 In late October 2003, I attended the grand opening party at the new Dakota in downtown Minneapolis. The appetizers and wine added to the festivities and Bobby Watson provided the night’s headline entertainment. But the very first performer to take the new Dakota stage was a young pianist, still in high school, named Paris Strother. At that time, I was struck by her poise as much as her talent—after all, this was the Dakota, a world renowned jazz club, and this was the opening night. Not a bad gig for a 17-year-old senior who, in between classes at DeLaSalle High School and her jazz studies, was also working on the Dakota’s waitstaff.
My next opportunity to hear Paris was in March, during her month-long Sunday night stint down the block at Rossi’s Blue Star Room, with fellow students on bass and drums. Now I was hooked. Paris has chops to burn, speed, power, and artistic inspiration bubbling up from the springs of McCoy Tyner and Ahmad Jamal.
Paris has been playing piano most of her life and grew up hearing a wide range of music at home, including jazz: “I began experimenting on the piano when I was around two years old; I would listen to my dad play and then press the keys to imitate the sounds he was making. I remember always being intrigued by music in general, and playing by ear when I was a child was always something that interested and excited me.” Attending the Ramsey International Fine Arts Center of the Minneapolis Public Schools, Paris discovered her affinity for jazz performance through the school jazz band led by Tom Wells. “Before then, I had taken theory, classical and gospel lessons, but the songs we played in that band seemed to hold my interest far more than any of the other styles I had played."
On May 30th, Paris gave us another chance to say we heard her “when…” Only this time, she wasn’t the warm-up act but the main event at the Dakota. In the company of compatible teen musicians—18-year-old Hollis Rose on drums and 16-year-old Chris Smith on bass, this gig documented yet another leap in Paris’ growth as a formidable talent. From a Caribbean-lilted “Autumn Leaves” to a traffic jam “On Green Dolphin Street,” Paris called up McCoy Tyner, holding the entire keyboard captive. She can be alternatingly dark and lyrical, playful or ferocious, massaging or assaulting. Turning chords inside out on her major reconstruction of “Footprints,” it was easy to forget this was written for horns and not piano.
Not to be overlooked here, young bassist Chris Smith is another talent to be watched closely. Playing with the maturity and intensity of more established musicians, he was a good foil for Paris on both acoustic and electric bass, proving he can skip and run as well as walk, even over such uneven terrain as this take on “Footprints.”
Later this summer, at Rossi's Blue Star on July 28th, and back at the Dakota on August 2nd, Paris again took the stage before heading to Boston and the Berkelee College of Music. The night at Rossi's may have well served proponents of the citywide smoking ban, but flagrantly disserved the musicians and the few in the audience who cared to listen to them-- with no sound check prior to the first set and a bar jammed but not at all attuned to the jammin' on stage, this was perhaps good practice for gigs at bad venues but no context for even casual listening. I gave up, knowing another opportunity to actually "hear" Paris was coming in a few days.
This last Dakota gig furthered my observation that Paris' talents (as well as her bandmates) are growing exponentially. She played with more authority than ever before, her relaxed manner spilling over into wide ranging, spacious improvisations demonstrating her growing repertoire and skill in developing arrangements that recall many influences, but mostly melding to establish her own voice. "Summertime" was given more upbeat than tragic treatment, full of possibilities and hope; the adolescent theme song from the Mario Brothers called up the playfulness of Hiromi or the Bad Plus' Ethan Iverson; her thick, multi-layered improvisations of Chick Corea's "Windows" were perhaps the most telling document of how much her playing has matured in a relatively short time. Other standouts (among three stand-out sets) included a bluesy "Willow Weep for Me," a rhythmic deconstruction of "On Green Dolphin Street," a simply beautiful "Maiden Voyage, " and an inspired "Imagination," dedicated to twin sister Amber on the eve of her departure for school in Chicago.
But the show did not belong to Paris alone on this night, but to the trio, as a whole and as individual parts. Bassist Chris Smith's arsenal of musical weaponry is as awesome as that of his piano-playing cohort. He burned through one stellar solo after another, zipping up and down from neck to bridge, plucking and sliding with equally effective results on upright and electric ax, the latter giving an old chestnut--"Take the A Train"--a new twist. Chris was at his finger-poppin' best on "My Favorite Things" and provided a nice glissando touch to "On Green Dolphin Street." Drummer Hollis Rose was far more assertive on this night than when I have seen the trio previously, most dramatically in his front and center take-offs on "My Favorite Things" and space-filling adventures on "Summertime." His primary role--competently filled--was in service to the total collaboration, and this unit has grown in synergy in the past six months. Apparent throughout the evening, this was most evident in the trio's cohesive playing on "Windows."
This was a triumphant night for Paris Strother and her trio. One last chance to catch the trio in Minneapolis will be at the Freedom Jazz Festival at Minnehaha Falls Park, 2:30 pm on August 14th. Come fall, Beantown jazz fans are in for a treat. Back here in the Twin Cities, we can just hope Paris finds time to visit and give us an occasional glimpse of an evolving major artist at the dawn of her career.
For information about the Paris Strother Trio and other performers at the Freedom Jazz Festival, see www.freedomjazzfestival.org |
Friday, 21 November 2008
