The Jazzcat

 

Slide Show

 

Positive, intention,

sound, technique and old souls are a few elements that keep us grounded

in the rich history of the music. Wallace Roney puts together a fierce

team of burners and although their identity is maintained, you feel the

presence of Miles and Trane.

 

 

A

tsunami* of sound crashes and blankets our beings with a tenacious

fire reminiscent of years past. The quintets and sextets of the sixties

are alive and well only this time they are accompanied in 2005 with a

DJ who scratches and blends beats and sounds under, on top of and all

through the music.

 

 

The

Roney boys are kicking some serious ass and backed up by a rhythm

section that lives on the Autobahn. Out front tonight with Wallace and

Antoine, Azar Lawrence adds on more embers to the already flammable

content.

 

 

I

peer to my left and see that the Jazz Bakery has some new art on the

wall. One of the most evident is a painting of Miles and Trane, I knew

they were here!

 

 

The

set is one tune right into the next. The ballads are long tone beauties

with mystical spoken word mixed in by DJ Val, creating a séance like

feel. “Brown Sugar, Brown Sugar, you taste so good”.

 

 

No

resolution from the ballad and straight into the deep, dark, scratchy,

vampy, full funk sound. From resolution to revolution with no

restitution! Deep

in the woods the cats are shrieking, the dogs are loose and the chase

is on. Screaming sounds exude from bodies. The fire is burning but,

there is no pain, only hedonistic elation.

 

 

It’s

a new millennium and the players of today are morphing the music to

higher heights and expanding the boundaries of jazz music to the outer

limits while still keeping tradition alive. The Wallace Roney band is

an exciting ride into the present and the future. Catch them when you

can!

 

LeRoy Downs

 

* (my appologies if the use of this word is offensive or insensitive. I truley do not mean it to cause harm or ill feelings)