The Sonny Fortune Quartet at the City Hall Theatre

The spirit of the great John Coltrane seems now to be favouring Bermuda?s jazz lovers. Hard on the Bermuda Festival performance of his former pianist, McCoy Tyner, came last Friday?s concert by the jazz master Sonny Fortune.

This latter mentioned performance lost nothing at all in comparison to the former. Indeed lovers of good jazz flute playing will probably be talking for days about Mr. Fortune?s performance.

He and his band were on stage, ready to go, when a very relaxed Patron?s night audience sauntered in from the lobby for the main act at around 9.25 p.m.

In a mild rebuke to the house he mentioned that they had been waiting stage to get started, for a very long time; since before 8 p.m., one imagines.

It seems not much thought had been given on whose responsibility it was to clear the stage of the previous act?s equipment; of which more later.

Never-the-less, with some brief words of tribute to John Coltrane, who Mr. Fortune considers second only to his own father as a leading, positive influence on his life, the music began.

Often at the start of a first class jazz concert, when the band strikes up, there is a moment of transport into the realm of the band?s out sound world, a kind of ?beam me up Scotty? moment, when in an instant your are, metaphorically somewhere else.

There was such a moment. And where were we, then? Somewhere further down the tracks that Trane laid down, but unmistakably in the zone.

Fortune opened on alto, supported brilliantly by Bob Butta on piano, and the tasteful, James King on bass. The time keeper, as the evening?s host, CJ, likes to refer to drummers was Steve Johns. They were as tight and well knit as one would have expected.

Opening with ?The Night Has A Thousand Eyes?, the group set the standard for what was to follow during the rest of the evening; superb up-tempo ensemble playing, in pleasant balance, inventive soloing not only by Sonny himself but by Bob Butta, whose soloing was inventive and swinging, often at unbelievable tempos, and cut from the same cloth, modally, as the leader?s.

Fortune explored the whole range of his instrument right from the start, sometimes favouring the upper reaches of the alto?s register, but always busily inventive, calling from his instrument sound?s that it?s inventor Adolph Sax surely could not have imagined.

Fortune is a master of circular breathing which enables him to invent and execute long breath phrases, introduce suspense, and respond to melodic promptings that may come from the interplay of instruments.

One of the gifts of jazz is that it enables a listener to hear the human mind in the act of musical creation, in the moment. And in this Sonny Fortune is masterful.

One special number was ?Awakenings?, a piece in a samba-like feel, which Fortune choose to play on his flute. It was lyrical, with a melody made of sustained notes that rose, as if a great mountain was being ascended, and climbed some more.

It was as amazing to watch the performer, as it was to hear the sound he was producing.

Several times during this solo there were shorts bursts of applause from audience members showing their appreciation for the physiological as well as musical feat the were observing. Then there was Mr. James King?s sonorous and engaging solo on his electric upright bass.

A great solo by Butta, who seemed to prefer the middle and upper range, perhaps, in this event, for the agreeable blending with the flute?s timbre.

When Fortune came in again to play the head, he then played, deliberately splitting the vibrations of the flute to double the melody in octaves.

Brilliant. We heard among other things, Ellington?s ?In A Sentimental Mood?.

A rhythmic problem often posed in ballads is how to keep interest going; Butta simply doubled his time, while, obviously sticking to the harmonic rhythm of the changes.

Then there was a marvellous version of Juan Tizol?s classic ?Caravan?, with each member of the band, excelled in their solo work. But the drum solo was special on this number.

The band ended the more than hour long set (although the time seemed to have flown) With an up tempo tune, Coltrane?s ?Impressions?.

CJ, Derick Symonds, looking very much an ?minence gris guided us through the evening, and invited the audience to observe a moment?s silence for two musicians recently deceased; Darrell Fubler, and Steve DuPres.

Earlier the Saltus Jazz Band opened up the show with a commendable performance.

Their ensemble playing was very strong, intonation, under the careful ears of conductor Lisa Maule, spot on. Alex Gibbs played mellifluously on the flugelhorn, very comfortable with the jazz ballad style. Andrew Whale took the alto solo.

The was the very visible, and audible presence of trombonist Graham Maule. The rhythm section was neatly organised around the very competent Jonathan McBeath on piano.

Vocalist Samantha Tavares impressed everyone with her smooth delivery of the classic, ?Someone to Watch Over Me?, and Nora Jones?s breakout hit ?Don?t Know Why?.

There?s a lot of talent there, and no doubt they?ll be before the public again very soon, continuing their good work.

Charles Bascome has contributed muck to the jazz scene, as a player, and especially, for fourteen years now, as producer of this event that jazz lovers look forward to every year.

He deserves our congratulations and every encouragement that this effort continue for a very long time.