Drummer Brian Blade was in top form on Saturday night, his unique flourishes and pointed accents filling the Bagdad Theater with excitement. Full of vigor, and his usual ecstatic and colorful flashes, he performed to a sold-out crowd as a benefit for the Portland Rescue Mission, which supports the homeless
The Bagdad is an impressive venue and was ideal for the music: comfy seats with personal rectangular tables for drinks and food, and a relaxing atmosphere.
The Darrel Grant trio, with Darrel Grant on piano, Cameron Morgan on guitar, and vocalist Maureen Ferry, began the night. The trio’s gospel-influenced sound was pleasant, but didn’t really hold my attention. The trio played nearly exclusively ballads and slow gospel grooves that lacked excitement and oomph.
When Brian did come on, after around an hour of Darrel, it was all the sweeter. The Fellowship Band currently consists of Myron Walden, alto sax, Melvin Butler, tenor saxophone, Chris Thomas, bass, John Cowherd, piano, and Jeff Parker on guitar, though it has gone through several arrangements since its founding in 1998.
The band was tight on Saturday, and played quite well, but as expected the focus was on Brian. The Fellowship’s tunes are modern jazz pieces—there wasn’t a single straight swinging groove all night—and combine influences from jazz’s many distinct historic periods. Brian’s true art and skill is in his capacity to rhythmically synthesize these disparate elements into a unified sound.
The music clearly has a very strong conceptual basis; each tune is well arranged with rich harmonies and clear peaks of emotion. It was pleasant and surprising to hear the alto saxophonist switching for several tunes to the bass clarinet, as the tenor sax player switched to a soprano sax, for a nice effect.
His punchy playing and knack for beautifully accenting melodies stole the show, without a doubt. The horns could be a little cheesy and lacking in sincerity at times, but Brian made up for it.
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