At the tender age of 83, Bennie Maupin Is one of the last living links to a long list of classic albums, having been a sideman back in the day for Miles Davis (Bitches Brew) Herbie Hancock (Headhunters) Lee Morgan (Live at the Lighthouse) and Horace Silver (Serenade to a Soul Sister).This evening at the Ebell, however, Maupin celebrated the 50th anniversary of his just as important debut album as a leader, 1974’s eclectic Jewel In The Lotus that threw down the gauntlet of mixing acoustic jazz with free form, avant garde, post bop and folk music. While Maupin’s revisitation of the classic recording didn’t include any of the original members, the original ideas were delved into and expanded from the original 44 minutes to a glorious 90 with the adept team.
The rhythm section of Darek Oles/b, Eric McKain/perc, /p-key,Kenny Sara/dr , David Arnay/p, Caleb Veazey/g and Tim Feeney/mar percolated lithely throughout the performance, while alto saxist Steve Lehman was the perfect complement to Maupin as he switched between flute, bass clarinet and soprano sax. The augmentation of a string section made up of Eyvind Kant/va’damore, Jake Hansen/cel and Miguel Atwood Ferguson/v was a stroke of genius adding exotic and touches to counter the African rumbles of the percussion, creating a ripple effect like the sounds of a stream.
The opening and moody “Ensenda” was a dreamy rubato with Maupin floating on the flute, while a switch to soprano sax and bass clarinet on “Mappo” and “Excursion” felt like a deep sonorous trek through the Serengetti, as the melding of bluesy funk and modern electronics created at thick magma of tones. String section members Kant and Ferguson veered in and out of the themes like pedestrians in Times Square, with Feeney using both mallets and bows to carve out thoughtful accents. Lehman mixed using his sax for both harmonizing and conversing with Maupin, with the whole band sounding like a collection of threads in a Raphael tapestry.
Maupin tapped into his inner Grover Washington on a sensuously R&B-ish “Jewell In The Lotus” while he dug a deep rivulet of melody on the infectious “Past Is Past” on his palpably rich bass clarinet. The closing piece was appropriate for the evening, as Maupin showed the appreciative audience that, after a half century, the past is still actually present.
