Something Else!, Lucky Chops & Chief Adjuah Top Cape May’s International Seasoned Exit Zero Jazz Festival (FESTIVAL REVIEW)

As most know, the East Coast took wallops of wind and rain as the remnants of Hurricane Ian hit the Cape May, New Jersey area this past weekend, September 30– October 2.  Fortunately, Exit Zero Jazz Festival promoter Michael Kline acted quickly and decisively at the beginning of the week, to stage what was originally planned as an outdoor festival at two major indoor locations, a monumental feat that his staff executed flawlessly.

While the walkup crowds were expectedly a bit thinner (the ferry from Delaware was canceled on Sunday due to stormy conditions, for example), nothing impeded the music. Rather surprisingly all performers showed weather aside. The audiences, among the best this writer has ever witnessed, were there to celebrate live music, and showered the performers consistently with gracious applause, including standing ovations for superb solos in the middle of pieces. Kline said that he was overwhelmed with the positive comments he heard from the performers about the Exit Zero audience. 

Performances took place at the Cape May Convention Hall and at Schmidtchen Theater, two venues that Kline has often used for the festival, celebrating its tenth anniversary season. This writer, arriving early Saturday afternoon, was able to attend many of the shows that day and three of the four on Sunday.

Cuban regal singer Dayme Arocena made her festival debut, resplendent in a white dress and headdress. She dazzled with her powerful voice and bright smiling demeanor in a mix of Afro-Cuban rhythmic tunes and ballads, encouraging audience singalongs on choruses and in the true Cuban tradition, dancing. While the latter really only involved a small portion of the audience, Arocena was adamant that Cuban music invariably means dancing. On her last tune, the entire audience was standing or dancing and Arocena left the stage to dance with several in the aisles. Backed by her pianist, drummer and harmony vocalist, and six-string electric bassist, they drew an incredibly enthusiastic response.

In the early evening, we heard the dynamic Cuban pianist Harold Lopez-Nussa and his quartet which featured one of the world’s top harmonicists, Gregoire Maret. The highly charged ensemble also included Harold’s brother, drummer Ruy Adrian Lopez-Nussa, and bassist Jose Armondo Gola. The set mostly revolved around percolating Afro-Cuban rhythms although Nussa played a touching ballad for his country which is also recovering from Hurricane Ian. Maret delivered a scorching solo that brought the audience to their feet as did brother Ruy, playing the Cajon accompanying his brother. Cuban artists were represented at the festival, partly because the Exit Zero Jazz Foundation, for the third year is sponsoring a trip to the Havana Jazz Festival in 2023.

The jazz supergroup Something Else!, a septet named for the 1958 Cannonball Adderley classic album, then followed with top-shelf soul-jazz and swing. Led by alto saxophonist Vincent Herring, the front line included guitarist Paul Bollenbeck, legendary trumpeter Randy Brecker, multi-reedist James Carter with pianist David Kikoski, bassist Yasushi Nakamura, and drummer Johnathan Blake. Covering tunes from Cedar Walton, Horace Silver, Benny Golson, and others the solos were fiery, especially from showman Carter who wowed us with his soprano solo and later with a tenor turn where he used his pads and various vocal/reed techniques to make it sound like a percussion instrument. Every one of these musicians is elite – it was an extraordinary set. 

At the Schmidtchen Theater, the group that got their start in the New York subways, Lucky Chops, brought their signature dance grooves and blend of funk and brass band sounds. With a lineup of sousaphone player Nora Nalepka, trombonist Josh Holcomb, alto saxophonist Daro Behroozi, trumpeter Joshua Gawel, baritone saxophonist Adrian Condos, and drummer Ben Holcomb, the band brought infectious energy, leaving the crowd wanting more, even with Gregory Porter to follow. Not surprisingly, Porter had the largest attendance of any performer over the two days. It was a similar set to that this writer witnessed last April at Berks Jazz Fest.

We were treated to some of the most soulful saxes you’ll hear in multiple solos from Tivon Pennicott, turns from pianist Chip Crawford, B3 master Ondřej Pivec, bassist Aaron James, and drummer Emanuel Harrold. The clear highlight of course was the rhythmically clapped “Liquid Spirit,” in a set that moved at a leisurely pace but with many emotional peaks through Porter and the band’s use of dynamics. We heard “Holding On,” “On My Way to Harlem,” If Love Is Overrated,” “Hey Laura,” the piano duet “Water Under Bridges,” bass solo, “My Girl/Papa Was a Rolling Stone” medley, “Musical Genocide,” “No Love Dying,” “You Are My Sunshine” medley, and “Take Me to the Alley.” One of the more uplifting voices of our times brought his usual ‘A” game and the audience returned the love in kind. 

Sunday at the Schmidtchen Theater, the four scheduled acts all appeared – The Baylor Project, Chief Adjuah (formerly Christian Scott, Jose James, and Angelique Kidjo. The Baylor Project played a great set that proved a little less rousing than the one they delivered at Newport this past August. They had a three-horn front line of regular member trombonist Mark Wilson but two who were playing with them for the first time, (forgive me if these names are incorrect) trumpeter Jeremy Moore and alto saxophonist Cyrus McKee. Nonetheless, they held their own along with pianist Terry Brewer, bassist Yasushi Nakamura (who had also appeared with Something Else!), leader and drummer Marcus Baylor and vocalist supreme Jean Baylor. Baylor’s nuanced vocals with her extraordinary range and quiet power were typically great, especially in her duet with Brewer on “Hallelujah.” The band played some material from their recent live release, The Evening Live at Apparatus but on the whole, it was likely a more conservative approach than their usual. 

Chief Adjuah, not only has a new name but a somewhat modified quintet.  Interestingly Adjuah began his set with his newly designed Adjuah bow, modeled on the West African n’goni and kora with electronic modifications. He chanted while playing, the band reaching intense moments behind Weedie Braimah’s djembe and drummer Ele Howell’s frenetic work on the drum set and the rhythm tandem of regular keyboardist Lawrence Fields and bassist Alex Claffy. The set grew in intensity, a searing blend of acoustic and electric, with Braimah shifting to congas and Adjuah playing trumpet and his signature reverse flugelhorn.  Adjuah’s “Stretch Music,” a jazz-rooted, genre-blind musical form that incorporates lots of rhythms and cultures, especially African was stunning. 

Jose James delivered selections from his 2020 No Beginning No End 2, a sequel to his Blue Note debut, a blend of the vocalist’s unique mix of soul, funk, hip-hop, and jazz. Flanked by his trio of virtuosic keyboardist Brett Williams, bassist Alan Hampton, and drummer Justin Brown powered through an energetic set that reached its peak with James’ take on Bill Withers’ “Grandma’s Hands” and the funky “You Know What It Do.”  

In all, these two days had superb performances from every artist and consistently strong audience responses. Hopefully, the weather is more cooperative next time out. Exit Zero Jazz Festival returns on May 5-7, 2023.

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