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Day 3 at the Rochester International Jazz Festival had communal energy to it. Everyone was socializing and excited, and so friendly in the lines when waiting for shows, and sitting around outside. The atmosphere was lovely, and you could hear that reflected in the music.
I had carefully planned my schedule for the day, but it was thrown off when the Paul Cornish Trio trapped me in my seat.
The trio walked in so calmly and nonchalantly that the audience barely noticed that the show was starting. Then Cornish hit play on a laptop set up next to his piano, and it started playing an interview clip from Cornel West about John Coltrane being a “force for good” when exhibiting the power of a love supreme. This unexpected spoken-word breakdown of the jazz legend’s album title led into some beautiful, rhythmic, ambient free jazz from the trio. The show started as calmly as they were when walking in, but it was clear from the start that this group would take every opportunity to bend the rules and expectations.
With Jonathan Pinson on drums and Vicente Archer on bass, this trio unshakably presents forward-thinking post-bop and experimental sections in what feels like the ushering of a wholly new voice in the jazz scene. It makes sense that the young pianist is already signed to one of the most respected and storied jazz record labels, Blue Note. He represents that lineage accurately.
“Be Still My Vulnerable Heart” started the set on a touching note with the aforementioned West intro, and after the trio flittered about with abstract melodies and solid rhythmic motifs building up to a dramatic and moving finish, the collage finally came together.
The following rendition of “All the Things You Are” was difficult to recognize, especially since Cornish decided to focus all in on the fact that the melody of the song is primarily composed of the note G. He calls his version of the jazz standard “Real Gs” in honor of Lil Wayne’s poetic lyric “Real G’s move in silence like lasagna.”
His original compositions are also stellar, like the structurally enticing and slightly tense “Palindrome,” but it was the Trio’s rendition of Sonny Rollins’ “St. Thomas” that really blew my mind. The tribute to the recently deceased Rollins was illuminating and sounded spiritually potent.
There were moments when the three musicians were melodically interwoven, with even the drums utilizing pitched toms to contribute to the overall texture. It was like three different birds blending their calls together. After a breathtaking drum solo from Pinson that included the main melodic idea within the toms, I knew I had made the right decision to stay for the whole set.
A show I was just gonna stop in for became one of my favorite sets this year. He also plays on Day 4 at Hatch Recital Hall, and I’ll be making sure to see him again.
Arturo Sandoval has certainly been at this for a while. The Cuban multi-instrumentalist is 76 years old, has 10 Grammy Awards under his belt, and his new album, “Sangú,” is currently No. 1 on the jazz radio charts. Even with these accolades, he still has an incurable charisma and down-to-earth presence. Sandoval’s show at Kodak Hall seemed better suited to a Parcel 5 booking. It was more than an hour of hyper danceable Afro-Cuban-inspired jazz that had everyone grooving in their seats.
The nine-piece group was intensely rhythmic. Sandoval and his band brought along two drum kits—one traditional and one with hand and auxiliary percussion—plus an extra couple of drums set aside for Sandoval as well. I’m always partial to a two-kit setup. I love how locked in each drummer has to be with the other. Near constant eye contact the entire time, moving as a single unit. And the songs are all the better for it; when all the layers of percussion are pushed forward, each groove brings its own unique texture.
It is difficult to focus on the specifics of this show, though, since Sandoval draws all eyes to him. As a seasoned performer, he feels comfortable and at home, but he is also bursting with excitement and joy as if it is his first time. Throughout the show, he cracked jokes and interacted with the audience.
“Did someone just fart?” he quipped after an audience member’s chair creaked. I don’t know how he even heard it, or why he had such a knee-jerk reaction to the sound, but these conversational moments are enough to easily win a crowd over.
Not that they needed to be won over, of course. Sandoval’s music is crowd-pleasing and fit for any music fan. Or anyone with joy in their hearts. Honestly, if you don’t feel anything while listening to this stuff, you might be dead.
It’s unclear how many songs Sandoval and his band blazed through during the set. One song (or was it two songs stitched together?) stopped abruptly as Sandoval trailed off into some bebop scatting, which then devolved into him waking up the audience with a loud “BAM” into the microphone (as if we needed to be woken up), which then evolved into a little comedy routine about three bebop legends and how they respond to the question of what is bebop. And he says he isn’t a comedian. Yah, right.
John Birks Gillespie—Sandoval won’t call him Dizzy, because “he was anything but Dizzy”—was one of these bebop legends he joked about, which was a nice mention, especially since Gillespie was a mentor to Sandoval. His expressive trumpet runs and joyful scatting have Dizzy written all over them, and you could feel Sandoval paying tribute throughout the show.
Each punchline in this little story led to another scatting section, each delightfully different. When it seemed his bit was over, he woke everyone up again with a “BAM” right into the microphone. As much as it might sound like this part of the show was overdone and eccentric, it did not get old.
“Sangú,” which is a fake word that when pronounced with Spanish vowels, “sahn – goo,” just means “sounds good.” Actually adorable. He ended the set with the title track, which included audience participation that had the crowd humming the melody as they exited Kodak Hall after the show. It was stuck in my head for about 20 minutes after the show ended.
Makoto Ozone and Tommy Smith are an unlikely piano and saxophone duo, Ozone from Japan, and Smith from Scotland. The two musicians have their own careers as group leaders, but they have more than three decades of experience playing together. As artists with completely different backgrounds, these two have a collaborative synergy that elevates their craft as individuals.
Smith is a tonal chameleon on the saxophone. I often think of the piano as the most versatile instrument, but Smith put up a fight during this show. He produced squeals, growls, sharp tones, soft tones, whispers, shouts, vocals—all from one horn. There was even a moment where he perfectly emulated a trumpet, which made me recoil in surprise.
Ozone holds chaos within his playing style. He thrives in compositions that throw expectations and limits aside so he can just expand on whatever idea comes to him. He knows when to reel it back for softer moments, but his unbridled creativity remains unexpected.
The two of them together are perfect, but not in an expected way. They don’t complement each other as much as they just find a way to always boost each other up and fall into the right place among the compositions. This dynamic results in worthwhile sonic explorations, especially when they play more creative pieces like the Smith-composed “El Niño,” an 11-bar blues that also seems to play in mixed meter.
Another Smith composition, “Eternal Light,” was an ethereal and thoughtful Coltrane tribute. The performance started with Smith positioning the saxophone bell into the body of the grand piano, with Ozone holding down the suspension pedal. Every note that Smith played reverberated within the piano, and vibrated the strings that correspond with each pitch and overtone. The musical apparition created from the vibrating strings sat beneath the crooning saxophone with a ghostly ambiance.
The Ozone song “Lazy Uncle” picked up the pace with its quirky and spirited melody. Just like every song before it, Ozone was having an absolute blast. The pianist uses the Rhythm Changes chord progression to maximize the jaunty and playful elements of his playing. His need to play outside the box was underscored during a notable audience interaction where a phone rang with a Beethoven ringtone. It interrupted a story Ozone was telling about his brief stint in the classical world, which was unfamiliar territory for him as such a free and improvisational player. He then echoed the ringtone on the piano to illustrate how he prefers to lead with his ear. “You should come up here for percussion!” he quipped after a second ringtone interrupted him, this one a marimba jingle.
The performance by Ozone and Smith was one of my most anticipated acts this year, and they did not disappoint.
Some of the world’s greatest jazz artists are taking the stage downtown in the coming days. Day 4 brings out Cornish again, along with Raul Midón, The Headhunters, and more.
For the Beacon’s Jazz Fest coverage, click here.
Jess Williams is a Rochester Beacon contributing writer and former intern.
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