Quick props to alto saxophonist Bobby Selvaggio, who came through Philly on Wednesday, August 22 in support of his new Playscape CD Unspoken Dialogue. The album features major players like Kenny Werner and Ben Street, none of whom were on hand at Chris’s Jazz Cafe. But the quintet was quite capable — particularly the trumpeter Paul Tynan, whose time feel and melodic control really couldn’t be more solid. Mostly originals in a modern vein, plus an offbeat bolero take on “Alone Together.”
Yesterday I made a quick trip to New York for day one of the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival, in Harlem’s Marcus Garvey Park. Headliner Abbey Lincoln, 77 and not in the very best of health, bowed out thanks to the heat and humidity. Cassandra Wilson performed in her stead, accompanied by Lincoln’s band — the young Juilliard student Jonathan Baptiste, on piano, was outstanding. Marcus Gilmore sat in for drummer Jaz Sawyer on the second half of the set (you’ll rarely hear Marcus play bebop, but that’s the way to appreciate how much his ride cymbal touch owes to his grandfather Roy Haynes). Altoist Steve Coleman and trumpeter Roy Hargrove, two starkly different musical personalities, could be heard battling it out on “Ornithology.” Serviceable rundowns of “Caravan” and “Now’s the Time,” a rich and slow-paced “Up Jumped Spring,” but Abbey was missed.
Vocalist Lezlie Harrison played with the surefooted guitarist Saul Rubin and organist Kyle Koehler, plus special guest Roy Hargrove in fine form. Pianist Marc Cary led his trio, one of today’s best, with the vibrant Sameer Gupta on drums and tabla. Drum legend Chico Hamilton, who turns 86 next month, was a bit labored in speech, but funny: “I’d like you meet him, him, him, him and him,” he said, pointing out the members of his band Euphoria. “Tomorrow being Sunday, we’ve got five hymns.” The band played well despite time constraints, premiering a new and fairly intricate suite titled “Charlie Parker,” with contrapuntal rubato themes and multiple shifting tempos.
Later that the evening at the Vanguard, trumpeter John McNeil and tenor saxist Bill McHenry co-led their quartet with Joe Martin on bass and Jochen Rueckert on drums — certainly on my list of top small groups of the year. They played seldom-heard gems by Russ Freeman and Tommy Flanagan, plus an entirely lost, unrecorded burner by Dizzy Gillespie called “Caprice.” Loose vibe, slick and scaled-down arrangements, diamond-hard swing, incredibly subtle contouring from Rueckert’s kit. McNeil is nearing 60; it’s great to see him getting his due in a major club.
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