Music
Tuesday, 27 October 2009 02:10
Written by Jenn Chan Lyman

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Theo Croker Quintet brings original tunes to the Bund. Theo Croker, Sean Higgins, Jonathan Parker, Curtis Ostle, Charlie Foldesh.

photo by Jenn Chan Lyman 

I’m at the House of Blues & Jazz on a Monday night, not for a random drop-by as I rarely grace the construction-choked streets of the Bund unless there’s a special reason or another. Tonight’s special reason is original music. Tunes written by the players on stage are a special treat when you’ve been around town listening to covers of standards for a couple of months now. No better place than the o.g. House, where the sound will most likely be supreme with its vaulted ceilings and general stage/speaker placement. The main room of the House is fairly full tonight. We’ve got an intellectual in the corner, scarf and all, trying to read a thick tome in the low lamplight, and a fair collection of businessmen looking to take the edge off before returning to hotel rooms in the area or houses in Gubei.

The house music fades and Theo Croker announces the start of the gig, mentioning that tonight will be “House of Jazz,” although according to the dredlocked trumpetist, blues and jazz are the same thing. Feel free to argue with him about it at the next break he says. The first song is “Clearisms,” a tune by alto sax Jonathan Parker, one of the more prominent alto saxists in town these days. If you were at the Dee Dee Bridgewater concert, you may remember Dee Dee bantering with the tall, lanky sax soloist with his fluffy head of hair. Smart for the players to choose a bold start to the evening, where the nuances aren’t as important as the band gelling and tuning in to each other.

The next song is much more lyrical, with the trumpet leading the first verse along with the piano, manned by Sean Higgins. There’s a fuzziness to the first two songs that is typical to the start of these jazz gigs. Five players finding their way around one another. Curtis’ bass solo steadies the rhythm and by the time Parker alights to solo it seems that the band is on its way. Dizzy Gillespie’s famous “Salt Peanuts” is sneaking into the mix here. There are definitely melodies that I recognize although I thought they were playing originals tonight. Ah, Theo explains, that was a cover after all, “Bye Bye Blackbird”.

A Theo original is next, “What If.” It’s got a distinct bassline in the background that keeps the solos interesting when you listen beyond the soloist. It’s pretty critical that the rest of the band works hard despite who’s soloing upfront. Sean on the piano keeps a soft underlining vibe, flying with a harder edge towards the end of his solo. It makes me long for more edge overall in this piece. Another Theo piece follows, “Focus.” Curtis kicks off with a distinct bassline and the horns jump in. You can tell Jonathan and Theo have been playing together for awhile as the sound of their horns meld together easily. This is a song to remember with a catchy main theme that has a lot of brass oomph. Much more kick than the last song. The slide allows the brass to shine more, in the solos as well as the choruses. Charlie brings whimsy on the drums with a proper rim-smacking. Hey, let’s not forget what jazz is originally about now...sex, sex, sex. Ha! There’s an edge to this song that makes you sit up and pay attention. Focus, if you will.

The rhythm section is getting tight as Sean soloes, followed with a fast bass solo keeping the momento going. Charlie comes in with a crazy rolling drum and he’s almost off his chair, as am I. Okay, maybe not literally, but in my mind I’m up to the ceiling at this point. That was a kicking tune. The band’s on break which is as good a time as any for a quick background. Theo, Curtis, Charlie, and Jonathan are all classmates from Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio, and Sean Higgins is from Andover, Massachusetts. The Oberlin folk play together quite often, but Sean’s been a regular at Brown Sugar for the past year, so it’s been awhile since he’s jammed with the rest of them. It’s nice to hear Sean on jazz though, as I’ve most often heard him on the R&B set during those infamous Ladies Nights at Brown Sugar.

Theo introduces the second set and promises that everything will be in three’s. Damned if I know what that means. He explains, “You know, like the waltz?” and I’m thinking, oh right, bom chak chak, bom chak chak, alright I got it. Not really, but I’m trying. The first song is Lawrence Williams’ “Number Three.” Curtis throws down a lyrical solo, which is not easy for a bassist. Outside of the solo, there’s a definite dedication to three’s coming out of Curtis’ bass: bom bom bom, bom bom bom. You see me trying here?

