Paquito D'Rivera Makes The San Francisco Scene At Yoshi's Jazz Club, With Singer Roberta Gambarini.
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| Multi-instrumentalist Paquito D'Rivera |
The Friday evening concert attracted a full house, (the weather was spectacular). The band opened with an instrumental uptempo burner to warm the room, and to prepare the scene for Gambarini's entrance; and enter she did, beaming in an elegant, off-the-hook, strapless, black evening dress; 'silky-smooth' on the eyes, perfectly poised anatomically for her opening offering; Benny Carter's (When Lights Are Low) backed with stellar alto work from Justin Robinson. Robinson has warp speed, agility, and precision over the alto's full register. But when he wraps his horn around a melody, as he did on Carter's most popular song, there are not many modern alto players that come close to his dexterity, interpretive acumen, and flow. He and Gambarini concocted a potent mix of intimidating sex appeal, and raw, unbridled, muscular blowin'.
Gambarini introduced Paquito D'Rivera to an appreciative audience with an air approaching reverence. She, singing in Portuguese, and the eleven-time GRAMMY winner then took off on Antonio Carlos Jobim's bossa nova precursor (Chega de Saudade/No More Blues), like two active kids enjoying the warmth of summer, frolicking on a beach at Ipanema. D'Rivera's impressive facility on his horn was immediate, and showered the room in warm, exotic color, as he and Gambarini traded phrases the way front line horn players trade 'fours.' Everyone now understood why Gambarini called D'Rivera 'the maestro.' He embraces the 'melody,' does not play his reed or horns loudly, and his pacing is faultless. With these simple, but telling effects in place, Gambarini capitalized on a deeper, more assorted palette of colors to explore, which she exploited magnificently during the remainder of the evening.
Gambarini did not have to take the emotional temperature of the room before introducing her next selection (Oblivion/J'oublie), written by Astor Piazzolla. But she did pique their interests by uttering the key words "love" and "Paris." Two magical words that anticipate images of hedonistic adventure and romance, although, in this case, the anticipation eventuated into a realization of 'love lost in Paris,' flawlessly described by Gambarini in the language of romance and love: French. " (...mon bateau part, s'en va, quelque part/les gens se separent, j'oublie, j'oublie/ A boat leaves, goes away/People are parting, I forget, I forget). D'Rivera's clarinet highlighted the emotional theme of the song, against an aching, cimmerian background of despondency emerging from the measured chords of Fortner's piano, Ameen's bass, and Phillips' purposeful drum beat; offering a collaborative representation of the versatility of the ensemble.
Oblivion's immediate legacy was a mood of heightened expectation and palpable anticipation which quickly dissipated once D'Rivera announced the next tune, the very exciting (Song For Mauda), the title track from his 2014 GRAMMY award-winning CD for Best Latin Jazz Album, which he played on alto in uptempo Latin/Caribbean style, and is a dedication to his mother's memory, an invitation to dance, that set the stage for a deep musical bow to Dizzy Gillespie, an important backer for D'Rivera when he first arrived in New York from Cuba. The tune (A Night In Inglewood), a slow bossa nova, bore a close rhythmic resemblance to Dizzy's "Night In Tunisia" with sumptuous scatterings of "Salt Peanuts" for added flavor, displaying infectious humor throughout.
Next, D'Rivera took the quartet, Gambarini, and the audience on a colorful and emotional tour of his Latin jazz soul, playing beautifully and articulately, intricately retracing musical paths imprinted with the classic work of the masters with images and quotes from Moises Simon's Cuban "street seller's cry" (El Manicero/Peanut Vendor), or Zequinha de Abreu's (Tico Tico). Again D'Rivera's approach was quiet, Clear. His images, parries and riffs emerging gracefully from the register of the alto, as his fingers danced over the keys in a lover's caress. Delicate. Keen. Fluid. A 'maestro' describing an enduring musical culture, as only a maestro is able.
Gambarini and the quartet released the room from its sweet reverie, with Harry "Sweets" Edison & Jon Hendricks' swinging (Centerpiece), but the die was cast...it could not possibly get any better during the remainder of the show...not even with another go 'round of (On The Sunny Side of The Street).
