Chicago Jazz

Press, 1 April 1985, Page 4

Chicago Jazz

Chicago Jazz Exchange with Elaine Hamilton at the James Hay Theatre on Sunday evening, March 31. Reviewed by Allan Francis. Those with longish meiriories had a feast of fun picking all the various wellsprings ot inspiration that abounded in the concert last evening featuring the Chicago Jazz Exchange and the extrovert Elaine Hamilton. Such was the eclectic nature of their musicianship that one drifted into an intriguing guessing game before the ringing remains of the opener had faded.

The group obviously made a far greater impact in person than on record a few years back. Some artists respond better to audience reaction and in this case it seems that the Jazz Exchange are essentially visual artists.

The heady modal experiments of last evening’s concert hinted at Brubeck,

Rushing, and Basie but in the end no-one could deny the bustling spirit of the “Windy City” from whence they came. This was Chicago jazz, full of strong statements and driving rhythms which have been the hallmark of so many great' jazz artists for so long.. The four members which made up this ensemble were no exception, as they gave ample evidence of their strong style to the obvious delight of a capacity audience. Hardly ever did the group venture beyond the limits of well loved standards, but their treatment of each made one feel that it was being heard for the first time. . —

Whether it was a punchy “A Train” or the lyric “Autumn in New York,’’ or the medium-paced “New Yprk State of Mind,” there was an unmistakable excitement which was never present in their earlier record-

Some might have felt that the somewhat overpowering vocals of Elaine Hamilton dominated proceedings, but one came away from the concert with the indelible impression of a quartet rather than a solo voice with accompaniment- . Conforming to modem trends, the group made good use of Latin numbers and there was more than passing reference to the bop era in Burt Dalton’s piano. The duet with voice and Tom Angelus’ bass was especially good.

The moderate and judicious use of scat was acknowledged and worked into the over-all fabric of their harmony without being an embarrassment.

This was good, bright mainstream jazz which covered the generation gap and gave entertainment to all from a very experienced batch of musicians. .