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From Cass Corridor to the WorldOn MLK Day, the University Musical Society presented an impressive lineup at Hill Auditorium to celebrate Detroit's Musical Golden Age. It was at times an exhilarating experience — for example when tenorist James Carter played "Precious Lord" with organist Gerard Gibbs or when Marcus Belgrave soloed on his trumpet. The pairing of Carter and fellow saxophonist David McMurray with the drum duo of Karriem Riggins and Ali Jackson in a tribute to Elvin Jones led to several inspired musical conversations. Another tribute to Ron Carter by three bassists: Marion Hayden, Rob Hurst, and Ralphe Armstrong also had a definite spark that spoke volumes about the depth of Detroit's jazz community. The right tone for the evening was struck with George Shirley's (well-known opera singer and University of Michigan faculty member) reading of Martin Luther King's eloquent speech on "The Importance of Jazz" that connected the celebrations of MLK and Detroit Jazz. Another U-M faculty member, pianist Geri Allen (top), was the Music Director of the evening and must be commended for the willingness to include several intersecting musical traditions from jazz to gospel to Motown to rap. Her D-3 Trio with Bob Hurst on bass and Karriem Riggins on drums was very tight and did work as the glue that provided some cohesive strength to the long lineup of instrumentalists and singers. What worked against Allen's design was simply the length of the program. The concert lasted around four hours, which even with an intermission, was taxing on listeners. A narrator or MC to guide us through the ambitious program might have helped stem the ebbing of the sizeable crowd. I N - T H I S - I S S U E : |
