DCist Preview: Stefon Harris & Blackout @ Kennedy Center
As hip-hop began its ascent in pop culture, many jazz musicians embraced it, trying to infuse its infectious rhythms with an improvisational and harmonic sophistication. While such experiments have mixed results, we've seen several groups who continue to try to bridge the chasm between the two genres.
One such band is Blackout, an impressive ensemble that will perform tomorrow night at the Kennedy Center's KC Jazz Club. The talented quintet is steeped in jazz tradition, while having a more open-minded and forward thinking approach to music. This ethos comes from Blackout's leader, vibist/marimbist Stefon Harris.
"I had a quartet, and there were more and more hints of diverse influences," said Harris. "At a certain point, we needed other voices to really articulate the influences we were hearing."
Blackout is touring in support of its latest release, Urbanus, an eclectic collection of songs that span from "Gone", a go-go treatment of Gershwin's "Gone, Gone, Gone", to the fiery post-bop of "Blues for Denial", to the tender melody of "Christina". This range reflects the diversity of the group's members, several of whom compose for the ensemble.
"I don't dominate the ensemble," Harris emphasized. "We really are a band where everyone can contribute."
Blackout's success is in no small part due to the sheer talent of its lineup. In addition to Harris's prodigious skills on melodic percussion, the band features the rock solid drumming of Terreon Gulley, a longtime collaborator who can run the gamut from muscular funk grooves to sensitive brushwork. Bassist Ben Williams, a D.C. native, is one of jazz's rising stars, having recently won the prestigious 2009 Monk Competition. Keyboardist Sullivan Fortner will replace Marc Carey on Saturday, adding textures with acoustic and electric sounds. Casey Benjamin is one of the most gifted alto players on the scene, and we last saw him at Mos Def's memorable Kennedy Center performance. His vocoder work always perks the ears, though sometimes drawing criticism from purists.
"There's a great sense of almost telepathy that we share with one another," said Harris of his band. "We don't even have a set list when we come out on the stage."
He also notes that the band strives to engage its audience, as opposed to taking on the sort of aloof persona that many jazz musicians embrace.
"In the grandest sense I'd like it to feel like there's no separation between the band and the audience," he said. "We just have a great time. It's pretty simple actually."
Stefon Harris & Blackout will perform 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. sets on Saturday, Nov. 14 at the KC Jazz Club. Tickets are sold out, but it's worth contacting the box office for last minute availability.