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Jazz
and soft shoes This had resonance in my own mind as I made my eager way to the Dave O'Higgins performance last Saturday at 'The Boom'. The phrase's topicality stemmed from the need to hear (and perhaps see) something which has not been done before; that I would not be taken along the same predictable routes and lines of thoughts, concepts and processes, with an endless review of the same "old" standards, played either faster or slower than when they were originally penned and performed. Miles Davis took this "anxiety" a step further, in that, he'd hate to feel he was even copying HIMSELF! As he once remarked, he was sick and tired of hearing people imitating Miles Davis, Bird or Coltrane, rather than being original. He could not bear the idea that he was merely re-creating (regurgitating) his own music, and strove, through the 40-odd years of his career in music, to be "different" and fresh everyday; a restless questing that took him through four exciting stages of development keeping him at the outer edge of the cutting edge, while absorbing the cadence, rhythm and expressive feelings of different sources of inspiration. It was this same restlessness that marked the insatiable demands made on himself by John Coltrane; a punishing and exhausting rehearsal and examination of self, to see where and in which direction his music could go before it reduced to a predictably dull ash-heap of convention. Thus, until his untimely passing in 1967, he was at the leading edge of what is called "jazz" saxophone when he led his quintessential John Coltrane Quartet in the 1960s. I dare say that this young Britisher, Dave O'Higgins is possessed of the same vital urge to reinvent himself and blaze through the confines of his "compartment". He has a sound to match, for his tone is also lighter in the Lester Young mould, and quite unlike the broader ebullient Johnny Griffin or Sonny Rollins methods. The "bite" and incisive phraseology may remind one of the younger Dexter Gordon or Wardell Gray! These do not represent efforts at making comparisons; just to "place" in the reader's mind the oeuvre and the general cast of this fine and talented player who is on the cusp of some very interesting developments in modern music. In this, he reminds me of his confrere, the amazing Londoner Tubby Hayes (1935-1973), who reputedly out blew Al Cohn and Zoot Sims in 1961, and reduced them to sluggish jelly in a famed meeting in a New York club! O'Higgins' telling and impressive "act of reinvention" has drawn upon the splendour of another vital and forceful tradition that grew parallel with improvised music - that of improvised dance! Few alive today would have memories of the Africans' response to rhythm in Congo Square on Sundays; the only day when in New Orleans slaves were allowed licence to play drums and dance. That 19th century tradition laid the ground for what developed as the mainstream of improvised music, which was also called 'jazz'. Debussy heard the ragged rhythms and the dance that went with it called the "Cakewalk" and in turn, composed his own interpretation of the same, "Golliwog's Cakewalk" - a signal politically-incorrect nomenclature! This same foundation not only gave rise to the manic excesses of the Lindy-hop and the jitterbugging patrons of the 1920s and '30s in the many dance-halls and watering-holes across the United States territories, but engendered artfully elegant presentations that in turn fostered famous star performers, among whom were former vaudevillians like Bill Robinson (a.k.a "Bojangles"), and also Will Mastin and Sammy Davis Snr., The Nicholas Brothers, The Four STEP Brothers, and the legendary "Snake Hips" Johnson, who wowed everyone in sight, and made women swoon at the Savoy Ballroom in uptown New York. And yes! Even the acrobatic "Peg Leg" Bates, who had only one leg, the other being a prosthetic made of wood! Indeed, in that same esoteric and highly charged locale of Harlem, one Edward "Duke" Ellington, and later Cab Calloway led bands in the 1930s which also played for elegant Cabarets at "The Cotton Club". Not only were these outstanding and shimmering dance performances de rigueur, but, they influenced patterns and forms of dance a great deal, leading all the way to Hollywood and beyond. The prevailing mode was mostly to do with what became known as "tap", but, importantly, there was also the "soft shoe" routine that grew concurrently; Sammy Davis Jr. would show how good he was in such routines. Dave O'Higgins was at pains to explain to the audience at The Boom, that that tradition of hosting "dancers" in the context of the jazz "event" passed away and out of style when modern music became a more serious "art" form. That supposedly cerebral approach precluded the need to have dancers providing fun and frolic within the milieu. While that may be true in part, Dance remained puissant, especially in New York; "Baby" Laurence was one of those dancers who early captured the polyrhythm and cross-rhythms that were being established with developments in the music which, for want of a better term, settled for the onomatopoeic terminology "Be Bop". Laurence's "tap" went beyond "Swing" and the Four-Four rhythmic structure, and created a fresh vernacular in African dance in the US. The JazzCotech Dancers, Brian Beveridge, Kola Abidogun, Marciano Bryan and Perry Louis (choreographer), have drawn on this resplendent history of African dance, and added another dimension, i.e. the Hip Hop of the London club scene and street Break Dance, and come up with a winning mix that transports the Dave O'Higgins oeuvre into a completely