The Isaac smith Big Band at the Jazz Bakery
by jazzcat on Dec.09, 2007, under News
I have for the longest time had an indifference to the word
“Big Band”. The music in the twenties and thirties did not always turn me on
and when the sound is simple, repetitive and easy to anticipate, I am the first
to snooze. I have learned that for me to enjoy a big band the best, the first
thing you must do is find out whose big band it is. The leader and his
philosophy about the music will give you some indication as to which way the
band will swing and how hard. Second, if you can get some indication as to who
some of the members of the band are, there is a pretty good chance that if
these are the cats that already resonate a sound that syncs with your soul,
your are going to dig the music.
When you say the name “Isaac Smith” and “Big Band” in the
same sentence, there is no question as to where you should be when the
performance starts! I have seen Isaac Smith in several different capacities but
never leading he own ensemble. He has been on stage in Monterey,
with the SF Collective and just recently with Jason Moran at a Performance in Chicago just a few days
ago. About a month ago, I was running the hill one morning in Kenneth Hahn
Park here in Los Angeles trying to get my cardio on. When
I reached the top, I saw from the rear a cat with dreads contemplating the
scenic beauty and next to him, a trombone case on the grass. I said “Isaac”
under my breath and if it was him, he would turn around and he did.
We sat and talked for awhile about the music, the business
of the music, how interesting it is that the dollars don’t’ always follow the
right talent, pursuing music dreams and strategies and what love has got to do
with it. Dedication, commitment and love play such a huge part of why creative
people are driven to do what they do. Taking the ideas that God has blessed us
with and sharing those with the world is a selfless feat to which the universe
pays great rewards; most of the time in payments of love and appreciation and
ever so often there are some monetary associations attached.
Tonight at the Jazz Bakery is one of those nights of love
and you have never seen so many musicians on this stage at one time before.
Isaac skipped doing it big and went straight to doing it huge! Six trombones,
five saxophones, five trumpets, two bass players, two drummers, two
percussionist, on vibraphone player and one pianist calls for some
extraordinary conducting, arranging, writing and playing skills all of which
Mr. Smith proceeds to grace us with.
What ordinary people do not seem to realize is that you
can’t just go anywhere to hear good big music. It is not like putting together
a quartet and rehearsing, recording or performing, this takes a lot of
coordination, the music has to be right, and time is an expensive major factor
to consider. From what I have heard from a few of these cats tonight is that
everyone knows and respects Isaac as a musician so they all really want to play
with him.
The sound tonight is phenomenal, rich and full of brass and
percussion from the motherland. “Alleluia”, a new song written to and for the
Lord above has all of theses beautiful players come together, screaming,
burning and producing some of the sweetest harmonies that free music can
produce. Whenever it is done like this, you must not pass up on an opportunity
to nourish you soul with something that is so pure it is like being present for
the birth of a new child. The circumstances surrounding the music are spiritual
by nature but exude the emotions of all the chaos of life before bringing it
back to a place of peace; from creation to cremation with a life that speaks
presence and meaning.
These combination of sounds do not come together everyday.
You have to be lucky to be present to hear and feel the music on you body. This
music is and should be different every time, every set, every night. It all
starts out with a dream; an idea that transforms into a passion and the end
result is a blessing.
Isaac composes music for a special someone and the spirit of
Africa lives in the music: a stampede of
thunderous, earthshaking sound as fierce as the rage of elements off kilter.
The heartbeat of the planet speaks and we live, breathe and feel the call. It
looks like twenty guys leave the stage and there is a smaller subset of the
band that Isaac leads. They run through some lovely versions of standards and
then, right in the middle of a tune, Isaac changes the tempo and takes the
music in a totally different direction. He takes the mid tempo piece and turns
up the gas on high as he takes his solo and plays for nearly twenty minutes
dancing, creating and riding on the rhythm. They go through a medley of
standards before we hear “Three Almighty One”, a gorgeous, swirling, ascending,
spiritual beauty about the light, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit!
Dan Weinstein and Kamasi Washington come back with the
larger ensemble and contribute a few compositions as well. They will all be back
at the Jazz Bakery January 21, 2008
Click Picture above for all upcoming performances!
so do no miss out! The Isaac Smith Big
Band with a whole ton of incredible players!!!
LeRoy Downs
