Worlds Apart?

The Yellowjackets with Eric Marienthal
University of North Florida Great American Jazz Series
Jacksonville, Fla
February 22, 2007

Boney James
King Center, Melbourne Fla.
February 23, 2007

Doing the late night drive back to Jacksonville after a thoroughly enjoyable Boney James concert, I got the bright idea to review these two concerts on the same page.  The conclusion easily jumped to is that these acts are about as far apart as you can get; that Yellowjackets fans would find Boney too commercial and too smooth, and that Boney's fans would be scared off by the complexity and straight-ahead elements of the Yellowjackets' music.  To tell the truth, I wondered if the Boney show was going to be a letdown after an evening of complete immersion in Yellowjackets music.  Is this a repressed strain of the jazz snobbery I've tried to talk everyone out of sneaking into my own perception?  Probably not.  After I experienced Pat Metheny Group's “The Way Up” tour, I wondered if that year's dazzling Jacksonville Jazz Festival lineup would be able to dazzle.  It did.  As the artists we interview often mention, there is a lot of wonderful music out there, and you're depriving yourself if you try to put it in little boxes that say, “ I don't like that” and “I do like this.”  And there are some musicians that do what they do so well that they will lure you into territory you might otherwise not explore.  That works both ways.

The Yellowjackets concert was part of a series presented by the Jazz Department at the University of North Florida. Visiting artists do lectures and conduct master classes then perform with the award winning UNF Jazz Ensemble 1 before doing their own set.  Hearing Jazz Ensemble 1 proficiently run through all the changes in a large ensemble arrangement of the fast and frenetic “Run For Your Life” and not appear studious about it was lot of fun.  “Revelation” was a great choice for the second song because it gave them a more pop leaning melody to work with - something that academic jazz programs tend to avoid.  The soloists were impressive, trading riffs like pros with these seasoned musicians.  Eric Marienthal was all grins and Russell Ferrante gave them a big thumbs-up at the end of the set.

After the student musicians exited, there was only a small amount of resetting, with the band remaining on one side of the stage. Clustered in that corner and casually dressed it became obvious real fast that they don't need any enhancements to establish their presence, and without knowing the language of musical composition, it's hard to find the right words to nail down what they do.  There are constant rhythmic shifts and nontraditional time signatures and textures that vary from lilting to screaming.  They shift from swing to funk to lyrical.  “Greenhouse” was a showcase of texture, shading, and dynamics built around Ferrante's beautiful keyboard lines.  “Go-go” was brash and funky with Marienthal just wailing.  “Time Squared” and “The Evening News” had them trading solos.  Bassist Jimmy Haslip plays melody lines, subtle progressions, and shifting rhythms rather than thumpin' bass solos.  Drummer Marcus Baylor plays with economy and precision but still stays loose and lays down some mean grooves.  About three songs into the set taking notes started interfering with the music.  A photographer sitting near me quit taking pictures for the same reason.  25, their CD/DVD release from last year, has a complete concert on DVD and a live CD with a different collection of songs.  Grab it and you'll be hooked, amazed, and probably spoiled.

One night later and 150 miles south Boney James threw a party for a near sellout crowd in a small town with a huge smooth jazz fan community.  As always the band was tight, creating this big, dense, groovin' wall of sound that makes it impossible to sit still.  He knows how to program a perfect set list too.  He gave us a good taste of his latest release, Shine, played some of the hits from his previous releases, and dug into some deep tracks too.

He kicked it off with the up-tempo burner, “Into The Blue” and later played two of my favorites with a similar feel, “Stone Groove,” and “The Total Experience.”  Keyboard player Eric Daniels got his chance to shine on those two, putting his own stamp on solos that were originally done by Joe Sample and George Duke.  Boney came from an R&B background and it's obvious he loves it.  The band turned into a tight soul revue backing his sax as if it were a singer on the vocal chorus during “In The Rain,” and even playing with some choreography during the middle of the set, which featured a set of crowd pleasing classic soul covers.  Going from “Sweet Thing,” to a very bluesy “Ain't No Sunshine,” and “Creepin'” you don't think covers, you think Boney, because he's made them his own.  That's the way you work a cover! 

If we do indeed have a star system here, then Boney is one of our stars for a reason.  Excellent musicianship, soulful playing and just the right amount of showmanship.  He's really come into his on as a personality onstage.  Years ago his talk sets seemed contrived, and he did have a habit of defaulting to the bedroom vibe. Now he doesn't.  He treats the audience like they are friends he's hanging out with, which is a lot more fun and actually a lot more sexy.  He's got some pretty advanced hip-hop dance moves down too.  During “See What I'm Sayin' “
he moved through the crowd playing to people who were seated, and dancing with some ladies who really got down!  He gave the song a fiery wrap-up while balancing on the arm rails of a chair.  And he never missed a beat.  Boney's got it goin' on!  But then we always knew that.

- Shannon West