The thing that I always enjoy when going to see tenor saxist Bob Reynolds in concert is that I know that somewhere during the show he’s going to surprise me with something. Unlike many jazz musicians, Reynolds told me before this evening’s performance with Charles Ruggiero/dr, Mike Gurrola/b and Ruslan Sirota/keys that every solo is a blank slate. “I just go for it” he confided before stepping on stage for his 80 minute set.
And went for it, indeed. The “wow” moment came halfway through the set, during his solo of the somber “When It’s Over”, when right after Sirota’s keys of blue, Reynolds glided in to his solo, paused and let out an agonizing cry like a wounded lion. What just happened?!?
Now, don’t get me wrong, the rest of the evening was a thrill, indeed. The medium toned tenor, akin to sounds like Hank Mobley with a dash of Warne Marsh swung easy as Ruggieroi and Gurrola simmered like fried rice on the relaxed and cozy “When Your Lover Has Gone”, and a Reynolds put on his Superman outfit to leap tall intervals at a single bound as he crooned through a seductive samba’d “Change Partners”
Sirota’s keyboards entered the soul kitchen over Ruggiero’s funky groove with some spacey chords on Reynolds’ own hip “Eddie Told Me So” and he tapped into his inner Joe Sample, linking in with Ruggiero’s humming high hat to create a wave that the tenor titan longboarded through, with dynamics rising and falling like the surf at Borderline on the lyrical “Carousel”.
Ruggiero rumbled through the jungle with his mallets and created a conga line as Reynolds dimmed the lights on the cheerful “Might As Well Forget It” before Reynolds closed things out with a dreamy echo on his delivery that created fluffy cirrus clouds on “ Rise and Fall” before the band jumped in for an energetic gallop to the finish line. As always, Reynolds’ ideas are clear, creative and articulate; everything always makes sense, which always sets you up for the surprise. And the best part is, you know it’s coming.
He’s got a brand new album out Live In Munich (https://ianrecords.com/products/bob-reynolds-group-live-in-munich), so check what this whelp from Snarky Puppy is able to do on his own.
Upcoming shows at The Baked Potato include Jason Harnell 07/14, Charles Ruggiero 07/17, Mike Keneally/07/19-20 and YaYennings 07/23