Rosenboom: an L.A. pillar with a new all-star band and a new record. McCabe: on the scene for a few years but some hadn't heard her. A mini-festival of sorts.
Nicole McCabe sure blew a gale on alto, as if she would never run out of breath or precisely articulated ideas. Able to spin out anything from ballads to funk, here she rather chose a trio format to concentrate on a cross between bebop and Ornette-style free spieling that flowed and flowed to keep listeners' ears pricked up. Not that it was entirely abstract; the improvisations sprang from her own composed melodies and structures, but gave the attractive impression of being tossed off. Logan Kane's aggressive bass and Anthony Fung's rolling, punching drums kept the interactivity level high. Catch McCabe when you can; she plays a lot.
Rosenboom's quintet executed pretty much his entire "Polarity" album on its release day, demonstrating why the trumpeter is so stoked about this band and the variety of colors it can splash around. "The Age of Snakes" eased us into a long, slow nod of a groove that set us up for anything, whether the roiling edginess of "A Paper Tiger" or the meditative gratitude of "On Summoning the Will," a tribute to the triumph of Rosenboom's wife over cancer that had him wiping away tears.
The ensemble left many afterimages of individual efforts.
As a trumpeter, Rosenboom again showed he has few equals in range or creativity -- his tonguing and high flights bordered on freakish, yet he could settle into a simple melody without overembellishing. His compositions continued to show ambition coupled with an ability to connect, and these top musicians obviously dug his challenging charts.
Windman Gavin Templeton, for instance, a comrade of many campaigns in sickness and health, whipped through fast 30-note unisons with Rosenboom as if riffling through a paperback. And -- this writer hadn't seen him for a while -- he devoted half his blowin' to baritone instead of alto, which was one smart move. The big horn's softer tone kneaded the jagged, nervous quality out of his improvisations, and its lower register lent the whole group ballast. Not only that, but the damn hulk looked perfect nestled in his rangy frame.
On keyboards, John Escreet (who led his own Seismic Shift at Sam First less than a week later), hardly acted in a comping role, instead darting sharp arrows of strange sound into the running beast or contributing alert, tingling solos that danced around the beat. You could have listened to him by himself and had another kind of fun.
Apparently Dolly Parton, Lady Gaga, Steven Tyler and Jon Brion know about this bassist Billy Mohler, but not every jazz fan does, and hot damn, he was crazy good. A small dude, super intense, Mohler ran his crabby left-hand fingers up and down and often around the neck of his standup in weird ways that created brushed chords on top of the foundational notes, always taking chances. Talk about being in the moment, this was a high-wire act!
Drummer Anthony Fung (doing double duty) surely appreciated his rhythm mate, evident not just because his love for his work was a radiant constant on his face. Always looking around, he was like an athlete on his toes, ready to thwack, kick or toss, preferably at groin level. No wonder everyone wants his services. (He leads his own bands too.)
McCabe and Kane joined the Rosenboom quintet for a final rehearsed sweaty blowout to showcase everybody's skills, and any attendee who left unsatisfied deserved a boot in the zipper.
The vintage Boyle Heights venue, by the way, is a welcome addition, with a full bar, plenty of headroom and a free parking lot a block away. The website may say it's standing only, but jazz nights feature little round tables for three if you get there early enough. Thanks to LeRoy Downs and Just Jazz for continuing to plug away.
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Listen to and buy Dan Rosenboom's "Polarity" here and at all the usual outlets.
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PHOTO BY FUZZY BAROQUE.