Bassist Ben Williams joked that his concept of “Writers’ Block” didn’t come from the inability to create new music. Far from it, said Pat Metheny’s bassist. “Think of this more like a Block Party for writers,” he explained, as almost all of the material presented Thursday night came from the members of the band, namely Kris Bowers/p, Jeff Parker/g, Jackson Frolick/dr and the leader himself. The result was a musical pot luck that had everyone filled and content by the evening’s end.
A re-creation of the classic “Stompin’ at the Savoy” had Williams throbbing out a soul groove while Parker’s guitar created dark and edgy shadows to Frolick’s rock beat and Bowers’ intricate swing. The leader’s untitled composition featured his sleek and lithe work on the bass, pulsating with delight as the cymbals chimed at a gracious cadence, Parker’s pedal work made his guitar strings go from Grant Green tensile linear to burlap wallpaper and Bowers delved into the ivories as the peace gently sifted like a foamy Malibu wave.
Frolick’s contribution had the leader switch to electric bass and Bowers turn to keyboards as “Al Mustafa The Beloved” delved into a deep rivulet with Parker’s wiry tone and Bowers’ graceful elegance slowly increased intensity as the drums kept driving up the volcanic activity to create a molten lava of a hot, thick climax and closing.
With the drummer on mallets and Williams back to acoustic bass, moody shadows were created on the elegiac and pastoral “Iceland” as Williams’ resonant strings teamed with flowing piano trickles as the band formed the sounds of wind rustling through Aspen mountains.
The set ended with Williams delivering a duet read of “Smells Like Team Spirit,” opening up with a sonata-like intro before Frolick gently brushed into the scene. The conversation between the two was both in sync, and yet free, as the team built up and let go of paces like a jogger working out on a hill. As advertised, the music included gifts from each household, with musical ribs mixing in with greens to show that everyone had something to contribute. If his next album is anything like this evening, the jazz world is in for a pleasant meal.
Upcoming shows at the Blue Whale include Vardan Ovsepian 08.13, Gretchen Parlato 08.15, Holophonor 08.18-19, David Binney 08.24, Joe La Barbera 08.26 and Russell Malone 08.31