I knew what to expect. I have been following David Sanborn since his climb to popularity during the Smooth Jazz emergence in the 80s. He put on a good show, rightly sharing the spotlight with jazz organist extraordinaire Joey DeFrancesco, who brought and played his own personal B3 vintage Hammond organ. While Sanborn belted out the tunes in his classic sax style, DeFrancesco played his organ with pure glee. His feet danced across the organ’s pedals as he put his heart into singing Let the Good Times Roll, bobbing and throwing his head back as the lyrics poured out of him. The audience was on board, the good times were rolling all over the State Theatre. Click above to view the David Sanborn Photostream.
And then the place exploded. New Orleans native Trombone Shorty, a.k.a. Troy Andrews and the band who he plays with most often, Orleans Avenue, thundered on stage. At first appearances the unassuming band looked like high school boys, young and super-casually dressed, but their sound was all grown up. The act was like putting Lenny Kravitz, Satchmo and Nine Inch Nails in a bottle, shaking it well and pouring out its fused contents on stage. As if to emphasize the intensity of the music, Orleans Avenue has two of everything – two guitars (one bass), two saxaphones (tenor and bass) and two drummers (one played bongos). The other drummer, Joey Peebles, was the most fascinating member of the band. He played nonstop. His orb of fuzzy locks bounced with every beat, and at one point Peebles performed an over-the-top drum solo that was so frenzied the entire crowd, including Trombone Shorty, just stood back in amazement. Click here to view the Trombone Shorty VIDEO SLIDESHOW.
When was the last time you saw a trombonist headlining a performance? Trombone Shorty played his trombone, trumpet, tambourine and throat. During and in between he joyfully danced and directed the band. Andrews was a dynamo, jumping and flailing his extra-long limbs to the rhythms, with more stylistic gyration then conducting. The first few pieces were the heaviest hitters with strong, overwhelming rock vibrations and then the tone brightened up considerably. While still manic and intense, TSOA’s pulsating version of pop hits like The Way You Make Me Feel had the audience grooving in the isles and Ray Charles’ I Got A Woman was an interlude between Andrews and the audience who answered back and forth shouting the lyrics military style, but with a whole lot more joy.
Who knew that in the 21st century a song like Sunny Side of the Street would be the high-point in a performance? Trombone Shorty’s showmanship was in full force when, mid song, he dragged out a note on the trumpet for many, many minutes, in what seemed like a reality-defying performance. He half-collapsed briefly then sprang back into full-throttle singing the rest of the song, with the audience in shear delight.
The evening ended classic New Orleans style when, led by Trombone Shorty, the members of the band strolled down off stage and paraded through the audience while playing When The Saints Go Marching In. It was a long night. Sanborn’s Trio was entertaining and Trombone Shorty and his crew put on the most refreshing performance I have seen in a very time.
Tri-C JazzFest hit it out of the park with the talent it brought to town this year. Learn more about it here.
Click here to view the Trombone Shorty VIDEO SLIDESHOW.
Click here to view the David Sanborn PHOTOSTREAM.
http://www.tricpresents.com/jazzfest/