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Sticks and Stones
Downtown Music Gallery review
MATANA ROBERTS/JOSH ABRAMS/CHAD TAYLOR - Sticks and Stones
Matana plays alto sax, comes from Chicago, but is
currently residing in Boston and sat in with Ras Moshe here at DMG a
few weeks ago. I was quite impressed with her tone and playing, as
well as her friendly, soft spoken charm. Josh and Chad are the
in-demand rhythm team from Chicago Underground and also played here
once as well. Starting with Matana's "turning the mark", the sax and
bass play in slow motion while the drummer spins quickly and quietly,
still all three float together on soft waves. Nice. Josh's "equally
strong" is led by the bass setting the tricky pace while the sax and
drums swirl around that central repeating riff and each take
impressive solos. "lose my number" sounds like a bop tune and swings
hard and fast with the drummer pushing Matana's alto higher and
higher until the boiling point, then slowing back down again. Chad's
"suhassani" is a hushed ballad which Matana pushes into high gear
when she solos, midway she slows down while the rhythm team flies
quickly around her, an odd yet successful balance of opposites. An
odd choice might seem like Lee Perry/Jumior Delgado's "sons of
slaves", but the trio do a fine job doing a somber, yet hypnotic
version of this reggae tune. Matana's "hannibul" is a free and flows
beautifully, creating a web of mesmerizing shades and colors.
Matana's graceful tone on her "spaces" tune reminds me of Lee Konitz,
gliding over the use of somber mallets. I dig the drummer's dancing
groove on "salvador", which has quite an infectious melody, but ends
too soon. The final piece is Josh's "spicer", which has some of the
softest sax and bass imaginable, while the drums build in intensity
throughout and tell a long story. Jimmy Giuffre inspired, maybe?
Restraint is the common thread here, the trio do an impressive job of
keeping things engaging, without ever having to scream loudly.