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Some would argue that jazz lost a certain something when it decided to leave dance behind and evolve a more sophisticated and purely art driven ethos. Because jazz and dance only co-exist in more formal choreographed settings such as modern dance, yesterday's sold-out performance at the Kennedy Center by tap dancer extraordinaire Savion Glover (pictured) and the McCoy Tyner Trio was a refreshing departure from the average jazz concert hall experience. From a musical standpoint, there were some moments where the concept fell short, but the positive energy coming from the stage and the sheer enthusiasm of the performers largely overcame these shortcomings.
Since the untimely passing of tap dancing legend Gregory Hines, Glover has become the pre-eminent figure in the world of tap. He is best known for his choreography and performance in the Broadway hit, Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk, for which he won a Tony Award in 1996. More recently, he provided the dance movement for the animated feature, Happy Feet.
McCoy Tyner rose to fame playing with jazz icon John Coltrane's classic quartet of the 1960s. The 70 year-old pianist began his career as a bandleader with the 1967 release of the seminal The Real McCoy. Over the past 40 years Tyner has released nearly 80 albums under his name, earned four Grammys, and in 2002 the National Endowment for the Arts named him a Jazz Master. His group last night consisted of Gerald Cannon, a bassist who has performed with trumpet wunderkind Roy Hargrove as well as Tyner's Coltrane-era bandmate, legendary drummer Elvin Jones. Playing drums last night was Eric Kamau Gravatt, an under-appreciated veteran whose dynamic and visually distinctive style has led to gigs with Weather Report and a host of other jazz greats.
In contrast to the bandmembers, who were all somewhat formally dressed, Glover took the stage with his dreadlocks flowing, wearing a simple black t-shirt with his delightfully loud and bright green tap shoes. The trio launched into Tyner's "Walk Spirit, Talk Spirit", and it became clear that this was going to be an evening of interaction between dancer and band. Rarely looking at, or performing for, the audience, Glover's gaze and infectious smile was generally fixed on the bandmember soloing at the given moment. The tune's high point arrived when Glover and Gravatt began trading phrases, with each artist raising the intensity of the performance.
Essentially, Glover was less of a dancer and more of a percussionist, but a visually stimulating percussionist at that. While this unusual addition to the standard trio format was engaging and certainly out of the ordinary, on purely musical terms Glover might be accused of "overplaying." At its best, his rhythmic prowess and surprisingly sophisticated sense of phrasing were a strong complement to the band, but at times it was overpowering.
Despite the occasional slight misstep, the performance had many highlights. The first set closed with "Ballad for Aisha", a song written for Tyner's ex-wife that brought a flamenco flavor to the night which seemed to inspire Glover's performance a great deal. The song culminated with Glover tapping unaccompanied and the result was nothing short of dazzling. Tyner also got a chance to shine as he played a gorgeous solo rendition of his composition, "For All We Know". The night's ethnic flavor returned with the second set's "African Village", a tune set to a polyrhythmic Afro-Cuban beat. Again, Glover shined as the band laid down the heavy rhythm as he brought the crowd to cheers. The evening ended with an encore performance of "Blues on the Corner", after which the audience rose to a standing ovation, a fitting end to an energetic performance.
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