CONCERT REVIEW: Matt Wilson Quartet @ The Falcon, 10/16/2022
MARLBORO – For those in the know, if Matt Wilson is mentioned in the lineup of a band, one is guaranteed not only a fine display of musicianship but a guaranteed good time. The additional attraction of hearing a composition of a more serious nature – “The Good Trouble Suite”, a tribute to the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg and John Lewis – certainly piqued my interest. How would Matt and his band treat such a serious subject?
The answer is with joy and as a tribute to the USA itself. The suite consists of three sections:
- RBG (Ruth Bader Ginsburg)
- Walk with the Wind
- Good Trouble
“RBG” was represented by a calypso-like composition. The special treat was that it featured woodwind musician Jeff Lederer on piano. Calypso gave the feeling of the joy, determination, and progress with which RBG approached her life and job.
“Walk with the Wind” pictured the American Heartland, with miles and miles of waving wheatfields, grasslands, and open plains. A Copland-esque composition.
“Good Trouble” was a phrase taken from the late Congressman John Lewis, spoken a few months before his death “Speak up, speak out, get in the way. Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and help redeem the soul of America.” The piece started off as a funky march, gradually evolving into a Dixieland-like composition. Kirk Knuffke’s cornet and Jeff Lederer’s overblowing of his tenor saxophone figure prominently in the piece.
The other compositions in the performance were carefully chosen, and many were from Wilson’s previous experience with other bands, and from the band’s latest recording Hugs. Many other genres of music were heard during the performance. Elements of klezmer, as well as Dixieland and hard bop, were heard with Knuffke on cornet and Lederer on clarinet, tenor sax, and piano. Chris Lightcap easily comped these changes in the rhythm, and Matt Wilson did more than provide backbeat, providing creative, joyful fills while playing.
Clearly, the band enjoyed being back in front of a live audience. There were frequent references to the last gig before Covid in March 2020.
The last two compositions were Dewey Redman’s “Joie de Vivre” and Wilson’s own “Hugs”. Using contemporary news, Wilson thanked Kathy Hochul for lifting many of the Covid restrictions and urged the audience to hug each other. This human interaction was missed by many of us. Hopefully, we can continue to hug each other.
The suite was written during the Covid shutdown and commissioned by the Jazz Coalition, a not-for-profit set up to help promote original jazz. The Falcon will be featuring a band that is playing at least one original work or arrangement from these commissions until the end of the year. These include performers who come from a jazz tradition, such as Wallace Roney Jr., to avant-gardist Tim Berne and turntablist DJ Logic. Check out liveathefalcon.org for details.
Photo Gallery by Rudy Lu
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