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Posted on Fri, Jun 22, 2012 : 8:05 a.m.

Esperanza Spalding and a crack band explore jazz and beyond at Power Center

By Will Stewart

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The conceptual opening to Esperanza Spalding’s performance on Thursday at the Power Center involved an imaginary radio dial spinning through the static, occasionally receiving a signal, where Spalding’s band would play a snippet of a radio staple from years past.

Gospel. Easy listening. AM gold. Jazz.

A fitting opening, then, for one of contemporary music’s rising stars. On Thursday, Spalding, aided ably by her band, presented radio the way she imagines it.

“If, at any point in my life I heard something like this on the radio, I might have liked jazz,” the bassist/composer/singer said. “Not that we're trying to do any one thing up here.

“We’re just making the kind of music we like with the kinds of musicians we like.”

There wasn’t much not to like, as Spalding played, sang and scatted her way through a set of mostly original compositions that, while ostensibly jazz, incorporated elements of folk, world music and rock, too. The show was part of the Ann Arbor Summer Festival.

Spalding is a gifted bassist, with a deft touch and a knack for melodic playing that’s syncopated without being over the top. Yet she was at her best on Thursday when she slipped into the rhythm section, bolstering her horn-heavy band’s robust arrangements with a solid, unflashy bottom end.

There were times on Thursday, when, for all their beauty, Spalding’s songs wore a little thin, relying on style over substance. Likewise, her between-song patter, which often took the form of a conversation with an unseen acquaintance, too often bordered on pretentiousness and failed to serve the songs.

Spalding’s material melded elements of singer-songwriters like Rickie Lee Jones and Joni Mitchell with large-band jazz and, unfortunately, didn’t always bring out the best in either. Too often it attempted to be funk without being funky, soul without being soulful or jazz without a heck of a lot of swing.

But with 11 pieces in her Radio Music Society band, including a handful of true ringers, there was a lot for Spalding to lean on. Playing solid arrangements throughout most of the show, the band was at its best when it played big, swelling harmonies and finding off-kilter tangents from Spalding’s song structures.

Saxophonist Tia Fuller and trombonist Jeff Galindo both shone on extended solo turns, while longtime Spalding collaborator Leo Genovese was a assertive and inventive on various keyboards, most notably grand piano and Fender Rhodes. But it was guitarist Jef Lee Johnson, an avant-jazz legend in his own right, who really lit the fire under the band. With sparkling, furious leads, inside-out comping and a tone reminiscent of John McLaughlin during his years with Miles Davis, Johnson gave Thursday’s show an intensity and rawness that was otherwise lacking in a rather safe—if wholly pleasant—performance.

Comments

Paul Wiener

Sat, Jun 23, 2012 : 5:30 p.m.

Thus was by far the worst concert I've attended in five years, an incredible disappointment and a complete waste of Spalding's considerable vocal talent (and my money). She had exactry the wrong backup band - way too much brass playing over-arranged sound, and the worst sax soloist this side of a subway tunnel. The music was incomprehensible, jarring, insulting, raucous, rambling. When she spoke she sounded stoned and patronizing. I love new jazz and have heard tons of it. M'Shell N'dgeocello is far more talented and far less self-indulgent. So is Cassandra Wilson. If Obama ever heard the stuff Esperanza sang, he'd probably return his Nobel Prize. Spalding is a major talent; she has recorded albums that are far more appealing, though rarely tuneful, and that don't smother the listener. Why she chose to assault this audience is beyond me. I left after half an hour, luckily, because I was able to catch the Ragbirds make some genuine, unpretensious, focused and energized, user-friendly music.

Somewhat Concerned

Sat, Jun 23, 2012 : 3:38 p.m.

Setting aside the personal attacks on the reviewer and pretending we're in that mythical Ann Arbor of tolerance for opinions that differ, I thought the horns and reeds were great: tight, great tone, and not competing to out-blow each other. The keyboardist was terrific, when you could hear him, and that was a problem. Many times the whole mix was a problem. The sound engineer didn't have Esperanza's mic right for her opening, buried one of the great guitarists, and lost the keyboardist during what should have been some great upfront licks. It's one thing to with the mix outdoors but the Power Center has good acoustics. Next time, please us an engineer with experience mixing this kind of band. Esperanza's long monologues gave her fingers some break time, and I found them charming the first two times and increasingly boring as the evening went on. By the end, they reminded of the ramblings that were common in the drug-induced days of the Summers of Love, and I wished she would get back to the music and let the band play. They had a great sound and Esperanza let them co-star instead of hogging for herself the solos and the spotlight. If young sound engineers learned how not to mix a show, young drummers in the audience should have learned something about groove, pocket and taste from Lyndon Rochelle. There was talent in every chair.

