John Patitucci @ The KC Jazz Club
Any experienced musician knows that it takes a great deal of skill and control to pull off a quiet and subtle performance that retains a sense of passion. During Friday night's first set at the Kennedy Center's KC Jazz Club, bassist extraordinaire John Patitucci (pictured) remarked, "You guys are so quiet tonight!" Indeed, there was pin drop silence within the crowd, but it was not due to boredom or a lack of appreciation. Rather, the audience was silent because it was engrossed in a stellar performance by a trio of virtuosos who emphasized the space between the notes without sacrificing the slightest bit of energy or intensity.
Fluent in a number of musical styles and equally at home playing upright or electric, he played both 6-string and double bass on Friday, Patitucci has staked his claim as one of jazz's great bassists. He has played with luminaries such as Chick Corea and Wayne Shorter while establishing himself as a fine band leader in his own right. One of his usual partners-in-crime is drummer Brian Blade, a master of subtlety who combines a deep knowledge of tradition with an energy that has made him one of the most sought after jazz drummers of the past decade. Rounding out the trio was guitarist Larry Koonse, who favors a more traditional jazz guitar sound but plays with an airy style that provides a lush cushion for the high-level interaction between the bandmembers. While the playing was busy at times, the group's understated approach forced the audience to concentrate in order to catch the nuance of the music.
The 80 minute set, recorded for a future NPR broadcast, began with a straight forward arrangement of the Charlie Parker tune, "Visa." The band did not re-visit the past but for a rendition of Monk's "Evidence" to close the set. Even in that instance, the band reinterpreted the standard into a jazz-funk jam wherein even a broken string on his electric bass did not get in the way of Patitucci's driving groove. Instead of classics, the group featured a number of selections from Patitucci's latest release, Line by Line, including the album's title track, a medium-swing guitar feature whose melody statement was a gorgeous counterpoint between Koonse and Patitucci on upright.
Throughout the set, Patitucci demonstrated not only his strengths as a player and composer, but also his deep knowledge of world music. Beginning with a textural solo in which Blade used his hands to mute his drums to great effect, "Agitato" went into a samba-inspired bass line under a rich stew of dark harmonies and syncopated rhythms. Patitucci described "The Root" as tune that would result from Bach visiting West Africa. With its playful 6/4 rhythm, the tune also featured a strong drum solo and was indicative of how Koonse's guitar work shaped the band's sound. His soloing focused on melodic lines rather than strummed chords, more akin to a horn player than a guitarist, and the absence of articulated harmonies created space for the busy interplay between Patitucci and Blade. Likewise in his accompaniment, Koonse would generally play color tones rather than chords, and so the song's momentum came from the other two players.
Though he gave much deserved credit to his counterparts throughout the evening, it was clear this was Patitucci's gig and the set's highlights featured his exquisite bass playing. "Tone Poem" was a solo piece, partially inspired by the work of Sibelius, performed on 6-string bass. At times, Patitucci made his instrument sound more like a classical guitar than a bass and so the piece seemed to contain a hint of Spanish and flamenco influence. Spanish themes reappeared in Patitucci's arrangement of "Nana", a piece by Manuel de Falla originally written as a lullaby for soprano voice with piano accompaniment. Patitucci and Koonse performed it as a duet between nylon string guitar and acoustic bass in which Patitucci's bowed playing revealed the true depth and richness of his sound.
Photo from John Patitucci's MySpace page