Two recent dates at the
San Francisco Jazz Festival (SFJAZZ) show that the jazz tradition continues to
thrive and change with the times. On October 10th, pianist Benny Green paid
a birthday tribute to the music of
Thelonious Monk with a concert called “Monk’s Dream: 50 Years Fresh.” He was
joined by the regular members of his trio, Peter Washington on bass and Kenny
Washington on drums, along with a guest saxophonist, the venerable Donald
Harrison.
They played tunes from the
aforementioned 1963 Monk album, Monk’s Dream, such as “Five Spot Blues,” “Bye-Ya,” and the
title tune, as well as other music from the master. Green, who looks
considerable younger than his 48 years, is a talented and engaging pianist,
bring bop and stride sensibilities to his playing. He has played with Art
Blakey’s Jazz Messengers and in Betty Carter’s band. All the band members
seemed to be thoroughly enjoying themselves while playing Monk’s music, and
they showed that his quirky music can be played afresh without falling into
mere imitation.
A week ago, October 23rd,
I saw a master in the flesh, guitarist Jim Hall, who is now 80 and still going
strong. Hall has been active on the jazz scene since the mid-1950s, playing
with the likes of Chico Hamilton, Jimmy Giuffre, Sony Rollins, Paul Desmond,
Bill Evans, Ella Fitzgerald, Ben Webster, Lee Konitz, and on and on. He has
recorded over 30 albums as a leader and almost as many as a sideman.
His current group includes
Greg Osby on saxophone, Steve LaSpina on bass, and Terry Clarke on drums, and
all contributed significantly to the evening of standards, originals, and
free-floating improvisations. Hall, sitting on a folding chair, sits hunched
over his Gibson - the guitar almost seems to have replaced the mid-section of
his body - and he shakes out baby powder on his fingers between songs. But he
still produces a beautiful, rounded sound from his guitar and seems to have
lost little in dexterity. Hall is a quiet presence on the stage but the music
he produces is magical.
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