AFINIDAD @ The Jazz Standard, Feb 3, 2010, 9:30 PM
FEB 3, 2010 --GRAMERCY: The Spanish Scientology Handbook says "La definición básica de afinidad es la consideración de distancia, sea buena o mala," or if you don't remember your 9th grade Spanish class: The basic definition of afinidad is the consideration of distance, whether good or bad.
I don't know if Ed Simon is a Scientologist, but I do know that he put on one hell of a show at the Jazz Standard. This is a group of strong individuals who truly gave themselves to the compositions at hand and created a unified sound. Co-leaders and composers were Simon and David Binney, who were joined by vocalist Gretchen Parlato, Ben Monder on guitar, Scott Colley on bass, Antonio Sanchez on drums, and Rogerio Boccatto on percussion.
The compositions - two by Simon and three by Binney - had a lot in common. All were rhythmically driven with less focus on the melody. In fact, if there is on negative criticism to be given, it's that at the end of the set I couldn't recall a single melody of any of the five tunes. And I was sober. However, in the moment this wasn't so important, because the constant creeping in and out of textures and colors created a hugely dynamic and engaging experience.
Parlato's role was secondary, often echoing, doubling, or couterpoint-ing another voice, but her voice and phrasing are so unbelievable that it sounded as though each part had been crafted with her voice in mind. In fact the group frequently rotates members, with Binney, Simon and Colley the only constants and yet they managed to make their ensemble sound one of the most striking features of the night. Boccato told me this was their best and 'loosest' set of the 2 night engagement.
Sanchez and Bocatto were completely on fire, constantly ricocheting off one another and the rest of the band, to the point where had it been two musicians with less groove, intuition, and wisdom, it would have sounded busy and distracting. Instead it just made the whole night sizzle and let the soloists be guided by the natural swell being propelled underneath them. Colley was then free to roam the length and width of the fingerboard, having so much support from the percussion department. Bocatto may have had the easiest job of the group, with Sanchez laying down the groove so decisively, all he had to do was reach around his seemingly infinite array of toys and paint colors at his own discretion. There isn't much to say about Ben Monder that I haven't said before. He's great, he's musically consistent, and he's worn the same sweater the last five times I've seem him play. Maybe superstitious? I'd better end this before I start any more rumors.
