"We all grew up here under Billy [Higgins]," acknowledged Cameron Graves from the piano bench of the World Stage. Of course, the Stage stood around the corner when the great drummer Higgins was alive (passed 2001). And Graves, now 41, grew in directions Higgins might not have foreseen, including teen vocals with Oingo Boingo and metal keyboards with Wicked Wisdom.
The crystal ball more likely would have predicted Graves' alignment with Stanley Clarke, or with fellow Stage alumni such as Kamasi Washington and West Coast Get Down -- WCGD included Washington and was represented onstage this evening by trombonist Ryan Porter.
Graves can pull so many different knives out of his boots that he's able to adapt his attack to individual venues. Although his most recent recordings have smoked with an aggressive, almost metallic heat, on this occasion he chose to retain the aggression -- in the form of high energy, a sleeveles skull "Revolt" hoodie, wrist cuffs, tattoos and an untamed ponytail bush -- while remaining within the bounds of what most would recognize as jazz. And Billy would recognize the smile.
The quartet had a scruffy street look and a ton of chops. They launched with Graves' "Isle of Love," a Latin power groover anchored by offbeat rhythms from drummer Tony Austin and electric bassist Max Gerl and graced with a brio 'bone solo from Porter.
Porter's street-hustling "Trust in God," riding Graves' Tynerish chordings, got a boost when Gerl switched to standup bass for a superquick and precise solo -- rarely will you see strings that thin on the double viol. Gerl's own "Rochelle's Sparrows" was an involving midtempo number that you couldn't count but somehow you could dance to; he had developed ocular rapport with Graves that helped them lock in with the challenging changes and slick unisons.
Graves closed with two of his own. "Kahuna Magic" told a tale of knightly conquest over Spanish plain and mountain, shifting continents and time signatures as the pianist engaged in rhythmic battles with Austin, and Gerl shredded his electric sword. "Satania Our Solar System" clipped like a railroad train; Austin cooked up a beatdown behind Graves' syncopations; Gerl popped strings, funked it greasy, hit on a buncha outside notes like the whole band was leaving town.
The three Graves tunes hailed from his 2017 album "Planetary Prince," which makes several references to the demonic lord of this world -- the power as it is, not as Graves wants it to be. Something told us he's on the side of the angels.