A LOOK BACK A THE 31ST DETROIT JAZZ FEST

This was the Detroit International Jazz Festival‘s most diverse year. People heard hard bop, avant garde, Latin jazz and smooth jazz. The festival had a few performances that were weak. Take 6 with the Mulgrew Miller Trio was flat. The a cappella sextet performed some compositions trumpeter Miles Davis put his stamp on. The sextet strayed too far away from its gospel roots. They tried humming and scatting the melody to “Seven Steps to Heaven” and “Flamenco Sketches.” On the latter, one member even tried to emulate how Davis’ muted trumpet used to sound. At best, their scatting was amateurish. The highly anticipated piano duet with Kenny Barron and Mulgrew Miller was uninteresting. They had similar styles — too similar.  The soul dance band Tower of Power was the best non-jazz act. Saturday was packed with memorable performances. Saxophonist Salim Washington & the Harlem Arts Ensemble was the most eclectic. The Tia Fuller Quartet and the Terence Blanchard Quintet put on memorable shows. The Maria Schneider Orchestra was the front-runner for the festival’s best performance. Schneider’s compositions were deep, complex and comparable to Gil Evans. Her orchestra brimmed with some damn fine soloists such as saxophonists Donny McCaslin and Steve Wilson.  Trio M‘s performance was hot as well; the trio’s Myra Melford played the piano with her hands, forearm and elbow. Legendary jazz drummer Roy Haynes played a hit set. As a sideman, Haynes is known for taking long solos. With his Fountain of Youth Band, the drummer’s solos were short and lively. His pianist, Martin Bejerano, took a few long improvisational excursions. The guy knows a thing or two about swinging. Haynes is up there in age (85). He never micro-managed the workload of his young bandmates. Haynes was in the mix from start to finish, matching their prowess.  The Branford Marsalis set was enjoyable.  The great Eric Revis has been the saxophonist’s go-to-man for years on bass. Marsalis gave Revis a coffee break and invited  Christian McBride and later Bob Hurst to play a tune each. Marsalis has replaced his running buddy Jeff “Tain” Watts with Justin Faulkner. Watts, an acrobatic drummer, may seem irreplaceable, but Faulkner,  is a promising young drummer, not yet 20. He has been rolling with Marsalis for nearly a year. Obviously, he listened to Elvin Jones and Tony Williams records, and memorized their licks. The downside of attending the Detroit jazz fest is you have to make hard choices. Do you catch the Allen Toussaint set, or the Manhattan Transfer? Or do you try to experience some of both?

Trio M's Myra Melford: Free-wheeling, improvisational joy. (Photo: W. Kim Heron)

Allen Toussaint: Seems there was almost always somebody singing along. (Photo: W. Kim Heron)