734baggins

Sat, Jun 23, 2012 : 1:58 p.m.

I'll say it again - WOW! WOW. Nearly 2 hours of music from an outstanding group of musicians. Pay attention Al Green - this is how you do it. WOW. WOW. Probably the most unappreciative crowd as measured by the lack of simple applause after solos from the band. C'mon people, when an artist plays a solo in an ensemble setting, put your hands together when they're done! Of course, if your arthritic hands hurt when you clap, I can understand you may not want to (see Ross review for details). By contrast, I caught her show in early May at the Howard in DC where the entire 1100 of us were glad to be there and showed it. WOW. WOW. Does Will go to the concerts he writes about or does he have some kind of wifi camera that only catches part of the stage and mono sound? First, he totally missed the essence of the Al Green concert (I just added STINKS to my AL Green t-shirt with a silver sharpie) and now he begrudgingly admits there is SOME talent in this young lady who reigned among the youngest instructors at Berkley. JL Johnson was just going through the motions - no doubt about it. And what's up with the buzzing cord. Doesn't anyone do sound checks anymore? If they had one, was the guitar tech sleeping on the bus during the concert? WOW. WOW. She is young; and with this youth colliding with her artistic power, we find ourselves subjected to the detours of her trying to connect her music to higher causes. Her conversational style between songs is challenging when it's not brief. Her ability to segue these conversations into an acappella entry into the next song showcase her vocal range and ease of execution. Keep honing it Esperanza; it can be a great formula. Remember though, like all detours, less is more. WOW. WOW. Lyndon Rochelle was absolutely LOCKED DOWN on every groove. Even when he lost a stick and kept it going one-handed. He was attentive and awesome. It's interesting this performer was lost on Will. DOUBLE WOW. Thank you Esperanza!

vincehatten

Fri, Jun 22, 2012 : 4:09 p.m.

The playing was spectacular. Esperanza's singing was stunning at the low end but seemed to get drowned out by the band when she got to the high end (at least where I was sitting). I thought her between songs "conversations" were distracting and distanced her from the audience especially compared to when she spoke about her commitment to stopping slavery and fighting "legal injustice". That was the moment when I thought we were seeing the person and not just the performer.

Giacomo Senna

Fri, Jun 22, 2012 : 3:29 p.m.

Make that two endorsements for Ross' comment. Esperanza and Lyndon Rochelle (drummer) grooved that stage to death.

John Hritz

Fri, Jun 22, 2012 : 3:12 p.m.

I thought the performance was good, but the long recitations between songs got to be a drag and seemed self-indulgent. It reminded me of Leo Kotke and Leon Redbone's tendency to fall into story telling instead of jamming. The band played well together, but the solos were not very involving. In general, the sound board mix seemed flat and muddy. I thought "Black Gold" showed off the ensemble work the best.

Myra Klarman

Fri, Jun 22, 2012 : 3:05 p.m.

Great shots, Angela! I especially love #2, 4, and 6. I had never heard Esperanza's music before (must get out of my cave more, I know), so this show was a stunning revelation! And she was a absolute dream to photograph.

John Hritz

Fri, Jun 22, 2012 : 4:41 p.m.

I especially agree on #6. Ms. Cesere's photos capture the energy of the band well.

tcormie

Fri, Jun 22, 2012 : 2:14 p.m.

@ross spot on

Ross

Fri, Jun 22, 2012 : 1:30 p.m.

Too bad you can't handle the funk, Will, or you might have understood how incredible that concert really was. At no point was it EVER not funky. Granted, the geriatric crowd was not all that into it., which is the major failing of the summer festival concerts. Rob Wolfe, please stop encouraging these uninteresting old folks to buy season tickets! They really detract from the atmosphere with their silent apathy. Will, you thought Jeff Lee Johnson lit the fire under the band? Are you nuts? He was solid, no doubt, but between his apparent state of confusion, leaving the stage at one point, guitar cable buzzing, and losing signal periodically, he was really more of an after thought. The guitar solos on the album are much better than anything he did last night. Really, it was Esperanza. It's always Esperanza. Just because you don't like the bass guitar or feeling the funk, doesn't mean you get to give credit to her backing band for carrying the show. She was INCREDIBLE, and her syncopation with the drummer was sensational.

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