by Doug Tatum   The Tony Reedus Frontiers Quartet & the Steve Lacy/Danilo Perez Duo Are Next at the Folly Theater Ravi Coltrane On Friday, February 11, the Folly will present the Tony Reedus Frontiers Quartet. Veteran drummer Tony Reedus has impressive musical credits that include the Mercer Ellington Orchestra, the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, the Mingus Big Band, Billy Taylor, Woody Shaw, Art Farmer, Bobby Hutcherson, Freddie Hubbard, Kenny Garrett and Joe Lovano, among many others. The old cliché that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts probably was never more aptly applied than when used to describe the special chemistry of this quartet. This energetic all-star group features four extremely creative individuals who bring their immense talents to the bandstand to create a unique and exciting sound. Joining Reedus will be tenor and soprano saxophonist Ravi Coltrane, veteran guitarist John Abercrombie, and powerhouse bassist John Patitucci. The quartet made its premiere in Boston and New York last year to standing ovations, and received critical praise in both the Boston Globe and the Village Voice. Bassist John Patitucci first caught everyone's attention as a member of Chick Corea's Elektrik band. For those who associate Patitucci primarily with the electric bass, his work on acoustic bass may come as a surprise. John states, "A lot of people don't realize how much time I've devoted to the acoustic bass. Even though I did two Akoustic Band records with Chick Corea in 1989 and 1991, they tend to lump me into the electric category because my work with Chick's Elektrik Band was very visible." Guitarist John Abercrombie first broke onto the jazz scene as a guitar innovator in the 1970s. As an in-demand session player, he recorded with Gil Evans, Gato Barbieri and Barry Miles among others. Abercrombie first attracted widespread attention as the guitarist in Billy Cobham's band. This ensemble was something of a "Dreams reunion band" since it also included the Brecker Brothers. A short time later, Abercrombie met Manfred Eicher, who invited him to record an album for ECM, where John became associated with numerous recording projects for the label which received consistent critical acclaim. It should come as no surprise that there has been particular attention focused on Ravi Coltrane, who was only two years old when his father John Coltrane died. Ravi's personal journey to find his own voice on the saxophone has been a long musical odyssey of exploration and self discovery. Ravi states, "As a child, I never had any pretenses about who I was or what I was doing. Nor did I when I decided to pick up the saxophone. I fell in love with music and I knew I wanted to be a part of it in some way, in any way. These are ideas I still carry with me today. Though I have no actual memory of my father, who passed away in 1967, the sound of all kinds of music are a part of my earliest memories." About Ravi, Ben Ratliff wrote in The New York Times, "He has a warm streamlined tone. And no, he sounds nothing like his father. Where John's music was urgent and prolix, Ravi's is cool and concise. Mr. Coltrane has gained a sense of quiet pride and tact from living with his surname, where others in his position might have spiraled off into brash delusions." Steve Lacy On Saturday, March 4 the Folly will have the honor of presenting a very rare duo appearance of Steve Lacy and Danilo Perez. Throughout his career, Steve Lacy has consistently been one of the most individual improvisers in jazz, and he is universally recognized as one of the foremost interpreters of Thelonious Monk's music. In 1992, Lacy was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship, commonly known as a "genius" grant. Today, we all take the soprano sax for granted as being a contemporary instrument, however, at the time that Steve Lacy chose to perform on it exclusively, the instrument was generally thought to be outdated, and was primarily associated with the sound of traditional New Orleans jazz and Sidney Bechet. In fact, it was Lacy's revival of the soprano that introduced John Coltrane to the instrument while Steve was a member of Monk's 1960 ensemble. About Lacy, Alex Varty has written, "Of all living saxophonists, Lacy most perfectly captures the essence of jazz as a limitless horizon... Pure, strong, warm and passionate, his instrumental sound is the benchmark against which all younger saxophonists measure themselves." A native of Panama, pianist Danilo Perez is one of the most exciting young musicians to emerge in quite some time. Like Steve Lacy, Perez is also an avid devotee to the music of Thelonious Monk. His 1996 debut release, Panamonk (Impulse!), featured the music of Monk, and the highly-acclaimed CD showed up on over a dozen major "Top Ten" jazz album lists that year. Danilo states, "One of the most important things Monk did for me was to push me to learn more about myself than the music. He had no preconceptions about what the music was supposed to do or how to do it; he did what he believed in his heart. He advanced the music by advancing himself; that and the way he played percussion on the piano made the connection to jazz very real for me." About his formidable talents, The New Yorker stated, "Perez's piano work has what Jelly Roll Morton identified some seventy years ago as jazz's secret weapon: the 'Spanish tinge.' Perez is as technically dexterous and harmonically astute as anyone on the scene, and few of his peers have his gift for rhythm." "JazzTalk" discussions precede each concert at 7:00 p.m. Concerts begin at 8:00 p.m. For more information call the Folly Theater during regular business hours at 816-474-4444. Doug Tatum is the Executive Director of the Folly Theater. RETURN TO FEBRUARY 2000 MAIN INDEX ------------------------------------------------------------------------ © Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors 1996-2001. All rights reserved.