A highlight of the Detroit Jazz Festival (August 30-September 2), according to the Oakland Press’ Gary Graff and Charlie Hunt, was the performance of bassist Christian McBride’s Inside Straight (photographed by Jersey Jazz’s Tony Graves, above). “The straight-ahead combo,” they wrote, “is just one iteration of McBride’s performance persona, but could very well be his most lethal. The quintet was swinging, straight-ahead, yet constantly reaching for new territory with the post-bop tradition.”
The quintet included pianist Peter Martin, drummer Carl Allen, vibraphonist Warren Wolf, and alto saxophonist Jaleel Shaw. Wolf, whose Cellar Music album, History of the Vibraphone, has been Number 1 on the JazzWeek charts three of the last four weeks, will be interviewed by Jay Sweet in the November issue of Jersey Jazz. He’s appearing at William Paterson’s Jazz Room series on Sunday November 24.
Also of note was the appearance in Detroit of pianist Isaiah J. Thompson (photo below), a Jersey Jazz Rising Star (November/December 2020) and winner of the 2023 American Pianists Awards. The Detroit Free Press pointed out that, “At only 27 years old, he has become a highly sought-after figure in jazz and has worked with such major artists as Ron Carter, John Pizzarelli, Christian McBride and Cécile McLorin Salvant.” Pizzarelli, who first saw him at a Jazz House Kids performance when the 27-year-old Thompson was 16, told Jersey Jazz: “I’ve always been attracted to his love for the music and dedication to the right sounds. He puts such fire and thought into his solos.”
PHOTOS BY TONY GRAVES
