SFJAZZ concluded its Summer Sessions 2014 with a four-concert “Festival of the Trumpet” programming showcasing the instrument in a variety of settings. …With the Miles Electric Band concert on Aug. 23, …the performance opened with an audio recording of Davis, along with a video presentation that included vintage pictures of various Miles Electric Band musicians (including drummer and nephew Vince Wilburn, Jr. and bass guitarist Darryl Jones) with their legendary bandleader. Drum-machine player Jeremy Ellis sampled a bit of Davis’ speech and incorporated it into a percussive pattern he played manually.
Debasish Chaudhuri then gave a solo performance on tabla before the entire group performed. Trumpeter Etienne Charles was on point, bursting through the sea of sound with charismatic vibrancy. Blackbyrd McKnight delivered an authoritative guitar solo that referenced the rock ’n’ roll feel of 1971’s A Tribute To Jack Johnson.
…The band segued into “Spanish Key,” the first of four Bitches Brew selections that were performed consecutively. “Sanctuary” offered the opportunity for both Muyungo Jackson and Abbos Kosimov to give de facto master classes in virtuosic and visually compelling percussion performance.
Read the complete review at DownBeat.
Photos by Rick English