“If someone told me as a kid I’d be playing with these guys, I wouldn’t have believed it”
So beamed drummer Carl Allen, no lightweight of his own, as he summed up the feeling of the energy emitted from the Mack Avenue Superband of the legendary Gary Burton/vibe and all stars Tia Fuller/as-ss, Sean Jones/tp, Christian McBride/b, Christian Sands/p and Allen himself. During the 90 minute concert, each artist got a chance to introduce a self penned tune, making the evening a family affair.
The sounds and grooves were set by McBride’s rich bass tones in a soulful fashion on the opening “Preach Hank” which had Burton’s sleek vibes mix with Fuller’s searching alto while Jones squeezed out his notes like spurts from a morning grapefruit. Fuller’s own “Decisive Step” was highlighted by her searing and ferocious alto stretching out over the upbeat and quicksilver pulse just before Sean Jones’ “Gretchen” assuaged the audience with lovely and warm breezes from his flugelhorn in a hymnlike lilt. Burton’s turn was handled with a bluesy bopper “On Lakeshore Drive” in which the rhythm team delivered a sublime and slickly soulful interchange of ideas while the composer was sleek and slinky on the mallets.
Carl Allen introduced “A Sacrifice” with a melodic and creative intro on the drums, switching gears as the horns joined in to form a dramatic forward charge, with Fuller leading the way and Jones holding back the reigns to create a tenaciously delightful contrast. Pianist Sands ended the evening by finally stepping out into the spotlight and deliver a modal madness on the appropriately title “Up” which summarized the direction of the mood of the audience after an evening of exciting song.
Upcoming shows at the Lobero include Mark O’Connor’s Hot Swing April 09 and Kenny Barron’s Trio April 18