As I’ve been watching more jazz gigs, I’ve gotten a particular hankering for losing myself for a minute or two in one musician or another, not necessarily the soloist. It’s always interesting to see what the drummer, for example, is doing during the horn solo, watching him fly around on the drums while gazing intently at the horn for the next signal. Theo’s solo is true to form, full of surprises. For a second his fingers are flying on an extended trill (that’s the piano term, I think, who knows what the trumpet term is) and the next he’s gliding into a note that lingers just long enough to get under your skin.

Charlie steadily backs up Jonathan’s next solo but there’s a lot more going on than just a rhythm. Charlie is a strong backer, enough changes to keep it interesting, enough attention to the rest of his crew to adapt and match. Jazz is all about the changes, well, to me anyway. Changes at the right moment that keep the music alive without the obvious vocal element that is usually the easiest connection to an audience. You get a vocalist up there and a different vibe ensues. Your ears latch onto the human tremors, the lyrics, the shadow of the singer. But with a solely instrumental performance, the audience has the chance to tune into what’s happening beyond the human voice. A good way to tell if the musicians are good is to see if you find them doing something interesting and with verve no matter what point it is in the song. If there’s some guy just lagging in the background, forget about it. One missing energy and the entire band lags.

Jonathan’s song for his grandmother is up next, “Lois.” There’s something about grandmothers that always gets me sentimental. Not sure what it is. Jonathan delivers an emotional solo, but is it emotional, or am I biased by the whole grandmother thing? He has an intense energy that distinguishes his soloes. I can remember the first time seeing him play in the JZ All Star Big Band and thinking, holy shit that guy can fly! He’s in the process of recording his own album which should be interesting. Charlie’s tapping the edges of his cymbals with the shoulder of his drumsticks as he accompanies Curtis’ solo – haven’t seen that particular technique before. I like the way Curtis and Sean wrap up the rhythm soloes with a simple shared bassline before the horns take it to the finish.

Frank Foster’s “Simone” follows, another waltz in three. Charlie’s introduces the song with a gentler, rolling tone, timpani drumsticks with those fuzzy cotton ball ends. The rhythm section is gelling even more in this song. Second sets are likely to be better than the first as the players find their groove. Although so far, “Focus” is still my favorite tonight. According to Charlie, Theo wrote “Focus” his sophomore year at Oberlin. A punchy trumpet interlude brings in the next song, “Change,” by Theo. A lot of spirit in this one and a main theme as catchy as in “Focus.” Charlie rips into the solo on this one like he's got nothing to lose and his solo doesn’t drag.

Third set kicks off with Jonathan's "East Lorraine." I'm pretty tired at this point so don't take my waning as a reflection of the music. It's midnight and I'm old. Theo introduces the next song as “a mantra to John Coltrane.” The song begins with a bass solo, anchoring the rest of the band to a slightly mysterious vibe. I can't afford anymore Jack and Cokes at seventy kuai a pop but the rhythm section's got rumble and fire to keep me going. Theo picks up the mic and sings as well on this one, but I can’t hear him very clearly. He lets me know later on that it’s a verse about Coltrane’s life that’s usually sung by the entire band together, "John Coltrane, Black Spirit; John Coltrane, first new born." The song is written by bassist Bill Lee, Spike Lee’s father. Curtis' bass solo is clean and forceful, with enough control to keep it lyrical as he brings the song and the evening to a close. A good night overall. You can tell that the four Oberlin cats play together a lot by the way they gel. These guys are young and hungry and pushing themselves. I like seeing the progression from set to set, but if you’re looking for a window to drop by for some original jazz tunes, I’d say 10:30pm and on to catch the second and third sets on Mondays. Tuesdays through Sundays at the House right now is the Mike Null Blues Band, which I have yet to see. Over and out.

 

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