Event Info
Charles McPherson Quartet
The Cellar brings Charles McPherson into Vancouver for engagement with a local t...
4:00pm
$20 per set
Event Description
The Cellar brings Charles McPherson into Vancouver for engagement with a local trio led by pianist Ross Taggart. McPherson's wiry, Bebop, alto saxophone technique keeps the tempo going strong and hard. While the volume mix places too much emphasis on the piano, allowing the percussive instrument to over shadow the others, this session maintains a focus on the leader's muscular alto and his veteran chops. At 63, he performs with the same force and fluid control that he employed when working with Charles Mingus many decades distant. His incisive emotional direction comes from a life long mission. Before a summer time nightclub audience, McPherson shows 'em what its all about. While blazing fast and furious on Dizzy Gillespie's "Blue & Boogie," for example, he launches fistfuls of tone clusters in practiced fashion. Notes are flying everywhere, and the quartet holds it together tightly. It all fits comfortably in the end. Taggart, bassist Jodi Proznick, and drummer Blaine Wikjord follow suit with crisp outings of their own. The pianist, in particular, manages a crisp tirade that matches McPherson's superb demonstration. The saxophonist's greatest asset, however, isn't his dizzying technique or his all absorbing emotion: its his clear respect for a beautiful tone. By reserving half the program for soulful ballads, the leader is able to portray this essential element to its fullest extent. Seamless phrasing, fluid fingers, and a genuine concern for the art produced makes this one a true winner. - Jim Santella (CADENCE)
Venue
The Cellar Restaurant/Jazz Club
3611 West Broadway
Open / Operational
Fri. January 16th 2004
The Cellar Restaurant/Jazz Club
In-Person Event
