From the July 2013 issue of The New York City Jazz Record.
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In the best sense of the term, vocalist Gregory Porter is a crowd-pleaser. His performance at SubCulture (June 10th) was like a neighborhood event, brimming with audience goodwill and easy banter, the mood no doubt enhanced by Porter’s recent signing to Blue Note. There were songs, or “new friends” as Porter called them, from the singer’s Blue Note debut Liquid Spirit, forthcoming in September. But Porter also lavished attention on “old friends,” or songs from his two Motéma releases, Water and Be Good. Porter’s original writing is soul-drenched, even pop-like in its airtight pacing and accessibility. “On My Way to Harlem,” with its double-time Motownish feel, and “Painted on Canvas,” the gently soaring opener, are songs one can fall in love with repeatedly. The lyrics are unexpected, the solo spots concise but weighty enough to prod altoist Yosuke Sato, tenorist Tivon Pennicott and trumpeter Curtis Taylor to virtuosic flights and fiery exchanges. All the elements are in place: Porter’s unerring pitch and dynamic control; the simpatico feel and solid tempos of bassist Aaron James and drummer Emanuel Harrold; the top-tier accompanist and soloing chops of music director Chip Crawford. The “new friends” at SubCulture were a promising bunch: “No Love Dying,” slower but dramatic, came before the driving, handclapping gospel of “Liquid Spirit,” the stark piano-vocal duo “Wolfcry” and later the Curtis Mayfield-like “Musical Genocide,” a title that might spark some comment when the album drops. (David R. Adler)
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For the first time since 1994, the original members of Lost Tribe gathered to play. It was the third event in a Reunion Series at ShapeShifter Lab (June 7th) — previous nights have featured the outstanding Spanish Fly and much-admired bands led by Ben Perowsky, Chris Speed and David Tronzo. Of Lost Tribe’s two sets, the first was thunderous and tight, opening with the ominous descending chords and conquering beat of “Dick Tracy” — one of four tunes by the group’s alto saxophonist, David Binney. Guitarists Adam Rogers and David Gilmore, on dueling Stratocasters, brought shimmering clarity and roaring overdrive to this funky but harmonically involved music, eschewing the more dated sonic elements of the band’s early ’90s recordings. (Gilmore played a Gibson 335 on the Rogers-penned “Rhinoceros.”) Perowsky, on drums, had unabashed fun with the metal/hardcore assault of “T.A. the W.” and the fluid contrapuntal design of “Mofungo” — a tune that may have presaged some of Chris Potter’s writing for Underground (also featuring Rogers). Fima Ephron’s electric bass intro on “Room of Life” added yet another dimension, a slower and more introspective feel. It’s not wrong to call Lost Tribe a fusion band, but there was always something else afoot, a quality of compositional craft and expression that couldn’t be reduced to that much-maligned f-word. Today their leaner, more evolved sound speaks well of the growth they’ve all experienced since the band broke up. (DA)
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