Concert Review: Erik Truffaz @ Knitting Factory LA

From: Steven Catanzaro (stevencatanzaro@sprintmail.com)
Date: Sat Jun 02 2001 - 04:17:28 CEST

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    Ahh, Los Angeles. You've gotta love it. Stage 2 power alerts and rolling
    blackouts make nervous computer users as itchy with the save button as
    Billy the Kid on his Colt 45. Its sky is the beautiful shade of cafe mocha
    (without the sweet aroma, necessarily). And its cultural milleu?
    Well, guess what major metropolitan area in the US had the longest run
    of consecutive months without a commercial classical music station? Of course,
    LA has its weak points, too.

     

    Still, as a one-time resident and bi-weekly visitor, I've noticed a
    decided upsurge in the underground music scene here. So, when Erik Truffaz (the
    "z" is silent) rolled into town with what many consider one of the most
    innovative yet accessible modern jazz groups in the world today, one would
    expect more than 50 people to show up.

     

    But alas, the great metropolis of LA could muster only near 50 to see
    Truffaz on a Friday night, and as I talked to some of them
    personally, even the chosen few didn't know who he was but came becaue
    "the other clubs around here have too long of a line."

     

    Well, since I drove 350 miles to see it, I was hoping and praying that
    Truffaz and co. wouldn't be depressed or angered by the sorry turnout, play
    a quick, mediocre set, and then drive off cursing LA.

     

    It was not to be. From the moment they took the stage, it was on, and you
    could tell by the leader's mild mannered demeanor that he was content to sit on
    his chair and listen to his incredible musicians playing off one
    another, whether there was no one in the room or 5,000 screaming fans.

     

    He opened the set with Arroyo and, with help from the oft-maligned
    (but very effective, imo) rapper Nya, proceeded through a number of great
    selections, including Sweet Mercy, More, Less, and etc.

     

    As for the group members; Truffaz has been dismissed in articles (even
    those published on his own web-site, you gotta love the man's sense of humility)
    as a Miles one-off. But hearing him live, yes, he's got the creamy buttery
    midrange tone, but he's got great technique, and I think his his haunting style
    owes as much to some of the great ECM jazzmen, (saxophonist Jan Garbarek comes
    immediately to mind) as it does to the legendary father of cool.

     

    Patrick Muller played Fender Rhodes (the "old" model, before the Fender was
    taken off), and ran it through a wah wah, an echoplex, and a myriad of other
    devices. Not only does he play impressively in a wide range of styles, he's got
    his own unique thing going, and he even plays the top of the Rhodes (where the
    tines are) to get wild rhythmic, percussive effects. Some of his Rhodes
    solos sounded more Santanaesque than Hancockish, and the width of sounds
    he pulled from the venerable classic rivalled and maybe even surpassed some
    of George Duke's innovative 70's work on the instrument.

     

    Bass player Marcello Giulianni stayed on upright for the entire set. (It
    was a "real" upright, not one of the acoustic-electric models that are so
    popular these days), and his tone was solid and thick. His role is that of
    an anchor, and he did not really get into any crazy extemporazations (and
    thankfully there was no series of extended bass solos, which, in
    traditional jazz concerts, have always seemed to me the best time to take a
    restroom break or get a drink refill.)

     

    As for the drummer, Marc Erbatta; Well, I listen to the Truffaz records and
    try to imagine what this guy looks like when he's playing this wild yet
    controlled madness. I can only say now I've seen it with my own eyes, and I
    still don't quite believe it. He uses a fairly conventional kit (2 snares, and
    alot of tiny cymbals along with the full sized ones) and basically plays
    the most incredible jungle/d b rhythms with a minimum of effort and
    exertion. It is really amazing, and the entire crowd (what there was of it)
    seemed to be transfixed by this sound. (By the way, the tightness? The rhythmic
    pocket? The solidity? TOO MUCH!!!)

     

    Well, I'm embarassed on behalf of this great city. Maybe the promoters
    dropped the ball, or maybe the $2 plus per gallon gas prices out here meant
    people needed to save their $10. I was able to pick up a copy of the remix CD
    for $12 bucks, and left feeling I had just gotten a command performance from 4
    of the most beautifully integrated musicians currently appearing before the
    public. How can I complain?

     

    Please, if this group comes near you, and you like what they're doing, make
    an effort to see them. It would be a real shame if they decided not to come back
    to the US again....

     

     

     

        

     

    --- Steven Catanzaro

    --- stevencatanzaro@sprintmail.com

    --- EarthLink: It's your Internet.



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