Jazzville, NJ

Fly & Chick Corea Draw A Lot Of Buzz At The Newport Jazz Festival (Newport 2010 Recap, Part 5 of 6)

Posted by Maria Miaoulis in Jazz Events, Recaps & Reviews

August 19th, 2010   No Comments »

George Wein piqued our interest earlier in the day when he called Fly “the most interesting trio in jazz today.” So naturally we had to check them out and see for ourselves if this was true.

My first impression of their music was that it sounded like the three musicians – drummer Jeff Ballard, bassist Larry Grenadier and tenor saxophonist Mark Turner – were actually doing their own thing in concert. In other words, it felt as if each was performing a solo, only meshed together. Although that doesn’t sound too appealing, it actually worked – the best way I can describe it is bits of jazz with a whole lot of funk thrown in.

So I’m pleased to say that in doing research for this piece, I found that this is in fact Fly’s objective – to bring “together many musical elements, traditions, histories and mysteries… creating songs that can be heard on a number of levels and from a variety of different viewpoints,” according to Turner.

Fly succeeds where many other trios do not for the simple reason that they strive to remain cohesive. They don’t just get onstage and take turns showing audiences their individual styles. Ballard, Grenadier and Turner all had thriving musical careers before forming the band, but together they try to create music that is “basic, raw and immediate.”

Regrettably though, D.A. and I had to leave the Fly concert early to make it back to Fort Stage for Chick Corea’s set. (Some trivia for Jazzville readers:  Ballard, Grenadier and Turner have all graced his performances and recordings at one point or another!) The famed pianist took the stage in an understated way along with the Freedom Band. In fact, I hadn’t even noticed that Corea came out until D.A. told me – that should clue you in to how far back we were.

However it was still a pleasant treat to hear a few classic Thelonius Monk compositions along with several original numbers as we lounged on the grass beneath a bright blue sky with a nice breeze flowing in from the bay. Featured musicians included Kenny Garrett, Christian McBride and Roy Haynes who all tore up a storm on their respective instruments, adding to the ambience.

So, intrigued by Fly? Check out their website to learn more about them. Or are you looking to delve into more traditional jazz? If so, visit Chick Corea’s page here.