Last night was an epic 5 hour celebration of New Orleans tenor saxophonist Kidd Jordan.
The night began in the very hot but vibey theatre space with him playing alongside Hamiet Bluiett and Dave Burrell. The somewhat disjointed musical exchanges became solidified in the next set when violinist Billy Bang joined Kidd along with the formidable Hamid Drake and William Parker. Bang led the front line by working closely with in the rhythm section to steer the music through grooves accented by strong violin strokes and pizzicato riffs which then ducked and dived through exciting free passages.
Next up was a set with Clyde Kerr on trumpet who complimented Kidd's abstract free style with thoughtful and lyrical interjections supported by driving drums from Alvin Fielder and fluttering embellished passages from Joel Futterman on piano.
In the middle of these free groups the next set surprised the audience with straight ahead bop playing from a band from New Orleans featuring Kent Jordan on piano. However the free lovers among us were reunited with the avant garde in the final set featuring a contemporary of Kidd, Fred Anderson on tenor sax. Their long established musical union could be heard as the two tenors conversed between a appearance from Billy Bang which led to a very passionate finale of the evening appreciated by a standing ovation from the now capacity crowd.
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