It may feel like the world is going to hell, but it sure is a good time to be a jazz fan. While talking about the “new generation” of jazz tends to feel like a cliché at this point, it is hard to deny the electrifying excitement generated by young acts like Kamasi Washington and Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah among others. Drummer Kendrick Scott has put in his time playing with modern titans like Terence Blanchard, Pat Methany, and Charles Lloyd to name a few, but his Oracle band feels invigorated. Like those previously mentioned young jazz acts, Scott is using his music to make a statement about our current social and political climate. His new album A Wall Becomes A Bridge dwells on all of his while seeming to ask big questions, and on Monday, May 6th Scott came through Portland, Oregon to let fans at the Jack London Revue experience it live.
Before playing the opening track of the new album, Scott introduced his talented young band. Then he spoke of the album being about insecurities and how the wall is an opportunity that can take you to the bridge, giving insight into the meaning behind the title and songs. From here, the band dove into “New Eyes”, the album’s opening track, which sets the mood for what would follow with a dreamy and slow introduction. By the second song Scott would prove his penchant for being a democratic bandleader, letting each member ease into solos in a way that was at once calculated and free-flowing. Together they built up a swirling energy, with Scott leading the charge through a balance of complex drum breakdowns and a relentlessly sharp groove. He started “The Catalyst” with an almost hip-hop beat before guitarist Mike Moreno took off on a delightfully meandering solo that twisted and turned, taking the song into an otherworldly realm. On “Voices”, the collective contributions of the band created a swirling sense of drama that added to the immediacy of the music in a revelatory way. Much of this came from the exploratory playing of reedist John Ellis and the backbone provided by and bassist Joe Sanders. “Don Blue” was a progressive interpretation of a Derrick Hodge tune that started off with a mischievous, loping piano solo from Taylor Eigsti before the rest of the band added their own flourishes. “Becoming” would also be a tribute to Wayne Shorter – a huge influence on Scott by his own admission – and was at times reminiscent of the jazz legend’s work in Weather Report.
Playing the songs off A Wall Becomes A Bridge live allowed the group to showcase their chemistry as musicians and also the true power of each composition. Scott meant for this to be an album about pulling through in the face of challenges and adversity. Onstage in Portland, the music felt visceral and human, connecting with emotions we all feel now, but urging us to overcome against even the toughest challenges. It felt fitting that they closed with a clip of a powerful poem about love, reassuring us that music always has been and always will be a healing force.
