Trio of joy
When brilliant Razorback bassist Louie Talan told me which musicians were coming to Manila to perform on Oct. 16, Friday, at Hotel Sofitel as a trio, I was floored. Scott Henderson. Jeff Berlin. Dennis Chambers.
This is the ticket, the aural equivalent of a basketball dream team. I mean most jazz-heads who love to get their rocks off enjoyed immensely the Trio of Doom album featuring John McLaughlin, Jaco Pastorius and Tony Williams. With Jaco and Tony playing in the great gig in the sky (with Jimi Hendrix most probably, Miles and Coltrane as the horn section), and hard-rocking jazz-fusion threesomes so hard to come by, the Henderson, Berlin and Chambers triumvirate is arguably the next best thing.
“Initially I thought the lineup was too good to be true,” Talan says. The bassist was invited to co-produce the show by friends from the Philippine International Jazz Festival Foundation, Edgar Avenir and Sandra Lim.
The Philippine International Jazz Festival Foundation, JB Music, and WombWorks Studio are pitching in to make this gig happen. PIJazz has been around for five years now, and it has done well. From its humble beginnings, the festival has become a key event in bringing in some of the most popular foreign jazz acts such as Deodato, Kevyn Lettau, Diane Schurr, and Spyro Gyra, as well as putting the spotlight on homegrown jazz musicians.
Talan adds, “I did a quick check on Scott Henderson’s website and there it was: the announcement of the first ever Henderson, Berlin & Chambers tour. I was thinking this is one gig Filipino musicians should watch.”
Playing as a trio is a very tricky situation, according to Talan. “You really have to make each note or beat count, and there isn’t a wash of sound available to cover up the hesitation in your delivery. It is a situation that requires a strong command of your instrument and confidence. You also have to be extra-creative in filling up holes in the sound, and to keep the music flowing in an interesting manner.”
He is particularly interested in seeing how Henderson, Berlin and Chambers give each other musical space and support. “Oftentimes, if you put a few virtuosos together on stage, they end up stepping on each other’s toes, each refusing to play a supporting role to the other. I think these three masters will show exactly how it is done and more — and they could raise the bar on trio playing. This is one gig that jazz, blues and rock musicians and aficionados can appreciate at the same time.”
Guitarist Scott Henderson founded Tribal Tech with Gary Willis. Henderson also did gigs with Chick Corea’s Elektric Band, Jean-Luc Ponty, and the gone-but-not-forgotten Weather Report co-founder and Zawinul Syndicate leader Joe Zawinul.
“Jazz guitar on steroids is how I’d describe his playing,” Louie explains. “Henderson delivers soulful blues, and jazzy lines with a sound and attitude that have some serious bite. The guy is a tone-master.”
But for all the technical ecstasy of those Tribal Tech and sideman outings, many still find Scott’s countrified reading of Jaco’s Continuum on “Tore Down House” his most evocative statement to date. Henderson has played in the past with Willis, Victor Wooten and Billy Sheehan — all spellbindingly great bassists — so it’s interesting to see him play with…
Jeff Berlin who is considered by many to be the “finest bass player in the world.” (Only don’t tell that to Wooten or Stanley Clarke.) He has played with anyone who matters: Frank Zappa, Yes (for crying out loud), Allan Holdsworth, and Larry Coryell, among others.
Talan enthuses, “Jeff Berlin is right up there with the greats of bass like Stanley Clarke and Jaco. A true virtuoso known not just for his highly-technical, melodic bass playing, but also for his controversial opinions on music and music education. Jeff is a staunch advocate of formal music training. His column in Bass Player magazine was always educational and a good read when I was learning bass.”
There is a video on YouTube showing Berlin jamming with Jaco, and Jeff’s holding his own against the bass legend. This guy is a virtuoso. I have a CD-ROM that came free with a bass magazine, showing Berlin playing a 12-bar blues number — the bends, the slides, the turnarounds, the counterpoints — with a four-string bass guitar. Alone… All by his lonesome… And this was years before Wooten performed Amazing Grace during a solo spot in a Bela Fleck concert. It makes you wonder how Berlin would fare with a monster drummer like…
Ah, Dennis Chambers. I have a John McLaughlin CD called “The Promise,” and sometimes I’ll find myself focusing on the drum tracks. That’s a bit of a stretch considering you have John’s birds-of-fire guitar all over the tunes. That just proves the power and precision of Chambers’ drumming.
“Dennis is a groove-master,” describes Talan. “He has played in groups from funk to jazz to rock — and he made them all groove. Unlike Henderson and Berlin, Dennis received no formal music training at all. He doesn’t read notes and plays the way he does because he has a definite feel for the drums and its role in music.”
Chambers’ resume is impressive: Dennis Chambers started out playing for Parliament-Funkadelic, and he recently toured with Steely Dan and Tower of Power. In between, he gigged with the likes of Stanley Clarke, the Brecker Brothers, and John Scofield, among others. One has to be funky as hell to maintain the drum chairs in those bands.
Been watching a lot of boxing lately, and I tell you these musicians — their chops, their jazz-rock sensibilities, the sheer volume — pack a gradually-growing tornado of punches.
* * *
Scott Henderson, Jeff Berlin and Dennis Chambers are performing as a trio for the first time. They will have gigs in Japan, China, South Korea, Thailand and Taiwan. They will perform on Oct. 16, Friday, 7:30 p.m. at Hotel Sofitel’s Grand Sunset Pavilion, Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City. Tickets are priced at P2,000 for Guests, P3,500 for Patrons, and P5,000 for VIPs. Tickets are available at Ticketnet (911-5555) and Ticketword (891-9999) outlets, and all JB Music Stores. For tickets you may also call or SMS 0920-9509264. Bayang Barrios will be the front act. There will be free afternoon workshops for ticket-holders. For information, visit www.pijazz fest.com.
