Mack Avenue SuperBand – Live from the Detroit Jazz Festival 2012 – Mack Avenue MAC 1076 ****:
(Carl Allen – drums 1, 2, 4, 7; Gary Burton – vibes 2, 7; Aaron Diehl – piano 1, 4-7; Kevin Eubanks – guitar 2, 7; Tia Fuller – alto sax 1, 4, 7; Sean Jones – trumpet1, 4, 7; Cécile McLorin Salvant – vocals 6; Evan Perri – guitar 5, 7; Diego Rivera – tenor sax 7; Alfredo Rodríguez – piano 3; Rodney Whitaker – bass 1, 2, 4-7)
The term Superband has been used in several contexts in the past as it relates to jazz orchestras. There was The Gene Harris and the Philip Morris Superband and at one point The JazzTimes Superband and now Mack Avenue SuperBand, each of which strove to highlight a varied amalgamation of musicians with superior talent which were brought together to showcase their capabilities.
The 2012 Detroit Jazz Festival was the venue for this latest incarnation of a superband and it delivered the goods in exemplary fashion to an enthusiastic audience who attended this annual free jazz event. It is, of course, no coincidence that many of the members of the band are part of Mack Avenue’s roster of recording artists including the estimable rhythm section of pianist Aaron Diehl, drummer Carl Allen, and bassist Rodney Whitaker. The short but punchy track list of seven tunes covers the panoply of musical styles and rhythms all designed to deliver a sizzling event.
The band opens the album with trumpeter Sean Jones’ composition “Liberty Avenue Stroll” which has nothing to do with Detroit but the trumpeter’s home town of Pittsburg. As might be expected in this type of event not all band members appear on every track but for this piece as well as “Breakthrough” there is the same line-up. On the former, the offering is a sprightly and intriguing excursion with trumpeter Jones and alto saxophonist Tia Fuller taking full measure of their solo opportunities. On the latter piece, the band shows no restraint in this extended track which keeps everyone on their toes. “All Blues” was part of the Miles Davis Kind Of Blue iconic recording and is done here as a quartet piece featuring vibraphonist Gary Burton and guitarist Kevin Eubanks. While it does not have the coloration or intricacy of the Davis recording, Burton and Eubanks have found their own unique interpretation that keeps the tune fresh and interesting. Keeping with the quartet theme, the Django Reinhardt chef-d’oeuvre “Nuages” gives guitarist Evan Perri and the rhythm section the occasion to deliver a warm and slightly up-tempo rendition of the composition with no change in effect.
This SuperBand really is a super band.
TrackList: Liberty Avenue Stroll; All Blues; Guantanamera; Breakthrough; Nuages; Oh Daddy Blues; Honky Tonk
—Pierre Giroux