September 11, 2014
Celebrating his 21st year at Hamilton, Professor of Music Michael “Doc” Woods let loose in his annual Jazz Kick-Off concert. In contrast to last year’s chamber music-infused “Chambuh Flav,” Woods combined classic funk and swing in his program, “Funk Republic.” According to the program notes, the pieces depicted a “magical kingdom that can exist inside any nation…where there is no war, no hatred and no lies being told.”
The night started with the most straight-ahead swing tune on the concert, “Step It Up.” Reminiscent of the Motown half-step modulation, each new section of the song was a half-step up from the last. Particularly worth noting was drummer Jakubu Griffin’s sensitive comping on Wood’s bass solo. After the show, Griffin explained, “I’ve been playing with Doc so long, I just get the flow of it.”
Next up was the funk that the show title promised. “Halley’s Comment,” named for the fictional president of the Funk Republic, started with a guitar solo a la “What is Hip?” by Tower of Power. Woods noted, “You’re in the mind of the Funk Republic if you hear Earth Wind and Fire,and Tower of Power.” Thereafter, motives seemingly straight out of the Philadelphia Soul sound came in solos and Wood’s compositions. This gave the program a sense of overall unity and a distinct character. Trumpeter Jeff Stockham took a great solo on this piece with his piccolo trumpet, picking up on the staccato gesturing of Wood’s preceding solo.
“Walk in the Park,” which followed, was an unexpected step away in character. In a flowing 3/4, Woods evoked the peacefulness of the Root Glen with one of his lushest melodies. In a lovely compositional twist, the piece began with only horns and drums. His humor temporarily put aside, Woods mixed happiness and poignency to great effect.
The feeling of introspection continued with a solo piano piece, “Who Can I Turn Into: The Prelude,” performed by Coordinator of Staff Pianists Sar-Shalom Strong. In this case, the piece slowly turned into a dissonant rag from a touching, Debussy-like sonata, and back again. Woods introduced the song, explaining, “I like to write pieces that inform us about our society.” The piece made me feel as if there were high stakes involved in how the piece would end and what the character would ultimately turn into. Would it end in the clouds of dissonance from the middle section, or the impressionistic motives of the opening? In fact, it ended sweetly in between with a simple major 7 chord.
The band picked up with the companion piece, “Who Can I Turn Into: The Tune” with pianist/keyboardist Tom Witkowski back on the piano. Witkowski answered Strong’s formidable playing with his own, playing an understated though wonderfully melodic solo.
On the next piece, “King For a Day,” the funk was back. Envisioning what it would be like to be Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for a day, the song was catchy enough that the usually reserved Stockham was dancing a bit during the solo section.
The good vibes feel kept up under “Shirley E. Will.” The melody had the quality of a person speaking, something I’ve very rarely heard to that degree in performance. Remarkably, it felt reassuring.
“Funk Republic,” which followed, brought back the funk. After “Snark Cotics,” a reference to the up-and-coming jazz group, Snarky Puppy, had a quality unlike others on the program. It had a swing feel with dashes of funk, especially coming from Woods’ motific breaks from his walking lines. Griffin took a trance-like solo with a texture that flowed unaccountably on-and-on until merging into an almost rock solo on the snare and toms.
The band finished up with “Find Your Way Out,” another funk tune with Woods’ characteristic humor.
The program felt a far-cry from Woods’ last Jazz Kick-Off concert, which was characterized by an unusual instrumentation (including a violin and a bassoon), dissonance-laden compositions, and expansive ensemble writing. “Funk Republic” was less intense and ultimately more accessible. Woods commented that although modern jazz writing has commonly become textural or challengingly complex, “people still dig melodies.” He continued, “everyone can follow rhythm….I wanted the weight [of rhythm]; I wanted the funk.”
When I asked Stockham what he thought of the differences between last year’s concert and this year’s, he said that most things were still the same. “The music is always challenging, always in Doc’s style.” Stockham continued, “surprise is always there… there’s never a dull moment.”
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