different and unpredictable realm- from a mere music-set to a "show piece" performance, which is as exciting and breathtaking as a juggler juggling with four active chainsaws!! Which is not a reduction in any way (surprisingly) of the music to the level of a clowning exercise in a circus! Rather, this complements the process, and one was left with the overarching sense that improvised music is still alive and robust! One did not need to fear being embarrassed by the "dead copycats" anymore! Further, it is not a fact of the JazzCotech dancers moving to the music of the band; rather, it is a challenge issued to the band to keep up with and in consequence inspire THE DANCE. This is, as I see it, "collective" improvisation brought to another level. Although at times in the set, Perry and his men would just set up a unison routine; soon, each dancer would take on a "solo" spot, even trading fours and eights, reacting to and developing his steps upon what the Quintet was playing at that moment in time, or, they would respond to each other as well, not with gesture, but with their feet first! In this milieu, the band could never be satisfied with merely "keeping time". Far more, they needed to lead and be led in return; in this I marvel at the efficacy with which "time" was handled and delivered by O'Higgins' drummer Mike Bradley. And Mike was supposed to be the "replacement" drummer in the absence of Dave's regular who could not make the tour! At the perilously fast tempi on Gillespie's "Be Bop", and also a furious "Giant Steps" (John Coltrane), the beats and the off-beats came over with panache, and I could "see" the tangible support given the soft-shoe dancers, during these numbers. After all, this is "live" and urgent at the same time (yes, my juggler allegory is all true!) From the side of the purely musical, the event offered some great moments. There were lush allusions to history when Dave O'Higgins' tenor saxophone swelled and sobbed over a barrage of sixteenth notes (or even of less value!) flowing in the proverbial "sheets of sound" as he played "vertically" rather than "horizontally", fitting-in the chord changes at blinding speed, in his prelude to the magnificent Coltrane anthem, "Naima", which proved wonderful as it was laid out with love. Dave's mastery of the soprano saxophone is also memorable, and was used to telling and tasteful effect on the many "funk" pieces, which were among the evening's fare. Mention must be made of the facility possessed by guitarist Mike Outram- his effortless choruses and creative impulse were also noteworthy, logically developed and often lyrical (eg. in Caravan) even when playing prestissimo, as were the challenging and tangential trajectories favoured by the young pianist (electric piano), Tom Cawley- I'll be looking out for him in the future! (Octave and double-octave runs at blinding speed!) Sam Burgess would have sounded a lot better, had he a choice of playing double bass; it would have added flair, whereas the "overabundance" that comes across with the electric bass was occasionally distracting. This winning mix of music and dance led to the demand from the British Council for a different choice of venue, hence the "club" being favoured over the "concert hall". There was virtue in that choice, but it failed, in that the competition the true listeners had from an inattentive audience, who ate and drank through the evening was irksome, to say the least. Thankfully the volume was up LOUD, during the performance, and it is a marvel of discipline that Dave O'Higgins and his men could even PLAY in such a circumstance! Imagine if Charles Mingus had been there on Saturday night! It’s
about jazz and dance Having played with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Peter Gabriel and Incognito, Dave has also had a busy solo career. "Before 1940 people used to let loose to jazz music," says Dave. But over the years he feels that it has become too serious and too elitist. "Now that jazz is taken seriously I felt it was time to reintroduce dancing," he says. Not a first timer here in Sri Lanka, Dave has entertained Lankan audiences twice before. Speaking about the workshops they were hosting, Dave feels that it is important to try and share professional experiences and attempt to inspire people more than anything else. JazzCotech Dancers, a UK dance group now touring Sri Lanka with the Dave O'Higgins Jazz Quintet specializes in the untapped art form of Old Skool Street-Fusion Jazz Dance. This is a dance style that developed in UK clubs around the '70s and '80s. The JazzCotech Dancers are the only dance group currently teaching this style. We caught up with Perry Louis who leads the JazzCotech Dancers. Frequenting clubs that mainly played jazz, Louis has always been fascinated by this style of music. As a DJ, he was interested in forms of dance for jazz music. "I have worked with people like Sting, James Brown and Mark Murphey," he says adding that this made him keen on forming his own group. Starting off ten years ago the JazzCotech Dancers are, "a bunch of guys and girls who are very active," says Louis. These guardians of jazz dance will give the Sri Lankan audience a glimpse of their fast paced intricacy and raw styles. Participating in many festivals and contributing to many educational works, Perry Louis wants to show everyone what jazz is all about. He hopes to encourage people to get up and dance when they are performing. The excitement of jazz music and the element in it that gives you the opportunity to "let yourself go," is what makes Perry Louis love it so. - Ishani Ranasinghe |
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