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Witty Banter is One for the Books
Recent Articles March 21st. A day that I will always think of amazing album releases. DC-based musician, producer, and singer-songwriter, Rachel Levitin, released Witty Banter
March 23, 2024
by Michael J. West
Thursday, September 19
Saxophonist John Thomas plays both alto and tenor. On both, he brings forth a sound as hard as nails, with coarse contours and lines full of bluster and force that show he has mastered the concepts of both Bird and Trane. This may be why it seems out of left field when I say that I hear a deep vein of Lester Young in Thomas’ playing. We don’t think of Lester as a saxophonist of “bluster and force”; he’s associated with a light tenor tone and lyrical economy. But why can’t sheets of sound have their own kind of lyrical economy? As for the light tenor tone, no, Thomas doesn’t have it, but he does understand the muscle that lays underneath Pres’ tone and how one can subtly assert that muscle even when one seems to be throwing all kinds of brawn around. That, folks, is the mark of a sharp saxophonist. John Thomas performs at 6 p.m. at Hotel Indigo, 24 West Franklin Street. Free (but order something!)
Friday, September 20
As a clarinetist and erstwhile saxophonist, Paquito D’Rivera’s mentorship under the great trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie does not much extend to his instrument (which owes much more to D’Rivera’s Cuban heritage, having been born, living, and trained in Havana until he was 32 years old). Indeed, it might not even be fair to call Gillespie his mentor so much as a longtime friend and associate, though D’Rivera would talk happily to you about all the things he learned from the trumpeter. Either way, it’s hard to escape the conclusion that D’Rivera inherited Diz’s gregarious, clownish persona, the way you and I might inherit a departed friend’s furniture or tchotchkes. If you’ve seen D’Rivera perform, you know that each song introduction has an unsubtle joke thrown in, and even D’Rivera’s clarinet solos almost always have a laugh line. You’ll have a lot of fun in between sprightly, Latin-driven, deeply touching pieces of clarinet jazz. Paquito D’Rivera performs at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. at Keystone Korner, 1350 Lancaster Street. $30-$45
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Gary Thomas is one of the most underrated jazz musicians in the world. That is not exaggeration for effect. He is a musician of world caliber and importance. Thomas was one of the musicians who engineered the concept (or perhaps the school of concepts) that we know as M-Base. He was within the group of innovators that included Steve Coleman, Greg Osby, Geri Allen, and Robin Eubanks, and was as integral to establishing the harmonic and rhythmic matrix as any in the group. Some might even suggest more, a debate that needs to be had…though not here. Thomas also spent quite a lengthy tenure handing that information down to younger generations, as head of the jazz department at the Peabody Conservatory. Currently he heads a trio with bassist Blake Meister and drummer John Lamkin; this week they’ll also be joined by another seriously underrated cat, pianist David Kikoski. And they’ve timed things beautifully so that you can see Paquito do a set before you hit them up. The Gary Thomas Trio with David Kikoski performs at 8 and 9:30 p.m. at An die Musik, 409 North Charles Street. $10-25
Saturday, September 21
September 23 would have been John Coltrane’s 93rd birthday; he died at 40 in 1967. He has yet to be surpassed (or even really succeeded) as the dominant influence on tenor saxophonists in jazz. You don’t have to play free, or modal, or even spiritual jazz to hear his profound influence on the way the instrument is conceived and played. Just ask Tim Warfield. The York, Pennsylvania native and resident is a resolutely straight-ahead player—not that he doesn’t experiment, but he likes his jazz with soul and bebop. That’s a good thing. Warfield, in fact, is one of the music’s finest utility players, a reliable and smart-thinking sideman who is also a hell of a smokin’ leader. And he, too, has assimilated the language and innovations of Trane, processed them and tucked them into his own musical readout. Which makes for an interesting tribute to the saxophone titan, with Warfield leading a classic quartet of his own (featuring pianist Lawrence Fields, bassist Ameen Saleem, and drummer John Lamkin III). They play at 6 and 8 p.m. at Caton Castle, 20 South Caton Avenue. $25-$30
Michael J. West is a freelance writer, editor, and jazz journalist who has been covering the Washington, D.C. jazz scene since 2009. He spends most days either hunkered down in the clubs or in his very big headphones. He lives in Washington with his wife and two children.
Recent Articles March 21st. A day that I will always think of amazing album releases. DC-based musician, producer, and singer-songwriter, Rachel Levitin, released Witty Banter
Alchemical Records is a Washington, D.C. based music publication. We cover the Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Richmond, VA metro area music scenes, including band interviews, articles about your favorite musicians, new music and concert dates.
