In spite of all the controversial opinions about what the “Jazz Tradition” means, one thing that is not debatable is that its origins are irrevocably bound to the intention of making people want to dance. All of the venerable chord sequences found within the Great American Songbook, however much we might stack alterations upon them, only become irresistible when they are animated by quarter notes. Quarter notes are like an ancient truth that is continuously updating all of reality. The sacred space between quarter notes is a geometry that shares its ancestry with the space between 0 and 1.
In 1957, Sonny Rollins began performing with chordless trios featuring only bass and drums. His “A Night at the Village Vanguard” is an example of when a frantic exclamation such as “Somebody call an ambulance!” accurately describes the way music can make us feel. Sonny Rollins trios swing so hard, it is an emergency.
The great 21st-century tenorman Walter Smith III reposted an Instagram story I shared during the afternoon before his trio’s set at Cambridge’s Regattabar. The post was a screen shot of the album art, an audio clip from the trio’s first recording, and a short message in text: “Tonight in Cambridge. Walter Smith paging Sonny Rollins. EMTs on standby.” Hopefully he got a kick out of it.
Ousting the piano revealed the depth of interconnection among the three remaining instruments. The naked clarity of the counterpoint, austere timbral range, and rhythmic liberation that occurs when brought together in the hands of masters can conjure an energy that is so physical in nature, you can practically see the harmonic series floating around in the air. Towards the end of the set, I was not at all surprised to notice a man with a very long grey beard wearing a blue fedora rise from his seat to dance with his arms lifted in high praise.
It is incredibly refreshing to hear great modern improvisers simply play jazz standards. There is so much amazing new music being made these days, but a lot of what I hear reminds me that something essential is being lost. Slowly and in plain sight over time– desperately waving at us to get our attention. Pleading with you to care about it. Such sentiments are not a new anxiety for those of who love and cherish very fine music made with acoustic instruments. Listening to the pair of Twio recordings has brought me joy and some relief in recent weeks.
I have been to the Regattabar many times since it reopened in September of 2023, and each time have heard problems with balances in the room. It is not clear if this perception has solely to do with audio engineering, it could have just been where I was sitting. I have always thought that the balance of the room would benefit from the drums being set further back and on the right side of the stage as opposed to towards the front on the left, where the inverted trays of the ceiling begin to gradate and expand upwards. It is nice to have a great view of the drums though.
The result was a somewhat restrained version of the trio as compared to the records, but the brilliance and soulful virtuosity of all three musicians was without doubt. I am quite sure that Sonny Rollins (who is still with us at 95 years of age) would approve. Walter was joined by drummer Kendrick Scott and bassist Harish Ragahavan, who are both incredible musicians and definitely understand how to make quarter notes swing. They played a few original compositions and a selection of standards from both records, including Kern’s Nobody Else But Me, Monk’s Ask Me Now, Bley’s Lawns, and Fain’s I’ll Be Seeing You. Musicologist Deryck Cooke is credited for first noticing that opening bars of I’ll Be Seeing You could have been lifted from a theme in the last movement of Mahler’s massive third symphony.
Smith invited his former teacher and Boston saxophone legend, Bill Pierce, to join the trio for the last few tunes. They celebrated together on Jimmy Heath’s On The Trail, Ellis Marsailis’ Swinging at the Haven, and an original contrafact in tribute to Lee Konitz called Casual Lee. The sellout-audience brought them back out for one last blues before dispersing out into the warm air of a beautiful evening in Harvard Square.