Alice Coltrane and Dwight Trible at Royce Hall part 1
by jazzcat on Feb.19, 2006, under News
John Rangel is an outstanding pianist and a long time great
friend of mine. I have never personally witnessed him perform in a venue of
this capacity but Royce Hall at UCLA is about to experience the beauty of his
genius. He was the first to come onstage and his respectful approach to the
piano set the scene for an evening of peace, love and extraordinary music. Just
as in the manner at the beginning of anything that is going to nourish our
bodies, silent prayer and thanks were given to the creator.
A voice is heard as a figure of the man emerges from the
darkness. Dwight Trible’s poems of love set to music. Royce Hall is a perfect
place to capture his sound. Dwight has blown out every room that I have ever seen
him perform in and tonight his voice ascends to the rafters. It has always been
and will continue to be about peace and love. Tonight, the audience will truly
be blessed with both.
J O H N C O L T R A N
E
The spirit transcends. He is called upon and his presence is surely felt.
You should see the smiles of the cats on stage. The music,
the love, the subject and the spirit of an amazing conduit is celebrated with
joy. Dwight invited everyone to sing the phrase J O H N C O L T R A N E along with him, but the souls
at Royce were shy and too mesmerized by the power and meaning of the content.
Dwight Trible’s music evokes a plethora of emphatic emotions and you feel the
cool rhythms, the thunderous octave power and sweet soothing ballads that are
warm enough to melt mountains of ice. I am used to feeling drenched with these
vibrations all through my body. All of the elements were there except the
volume of the sound was controlled by the venue. We still heard the music, but
I think that everyone would have had a different experience without the
compression.
If you have not had the experience of listening to Dwight’s
album “The Living Water”, then you may not know that the selection, stylistic
approach and creative integrity are uncompromisingly quite exquisite. “Wild as
the Wind”, inspired by Nina Simone was enchanting. After the piece, Dwight
approached the microphone and was quite pleased with its sweetness himself.
He gives blessings to two of jazz’s fallen angels. David
Abell, president of the Los Angeles Jazz Society, supporter of UCLA jazz studies
programs, fund raiser for Washington prep school jazz department, piano store
owner and just about “the best friend that jazz ever had” has passed on. The
other angel is less known and lived on the other side of support. At every
concert, always in the front row, with her red dreads and deeply lost in the
cognitive core of the music, a greatly appreciated and dedicated fan of jazz
music in this town, Paulette Jones. Instead of a moment of silence, Dwight
suggests respects be paid by cheer.
Dwight has never been afraid to strip down to the raw
nakedness of vocal beauty. A place where not too many can exist. The perfect
spiritual aphrodisiac for a night of love, peace and musical blessings!
“Dear Lord” oh “Wise One”, the “Mothership” approaches and our
“Footprints” lead us through the “Celestial Blues” of life that is “Wild as the
Wind” in search of “Little Sunflowers”, “Peace” the sprit of “Africa” and “John
Coltrane”. Be there brotha. Be there sista. BE THERE!