Paquito and Mr. Jelly Lord

On Sunday evening, I attended the world premiere of Paquito D'Rivera's Jelly Roll Morton Latin Tinge Project. With D'Rivera on clarinet, Michael Philip Mossman as arranger, musical director and trumpeter, Akua Dixon's Quartette Indigo, Curacaoan percussionist Pernell Saturnino, and dancer Matye Vicens, this remarkable concert concept produced some really excellent music, not the MOR NEA grant-type stuff that often comes out of the arts world these days. The arrangements of Morton's unusual long-form compositions were executed with fire and precision. The band really started moving with Black Bottom Stomp, executing the complex lines with ease and panache. After sustained audience applause, an obviously pleased D'Rivera said, "You should be glad you came to the second concert. We finally got our sheet together!!" Other highlights included Morton's renowned piano solo piece Finger Buster and a rousing King Porter Stomp.

I was a little worried about having a dancer on the program, picturing some tedious modern dance fluttering, but Vicens, who comes out of the flamenco tradition, was an outstanding interpreter of the music -- it was a treat to watch her react to and explicate the sounds of the band. The verdict: A+!