Roberta Gambarini and Paquito D'Rivera both possess very open personalities that exude confidence, and genuine camaraderie, qualities that draw audiences in, establishing trust and keen anticipation. Their serendipitous appearance on stage together at Yoshi's Jazz Club, San Francisco transcended the stimulating power of 'the jazz concert.' It made itself into an event that committed music lovers should not have missed.
Gambarini introduced Paquito D'Rivera to an appreciative audience with an air approaching reverence. She, singing in Portuguese, and the eleven-time GRAMMY winner then took off on Antonio Carlos Jobim's bossa nova precursor (Chega de Saudade/No More Blues), like two active kids enjoying the warmth of summer, frolicking on a beach at Ipanema. D'Rivera's impressive facility on his horn was immediate, and showered the room in warm, exotic color, as he and Gambarini traded phrases the way front line horn players trade 'fours.' Everyone now understood why Gambarini called D'Rivera 'the maestro.' He embraces the 'melody,' does not play his reed or horns loudly, and his pacing is faultless. With these simple, but telling effects in place, Gambarini capitalized on a deeper, more assorted palette of colors to explore, which she exploited magnificently during the remainder of the evening.
Gambarini did not have to take the emotional temperature of the room before introducing her next selection (Oblivion/J'oublie), written by Astor Piazzolla. But she did pique their interests by uttering the key words "love" and "Paris." Two magical words that anticipate images of hedonistic adventure and romance, although, in this case, the anticipation eventuated into a realization of 'love lost in Paris,' flawlessly described by Gambarini in the language of romance and love: French. " (...mon bateau part, s'en va, quelque part/les gens se separent, j'oublie, j'oublie/ A boat leaves, goes away/People are parting, I forget, I forget). D'Rivera's clarinet highlighted the emotional theme of the song, against an aching, cimmerian background of despondency emerging from the measured chords of Fortner's piano, Ameen's bass, and Phillips' purposeful drum beat; offering a collaborative representation of the versatility of the ensemble.
Oblivion's immediate legacy was a mood of heightened expectation and palpable anticipation which quickly dissipated once D'Rivera announced the next tune, the very exciting (Song For Mauda), the title track from his 2014 GRAMMY award-winning CD for Best Latin Jazz Album, which he played on alto in uptempo Latin/Caribbean style, and is a dedication to his mother's memory, an invitation to dance, that set the stage for a deep musical bow to Dizzy Gillespie, an important backer for D'Rivera when he first arrived in New York from Cuba. The tune (A Night In Inglewood), a slow bossa nova, bore a close rhythmic resemblance to Dizzy's "Night In Tunisia" with sumptuous scatterings of "Salt Peanuts" for added flavor, displaying infectious humor throughout.
Next, D'Rivera took the quartet, Gambarini, and the audience on a colorful and emotional tour of his Latin jazz soul, playing beautifully and articulately, intricately retracing musical paths imprinted with the classic work of the masters with images and quotes from Moises Simon's Cuban "street seller's cry" (El Manicero/Peanut Vendor), or Zequinha de Abreu's (Tico Tico). Again D'Rivera's approach was quiet, Clear. His images, parries and riffs emerging gracefully from the register of the alto, as his fingers danced over the keys in a lover's caress. Delicate. Keen. Fluid. A 'maestro' describing an enduring musical culture, as only a maestro is able.
Gambarini and the quartet released the room from its sweet reverie, with Harry "Sweets" Edison & Jon Hendricks' swinging (Centerpiece), but the die was cast...it could not possibly get any better during the remainder of the show...not even with another go 'round of (On The Sunny Side of The Street).
Roberta Gambarini and Paquito D'Rivera both possess very open personalities that exude confidence, and genuine camaraderie, qualities that draw audiences in, establishing trust and keen anticipation. Their serendipitous appearance on stage together at Yoshi's Jazz Club, San Francisco transcended the stimulating power of 'the jazz concert.' It made itself into an event that committed music lovers should not have missed.
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