When vibraphonist Chuck Redd and pianist John DiMartino played Billy Strayhorn’s “A Flower is a Lovesome Thing” on Redd’s 2019 Dalphine Records album, Groove City, George W. Harris of JazzWeekly described it as “a tour de force aria.” Fortunately, for those attending the April 6th Jersey Jazz LIVE! concert in Madison, NJ, the duo (photo above) repeated that performance, a true masterpiece.
The rest of the set was just as extraordinary. The repertoire included another Strayhorn tune, “Rain Check”, Cy Coleman’s “Witchcraft”, Bert Bacharach and Hal David’s “Alfie’, and Charles Strouse’s “A Lot of Livin’ to Do” from Bye Bye Birdie.
There was also a tribute to the late great saxophonist/composer Benny Golson, the duo’s interpretation of “Whisper Not”, so closely connected to Ella Fitzgerald. There was some disagreement about who wrote the lyrics — Leonard Feather or Jon Hendricks. But, after some brief audience research, the answer was Feather.
While Redd and DiMartino’s musical talent is undisputed, the performance was enhanced by their engaging demeanor — they were clearly having a lot of fun, and so was the audience. In a Facebook post a few days after the performance, Redd said: “John DiMartino and I had a wonderful time last Sunday, playing for the serious jazz audience in Madison. Looking forward to the next time!”
They were preceded by a Rising Stars opening act — a quartet from Pascack Valley High School in Hillsdale, NJ. The group played several jazz classics including Horace Silver’s “Song for My Father” and Dizzy Gillespie’s “A Night in Tunisia”. (photo below: alto saxophonist Ming-Yang Qin and trumpeter Carolyn Veit).
PHOTOS BY MARGUERITE LAFOUNTAINE
