Composer, arranger, pianist and bandleader Scott Gwinnell will perform with his 10-piece group tonight at Jazz Café at Music Hall. / Scott Gwinnell
By Mark Stryker
Now here's a great idea: Inventive Detroit pianist,
composer and arranger Scott Gwinnell has been digging deep into music by Herbie
Hancock and will premiere his new arrangements with his 10-piece group tonight
at the Jazz Café at Music Hall.
Hancock's landmark compositions like
"Maiden Voyage," "Dolphin Dance" and "Tell Me a
Bedtime Story" feature strong, singable melodies married to evocative
harmony. Others like "Riot," "The Eye of the Hurricane" and
"Actual Proof" are beguiling, zephyr-like structures. And still
others such as "Watermelon Man," "Driftin' " and
"Chameleon" are bluesy, populist-scented songs in idioms ranging from
hard bop to fusion.
But all of Hancock's compositions offer
rich opportunities for improvisation. Their distinctive formal elements anchor
the soloist in a specific sound world and mood yet offer enough interpretive
latitude that they promote risk-taking and adventure. Those same qualities make
Hancock's music equally rewarding for an imaginative arranger like Gwinnell.
The docket includes music from all
periods of Hancock's career. Gwinnell's group, stocked with top local players,
suggests a middle ground between a small ensemble and a full-fledged big band.
8:30 tonight, Jazz Café, Music Hall
Center for the Performing Arts, 350 Madison Ave., Detroit. 313-887-8500. www.jazzcafedetroit.com. $3.
The Ann Arbor-based Paul Keller
Orchestra celebrates its 23rd anniversary this
weekend. Leaving a few weeks aside every year for vacations and acts of God,
that's about 1,000 weekly gigs. Keeping a big band up and running is part labor
of love, part miracle, part stubbornness and part lunacy. But Keller -- a
virtuoso bassist, creative composer-arranger and indefatigable spirit -- has
managed to keep his 15-piece band swinging in a Basie way since 1989.
This celebration also represents the
group's one-year anniversary at its current home, the Zal Gaz Grotto. Sets at
8:30 and 10 p.m. Friday, 2070 W. Stadium Blvd., Ann Arbor. 734-663-1202. www.zalgaz.org. $10. - http://www.freep.com/article/20120112/COL17/201120317
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