Blues In Red: A Sound Conversation
– NEW YORK – Thursday,
Nov. 29th, 2007: As the Haitian
proverb goes, "Pa genyen lafimen
san dife" (translation: "There
is no smoke without fire").
This may very well be the
best way to describe the atmosphere
at Smoke Jazz & Supper Club
in New York City this past
Wednesday. Located in the
Upper West Side, Smoke regularly
features such Jazz artists
as: Eric Alexander, Vincent
Herring, Steve Turre, George
Coleman and the like. This
time, Freddie Bryant and co-owner
Frank Christopher invited
saxophonist Buyu Ambroise
and the Blues In Red Band
to take part in their newly
inaugurated jazz series entitled
"World Jazz Wednesdays." Buyu
Ambroise and the Blues In
Red Band delivered a scorching
performance, leaving the audience
awestruck.
Even though it was the middle
of the week, and nearby restaurants
were nearly empty, there was
standing room only at the
club. As early as a half-hour
before show time, the place
was packed. For us, we had
to stand by the bar, but the
effort was well worth it.
From the moment the lights
dimmed to the waitresses handing
us the check for our clams
and wine, Buyu Ambroise and
his Band delighted the audience
with passion and creativity.
People familiar with Ambroise's
albums "Blues in Red" and
"Marasa" heard such pieces
as Anonse, Minouch, Plezi
Mizč, Café, and Marasa, as
well as some of his newest
compositions.
Café, played during the first
set, sparked conversation.
One jazz aficionado sitting
next to us at the bar was
so moved by the music, that
he wondered why he hadn't
heard the piece on the radio.
A connoisseur of Buyu's music
made reference to the liner
notes of the CD "Marasa",
saying that this music originally
was inspired by Ansy Derose,
who re-arranged an old slave
song. This song was sung by
escaping slaves depicting
the "Drinking Gourd" constellation
as their guide, leading them
north to freedom from the
plantations of the American
South.
After hearing Naima, adapted
from a John Coltrane composition,
a jazz enthusiast, sitting
in one of the rear booths,
said that it was one of the
best arrangements he had ever
heard of that particular tune.
Similar comments about Buyu's
repertoire were heard at the
Haitian Jazz Festival this
past April in Miami, where
Buyu performed his rendition
of Footprints.In response
to Footprints, Jazz Radio
Host Stu Grant of Miami's
Love 94 FM said "Where have
I been? How come I had never
heard of Buyu Ambroise?"
Blues in Red skillfully brewed
popular Haitian rhythms and
melodies fused with modern
jazz in a style that is unique
and creatively seductive.
Paul Beaudry's bass lines
resonated as if one were hearing
the vaksin (the large cylindrical
bamboo aerophone instrument
used in Rara bands in Haiti)
breathing life into the complex
rhythmic syncopation of the
two drummers, Markus Schwartz
and Steeve Belvilus.
The fluid interplay between
Markus and Steeve playing
popular Haitian rhythms such
as djuba, yanvallou, rabňday,
and kata were masterfully
handled. Each drummer's ability
to conjure a variety of pitches
were central to the cohesion
of each tune.
Paul's percutient melodic
phrasing throughout the performance
spanned multiple octaves,
opening new harmonic and rhythmic
possibilities for improvisation
for his fellow musicians.
As the night aged, his percussive
bass-playing approach intensified
and energized the dynamics
of the band, leaving the audience
totally mesmerized. Both Buyu
and Waldron explored alternative
harmonic progressions of the
melodies through their improvisation,
reaching the stratospheric
range of their instruments,
and exhaling human-like wails
leading the audience to a
near trance-like state. Intermittent
applauds could be heard during
and after musician solos.
Lou Rainone, the pianist,
a pivotal player of the band's
rhythm section, added layers
of melodic contours that were
fueled with rich textured
chords. This augmented the
acoustic force of the band.
Cascading cadenzas with his
left hand and interweaving
melodies with his right hand,
Lou left his audience perplexed
and wondering who was playing
what sounded like a second
piano. Lou's chromatic choice
of chord-voicing and contrapuntal
melodies consolidated the
rhythm section, leading the
band to endless cohesive harmonic
and symmetric riffs. Between
sets, a fellow musician observed
that "Lou Rainone's mastery
is evident; It is amazing
how lightly he touches the
piano keys, bringing forth
such strong energy and passion
in his accompaniment."
"Man... this music is reminiscent
of Horace Silver! Buyu will
definitely be back." said
Frank Christopher, co-owner
of Smoke Jazz & Supper Club.
The phrase that summarizes
the whole evening was uttered
by a patron as the evening
came to an end, "Buyu's music
is a very palatable, new flavor
of jazz."
Over time, the music has matured
in to a form that has attracted
attention from an ever-growing
audience. Called an "exciting
new subgenre" by patrons and
critics* alike, the performance
was brilliant and riveting.
Buyu has definitely found
a deeper spiritual connection
with his music and a passion
for his craft.
It was definitely a pleasure
to be part of this experience,
and we look forward to the
Band's upcoming shows. In
fact, Buyu Ambroise and the
Blues In Red Band will be
performing on Saturday, December
15th 2007 at Solomon's Porch
Café, 307 Stuyvesant Avenue
(corner of Halsey Street),
Brooklyn, NY 11233.
*One
such critic was Ed Kopp of
JAZZIZ Magazine (Feb. 2005).
KariJazz
November 29, 2007
