Tom Browne, what’s up with that?

Virgin Islands (Br.)

The reviews for Jazz on the Hill have been in the can for months.  I was just not inclined to publish any of it before now.

For a band that was put together a matter of days before taking to the main stage at Jazz on the Hill, Tom Browne and Friends surprised when they came off the blocks.  It was a cooker, but the gas was disturbed by an ill wind before the finish.

Trinidad born BVI based pannist, Marlon Abner, featured prominently throughout the set.  He was particularly with it on Earth Wind and Fire’s Back Stabbers for a start, but as to whether he ran out of ideas or was unsure of the arrangement of the song, I do not know.  Anyhow, his solo fizzled and died at the end.  One thing is for sure, he knew it; his reaction afterwards was proof enough.  For he was sensitive to the fact that a fine solo must be predictable at the point of resolution, not just for the listener, but most importantly as a cue to the rest of the band.  The solo was not resolved to my satisfaction.

The leader did not help the cause any better on this rendition due to a patent lack of fluidity on the trumpet.  His notes though full of pyrotechnics, were nevertheless uneven thus extracting the rich substance of the melody from the music.

However, all this is not to say that Browne was all bust.  Far from it, Back Stabbers was just his down side in a rather short, albeit unsatisfying set.  Actually, Tom Browne was making way for the headline act for the night, Daniel Bishop and Friends.

Tom Browne came to Jazz on the Hill, Virgin Gorda with a sound reputation.  Sadly, he did not sparkle, thus leaving the J-Fans rather blue than Browne.

Subsequent Posts: An evening well spent at Jazz on the Hill 2009 with Daniel Bishop and Friends,

Drawn In(to) The Light at Jazz on the Hill 2009

Previous Posts: North Carolina State University Jazz Band blew the roof off Jazz on the Hill 2009,

Drexel Glasgow’s Gospel in a Mello Tone flunked Jazz on the Hill 2009,

Jazz on the Hill 2009 got off to a corny start with Bobby Hinton and Friends, May 15 2009

More on Jazz on the Hill 2009 as my muse dictates…

Daniel Bishop and Friends presented Tn’T with Gospel Jazz, June 20

Gospel-Jazz pianist, Daniel Bishop and Friends were confident going into A Taste of Heaven 1 at the CLR James Auditorium located at the Cipriani College of Labour and Co-operative Studies in St. Joseph, Trinidad on Saturday, June 20.

Speaking with Marielle Barrow, host of Trini Smooth on wmjx 100.5 fm, hours before the show, Bishop described the sound he hoped to produce as “something new and refreshing.” When pressed, he added that “the music is just different. It’s nicer. It’s more smooth – you just have to be there to hear it.”

Citing the Smooth Jazz groups Yellowjackets and Spyro Gyra as some of his major musical influences, Bishop explained that he was inspired to draw on the emphasis that these outfits place on melody. Therefore, he has made it his goal to find a more even balance between melody and rhythm in his writings, when compared to other Caribbean bands.

Speaking to the apparent contradiction of his drawing from Smooth Jazz rather than Gospel to germinate his Gospel Jazz, Bishop lamented the state and standard of music in the church right now, which has caused musicians to leave their sanctuaries to seek out greater challenges in the secular environment. However, Bishop finds no double standards in searching for musical ideas outside of Gospel to feed his style.

Nor do I. In fact, I believe it is a non-issue that a Gospel Jazz artist chooses to listen to Smooth Jazz, or any other sub-genre for that matter, no matter the reason. Indeed, I hold the opinion that “Gospel Music” ought not be considered as a standalone genre. Because, really, Gospel is a spiritual philosophy. Consequently, an artist – any artist – should be free to use any of the established styles of music, Jazz included, as a vehicle to spread that gospel. But then I understand that many people associate Gospel music with what I consider  The Word sung to American R&B as a backdrop.

Daniel Bishop and Friends was Bishop on keyboards, Sean Friday, David Bertrand, David Richards, Tamba Gwindi, Gideon Bishop, Genia and Reisha St. Hilaire, Juline John and Chris ‘Tambu’ Herbert.