Montreal '07

John, Paul, Alex and i went to the opening night of the Montreal Jazz Festival.

We had a great time. The term supergroup is widely overused when star musicians come together. But the power trio of John Scofield on guitar, Larry Goldings on Hammond B-3 organ and Jack DeJohnette on drums lived up to that billing last night.
Each is an influential bandleader in his own right. Together, they call themselves Trio Beyond because they're determined to push the musical envelope.
And that was clear from the start at Theatre Maisonneuve of Place des Arts as they launched into a smartly swinging version of Woody Shaw's composition If, then dialed up the electronica and the spacey vibe on a medley that included As One, Allah Be Praised and Saudades.
This band takes inspiration from the late drummer Tony Williams's organ trio Lifetime, a fearless bunch of adventurers who came to prominence in the late 1960s, featuring pioneering organist Larry Young.
Not for them the roadhouse blues and jazz in a typical organ trio.
Sure, there was plenty of swing from Trio Beyond last night. But there was also some of the raw energy, amplified by swirling colours from Goldings's organ, psychedelia from Scofield and the primal force of DeJohnette's drums.
None of that detracted from the wonderful melodic sense these guys possessed on Scofield's composition Flower Power and the Ornette Coleman tune Invisible.
It was a great festival kickoff.

The boys and I also saw Wynton Marselis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. Joan, Claire and Maureen saw them with me a few years ago. this was different as they were accompanied by a procussion group from Ghana. More on that later...

Tonight, we see Pink Martini.