Mayfield, Mingus Honored on Second Night of Chicago Jazz Fest

Daily News HeadlinesPosted 9/6/2009Bassist William Parker has taken on considerable risks before, but perhaps none so daring as dramatically reinterpreting Chicago-native Curtis Mayfield’s work in the city where he may be the most revered. His “Inside Songs of Curtis Mayfield” project on the second night of the Chicago Jazz Festival turned into a major triumph.
Parker, who has never taken the easy way out of anything, refused to merely play Mayfield’s memorable songs, with the usual theme-variation solos. Rather, he and his group took and sometimes recombined, the familiar melodies, transposing them, or including Amiri Baraka’s new poems on top of singer Leena Conquest’s performance of Mayfield’s lyrics.

The results were moving, and, often, a lot of fun. Unexpected emotional turns were infused with Conquest and Baraka’s stunning melding of the different moods in melding together “The Makings Of You” (a ballad) and “Keep On Pushing” (an inspiration hymn) with “We The People Who Are Darker Than Blue” (a warning). “People Get Ready” turned upbeat with a faster tempo, even with (or, perhaps, because of) Baraka’s warning that “there’s a storm coming.” While in the past, Baraka’s been known for his ill-tempered rants, here all of his extemporaneous, and mostly positive, shouts served the music itself. Particularly as he paid tribute to past struggles, and past musical masters (including Sun Ra and Son House) on “It’s All Right.” Saxophonists Darryl Foster and Sabir Mateen, along with trumpeter Lewis Barnes, sounded seeped in what makes blues and r&b brass sections click so well with a mass audience. Parker, pianist Dave Burrell and drummer Hamid Drake locked in the funk, particularly on “Freddie’s Dead.” It doesn’t hurt that Drake himself has spent so many years in Chicago, surrounded by Mayfield’s sounds right from the source.

Along with the tribute to Mayfield, Dave Holland’s big band honored Charles Mingus with the group’s “Blues For C.M.” to close the night. Holland’s large group is filled with such accomplished jazz stars as saxophonist Chris Potter, who unveiled strong solos towards the end of the set. But it was vibraphonist Steve Nelson, along with Holland himself, whose passages indicated that this large band can easily spin deftly in any direction.
Veteran Chicago saxophonist Fred Anderson started the night with his trio, which included Drake and bassist Josh Abrams. Having just turned 80, his set proved why he continues to be such an inspiration to so many younger players, especially the ones coming up from this city.
Aaron Cohen
http://www.downbeat.com/default.asp?sect=news&subsect=news_detail&nid=1440