Dawn Norfleet at the World Stage, March 12.
Rich in range, pitch control & snaky stage moves, Dawn Norfleet the singer was nevertheless surpassed by Norfleet the flutist. Rarely do you hear a musician so unindebted -- her flute rhythms sprang from the heart rather than the metronome, and though she showed off extended techniques of tongue flutter and multiphonics we've heard via Rahsaan Roland Kirk and Eric Dolphy, her expressions poured out with a truly distinctive femininity. Rollin' pianist Nick Smith, nimble electric bassist Ernest Tibbs and rambunctious drummer Marvin "Smitty" Smith cruised easilty from 6/8 Miles cool to quicktempo Chick Corea to Strayhorn balladry, interspersed with Norfleet's own poetic, Afro-swaying social commentary. Kind of makes you forget that Norfleet has a Ph.D from Columbia.
Black Nile at the World Stage, March 13.
Brothers Aaron and Lawrence Shaw are slipping the sensuality back into jazz. Plainly raised with their fingers on buttons, the frontmen of Black Nile consider electronic effects as essential as the physical caresses they impart to their tenor/flute and bass/guitar respectively. And what an ally they have in playful Brandon Coleman, whose keyboards reeked with every loop, echo and bend he could yank from them -- damn, he just about rocked his stand over. Did we mention that Black Nile GROOVES? Give proportional credit to young drummer Alex Smith, who swung naturally while looking like Mitch Mitchell and sounding like a way more laid-back version thereof. Flashes of Traffic-bump and Rufus-funk, and hey, dig that crazy African shirt on Aaron. Dim the lights.
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Watch these and other recent live performances from the World Stage here.