 |
 |
|
 |
||
| CONCERT REVIEW
THE RICHARD BONA GROUP AND THE ZAWINUL SYNDICATE, PALACE OF FINE ARTS THEATRE, SAN FRANCISCO, MAY 6 AND 7, 2000 SATURDAY, MAY 6 The theme of the third weekend of the SF Jazz Spring Season was World Fusion. On Friday drummer Steve Smith hosted "Fusion on Film." Saturday evening the Richard Bona Group and the Zawinul Syndicate performed before a sold out audience at the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre, and on Sunday the Syndicate returned for an afternoon family matinee. The Richard Bona Group led off the Friday evening show with an appealing brand of pop-jazz, emphasizing Bona's compositions and vocals from his album "Scenes From My Life." The sextet featured Bona, Jonathon Joseph on drums, Aaron Heick on saxophones, Etienne Stadwijk on keyboards, J.C. Doo Kingue on guitar, and Urbano Sanchez on percussion. The performances were similar to those on his album, but with more room for solos. Some tunes evolved into rollicking forays with energetic solos from Heick, Stadwijk and Kingue. Bona's vocals were featured on virtually every tune, and he anchored the rhythm section with his Jaco-esque bass playing on fretted and fretless basses. He opened the set by himself, playing a beautiful tune sung in his native tongue--a performance that I can best describe as a solo duet, as he accompanied his vocals on the bass. It was masterful. This was the first time I have seen Bona in person. He certainly does not flaunt his virtuosity on the bass, but at one point he put on a dazzling minute or two solo that was nothing short of amazing. It was as if to remind the audience that he can pull out his unsurpassed chops whenever he needs them. He is capable of playing as fast as anyone, and when he does, he doesn't lose articulation or musicality (is that a word?), or anything else for that matter. But beyond that, the thing that struck me about Bona's bass playing is how effortless and graceful he makes it look. Impressive. Following a brief intermission the Zawinul Syndicate took the stage. This was their second performance with the current lineup of Zawinul, Manolo Badrena, Victor Bailey, and newcomers Amit Chatterjee on guitar and Nathaniel Townsley III on drums. First off, let's just say Townsley's got the stuff. He's the most satisfying Zawinul drummer since the great Paco Sery. At times his playing struck me as a bit restrained, but I'm sure that's because he's still getting his feet wet with the band. "On the job training," as Zawinul told the audience. In any event, he's a great fit for the band, and will only get better. Second performance or not, the band played at the usual breakneck tempos we've come to expect from the Syndicate. The band was tight, especially considering the personnel changes. I had hoped to hear some new compositions, but the tunes were the same ones Zawinul has used in concert over the past few years, with some new wrinkles. For instance, "Indiscretions" evolved into a quote from "Black Market," from the Weather Report album of the same name. Amit Chatterjee has played with Zawinul before, on the albums My People and Stories of the Danube. I don't know if he's toured with Zawinul, but I do remember the band had an Indian guitarist at one point back in the post-Scott Henderson/pre-Gary Poulson days. While Chatterjee brings new elements to the band--in particular his vocalizing and an occasional guitar solo--I think the band misses Gary Poulson. Poulson was a master at the groove. He locked onto it and wouldn't let go. Of course, Poulson honed his role in the band over several years of touring, while Chatterjee's just getting started. The performance was marred by various sound and equipment problems. (How does Zawinul keep track of all those foot pedals?) The sound mix seemed to be a problem all night, and it was hard to hear Bailey's bass playing. I'm not sure what the problem was, but his sound was muddy. Even on his showcase tune, "Do You Know/Continuum," his bass was hard to hear, especially when Zawinul moved in to accompany him with his signature vocal/bell sound. Zawinul's vocorder never seemed to work properly Saturday night, and there was much motioning to the sound crew throughout the evening. At one point he tried to play his M1 and nothing came out. He spent the next few moments poking at cables and buttons until, voila, it started working again. Some of his touring equipment is ancient by synthesizer standards. Several of his instruments have been out of production for years--in some cases more than a decade. It wouldn't be surprising that the keyboards are showing some wear and tear. To sum it up, it was great hearing the the master once again, especially those fluid runs up and down the keyboard. A musician friend remarked that he doesn't think he's every heard Zawinul flub a note, no matter how fast he's playing or what he's playing. And it was interesting to hear the latest version of the Syndicate. But having seen the band several times over the past few years, it wasn't my favorite performance. The Palace of Fine Arts Theatre is a relatively large venue, and to me, the Syndicate is best heard in a club setting. Those of us in the San Francisco Bay Area are spoiled by two excellent jazz clubs where the Syndicate usually performs: Yoshi's in Oakland and the Kuumbwa Jazz Center in Santa Cruz. I look forward to seeing the band at both clubs on their next visit to the Bay Area, especially to hear Townsley after he's got some touring under his belt. Zawinul Syndicate Play List (courtesy Andy Forward):
SUNDAY, MAY 7 The Zawinul Syndicate seemed a strange choice for a Sunday matinee aimed at families put on by the San Francisco Jazz Festival. As much as I love Joe Zawinul, I don't consider his music accessible enough for a family gathering. Nevertheless, there were a few family groups in evidence. Not the full house of the night before but a good showing for a rainy Sunday afternoon. What would have made for a fascinating show from a "family" point of view would have been if Joe had talked about his music, demonstrated the sounds his keyboards made, and basically gave an educational display. Instead what we got was an abridged version of the previous night's show. Most of us who love Joe's work know how hard it is to get other people into it, and judging by the comments I heard after the show, I don't think he won any new junior fans. The one concession to the matinee idea was a brief question and answer session at the end of the show. They managed to find three youngsters (some briefly coached by their parents) to ask Joe such questions as, "How old were you when you started to play piano?" (nine); "What is your favorite song?" ("Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," sung by Ray Charles--possibly not a serious answer); and "Do you play drums?" which bought a great answer from Joe that yes, he did, but there is rhythm in everything--sports, music, etc., and without rhythm you have nothing. As to the actual Zawinul Syndicate performance, it was great of course. They sounded more together than they did the night before, and weren't plagued with sound problems, which obviously helped. Although playing the same set, the performances were significantly different in small ways. You can never be sure where Joe will take any tune and neither can the band members judging by the eagle eyes they keep on Joe through most of the set. I only wish the show had been longer so I could have heard more of Amit Chaterjee's guitar and vocal work. I agree with Curt that Amit is not yet the rhythmic anchor that Gary Poulson had become but he's not far off either. Nathaniel Townsley plays as if he's been in the band for months not just weeks, and while Manola Bedrena's behavior seemed a little less flamboyant than usual, his playing was as good as ever. Victor Bailey's bass sound was still a little muddy, which I suspect was a problem with the general acoustics of the venue. Having seen the Zawinul Syndicate the past four times they have been in the San Francisco Bay Area, I wouldn't rank this as one of my favorite shows either. I too was disappointed by the lack of new material and the Syndicate really does shine in the immediacy of small club venues rather than auditoriums. Would I recommend you see them if they are heading your way? Of course I would. If they came back here next month I'd see them again. I have to admire Joe for still touring at age 67, and he shows no signs of slowing down. What saddens me is that he is still the best electronic keyboard player around. Maybe I'm out of touch, but if anyone knows of anyone who plays with as much soul, expression and energy as Joe Zawinul still does, I'd like to hear about them. [Curt suggests checking out Scott Kinsey on the Tribal Tech album "Thick," or the Gary Willis albums "Bent" or "No Sweat."] Play List:
|
||
