The Steve Coleman and Five Elements show last night was pretty good. Coleman has definitely carved out his own world of sound. In a way he reminds me of a "middle weight champion" like Hank Mobley - good, solid and unique, but never quite going for that knockout blow, that over the top thing that demands your attention. The set started late but went on quite long - perhaps too long. The band stretched out on every song, and as the night grew later, I found my attention drifting off a bit. With every piece stretching out for twenty or thirty minutes, and with every piece kind of circling around the same sounds (good sounds, but), well, if a few songs had been cut down and punched up a bit - I think it would have made for an even better night. A little more variety would have went a long way. Nonetheless, many riches were offered, the band worked together great, and all six players seemed at the top of their games (perhaps Taborn seemed a little bored, took several solos working almost exclusively with his right hand for some reason, plinking those high notes, while the left levitated above the piano indecisively?). Coleman got the most solo space and used it well, sometimes drifting into a pleasing, almost post-bop feel, while the Five Elements bubbled around underneath. Pretty good, but not quite great. 1:07 PM >>> 0 comments

0 Comments:

Post a Comment