans samba, rhumba and salsa feels. This was a welcome change from the second group because they really showed that improvisation is not about playing every lick you know. Even the timbale and conga solos were very well orchestrated. This is a testament to the fact that often, well orchestrated precise solos played with conviction go farther than solos that just bust some chops.

Personally, this group reminded me how much I enjoy Latin music. The energy and groove is something profound that I don’t feel in a lot of Western music. There’s something captivating about Latin rhythms. It’s very possible for me to sit and listen to a clave bell pattern for an entire seven minute song just because it sits so well in the groove. Another element of Latin music that attracts me is the incredible sense of push and pull within the ensemble. In the conga guaguaco pattern, for example, there is a strong sense of push and pull within the pattern itself. This cannot be mistaken for rushing, but a definite sense of where the pulse is gives the musician license to move around slightly within that structure of time.

Latin music is incredible in the sense of community it instills within the ensemble. As a percussionist, I sometimes feel my 3 triangle notes in an entire movement is not nearly as valuable as the soaring violin lines. But Latin music places extraordinary value on every percussive voice. In a Latin ensemble, everyone is responsible for the time. The singers all pick up guiros and maracas and become part of the groove texture, and not just a vocal element. The result is a sense of pulse – a sense of communal time – that is steadfast and unmoving.

Lastly, I’d like to contemplate music as a solitary listening act. By the time the Latin ensemble was on, I was alone. Of course this can be an intimidating feeling at a well known downtown jazz bar where people come to hang out and listen to music. But I found a spot in the corner at the bar, nestled behind two other people who were alone. I’ve always admired people who hangout in public places on a Friday night alone – just soaking in their surrounding or perhaps enjoying a good book or magazine. A Monday night is far from this Friday night mentality but I think our culture attaches a negative stigma to being alone. As such, it is natural that being alone in a public place can cause insecurity, but is it really such a bad thing? I enjoyed this performance more than a lot I have been to lately. And yes, I was alone. But there was something so engaging about the music that I didn’t feel alone. The call and response between the caixa and surdo players drew me in and made me feel involved in the musical process. I occupied myself by transcribing different bell and conga patterns I heard. Effectively, I didn’t feel alone but the music kept me company.