Presenting music from his gracious and lyrical Blue Note debut , vibist Joel Ross brought most of the teammates from that same session, but allowing the concise studio tunes stretch out and segue into one another for two half hour medleys. The result was that the packed Blue Whale was able to see each member work as a solo artist as well as a part of the organic whole, coaxed on by the young leader.
Ross opened up the evening and first gig of the recent tour with the medley of “Touched By An Angel/Vartha/Marshland” featuring an exquisite solo, gently joined in by pianist Jeremy Corren’s gracious and relaxed ripples before the rhythm team of bassist Kanoa Mendenhall and drummer Jeremy Dutton built up a dramatic wave for Immanuel Wilkins’ searing alto long board ride. The mix of passionate chimes on the vibes and the avalanche of drums and sax had the team gallop together like wild stallions before Dutton took center stage for a crisp and kinetic drum solo. The medley ended with a post bop unison race with Ross and Wilkins creating a photo finish.
Mendenhall opened up the second medley of “Kingmaker/Whom Do You Learn to Trust” with a deeply ruminating bass reflection, as Ross daintily joined in by using his fingernails to tap out the theme and Dutton’s hand percussion built up to a creamy vibrato as Ross switched to his mallets. Wilkins went from cheerfully melodic to Coltrane-esque declaratory as he rode along the Class IV whitecaps before stepping out with Ross and allowing Corren to deliver some full fisted blues with dashes of vintage McCoy Tyner shadows. The opus ended with a funky backbeat supplied by bass and drums with the quintet creating a cascading cadence of a climactic close.
Ross opened the evening by saying “We’re gonna play some music tonight” and the hour-long set showed that there’s nothing like being in person to catch some music to understand what the studio was trying to get across.
Upcoming shows at Blue Whale include Larry Grenadier solo 10/24, Avishai Cohen 10.26 and Amendola vs Blades 10/29-30.