That’s me with tenor/soprano saxophonist Wayne Shorter, arguably the greatest American composer alive. We’re backstage at Carnegie Hall following the incredible Herbie Hancock concert last Friday, the JVC festival’s last blast. I was embarassed to pose for this, but my friend forced me. (Hey, if it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have gotten backstage at all.)
We also met Herbie, after standing in a receiving line for about 25 minutes. His patience with the crowd was remarkable.
Herbie performed in four different settings: trio with Ron Carter and Jack DeJohnette; quintet with Lionel Loueke, Lili Haydn, Matthew Garrison and Richie Barshay; piano duo with Gonzalo Rubalcaba; and quartet with Wayne Shorter, Dave Holland and Brian Blade. I sat high in the balcony — the perfect way to appreciate Blade’s four-dimensional approach to the drum kit. The sound is much better up there as well.
Interestingly, Brian Blade attended the Ralph Towner concert at Zankel Hall two nights earlier. “What a force!” he said afterward. There are certainly some Towneresque colors in the music of the Brian Blade Fellowship. (My Towner review is here. My other JVC Festival comments are here and here.)
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