Drummer Kendrick Scott proved to the crowd at the Moss Theater that you don’t have to travel all the way to Delphi, Greece to hear wisdom from the oracle, as his Hellenic-named band delivered a plethora of inspiring musical messages during its 100 minute performance Friday night.
Teamed up with his long timed compatriots from his We Are the Drum and upcoming Conviction albums, Scott opened up with a new piece, subtitled “Home” with an intricate drum pattern that had the rhythm section of Joshua Crumbly/b and Taylor Eigsti/p formulate a gentle pulse for the warm, lyrical and elastic unison lines and solos provided by Michael Moreno/g and John Ellis/ts as the music and moods rode ebbs and flows of tidal currents before Eigsti’s elegiac solo segued into a driving and fiery “Synchronicity.”
Ellis’ warm and bluesy tenor, a sound usually associated with more traditional and less modern bebop styles, created a perfect intro to the gentle and fragrant “Apollo” while Scott’s brushes created a soft mist for Moreno’s lithe string work, with the leader changing to sticks and gradually upping the BTUs and warming up the piece for solos by Moreno and Ellis that were sophisticated without being abstruse.
Eigsti’s reflective piano intro was accented by Scott’s sensitive mallets on “Milton” as Ellis’ breathy tenor and Moreno’s ruminating strings were subtly coaxed along by the drummer’s subtle use of increasing the pulse, finally turning the tune into a gallop with Eigsti’s chiming piano and Moreno’s guitar searing through the race to the finish line.
Most memorable was when the sidemen left the stage and Scott delivered a “solo” that was actually an accompaniment to a speech by President Barack Obama about race issues, accompanied by taped tragic encounters between black citizens and the police. The emotionalism of the topic was superbly handled by Scott’s percussive account and commentary, creating a stark mood and contemplatively dramatic effect. Too bad there wasn’t a discussion afterwards, which could have been quite cathartic after such an intense piece.
With the entire band back on stage, Moreno used his fingers to deliver an Iberian intro to the pastoral “Lotus” while Scott’s hand percussion added intrigue to the gentle melody provided by piano, sax and guitar, before Scott snapped everyone to attention with a crisp high hat groove that lead into a funky and soulful “Too Much” that kicked the V8 of a rhythm team into overdrive.
While in the background for most of the evening, bassist Crumbly got his chance in the spotlight with a pensive solo accompanied by Scott’s brushes on the pensive “Touched By An Angel” before Scott got the audience to supply the rhythm by clapping together for the gospel flavored “Cycling Through Reality.” The rousing back and forth and back again provided by Eigsti, Moreno and Ellis was like a musical arm wrestling match, ending the evening with a rousing climax.
Lots of issues were implied and stated, either musically or through words. Isn’t that the purpose of an oracle?
Upcoming shows sponsored by The Jazz Bakery include Vinicius Cantuaria 03/31, Tessa Souter w/ Danny Janklow 04/07, Russell Malone 04/15 and Peter Erskin 05/12