Performances discussed:
Jessica Pavone (solo)
J.D. Parran N’ the Spirit (Andrew Drury, Alexis Marcelo, Sharif Kales)
Blue Reality Quartet (Warren Smith, Joe McPhee, Michael Marcus, Jay Rosen)
Although the best place to experience music may be in a small club with few distractions, summer music in an outdoor setting has undeniable charm. That charm was a big part of the afternoon of music at Socrates Sculpture Park on Saturday, August 5th, 2023. The event, called “Lotic Time,” used a sculptural installation by Mary Mattingly as a backdrop to performances by a fantastic array of improvising artists, including dancing by Valerie Green and Dance Entropy, and music from Jessica Pavone, Ronnie Barrage, J.D. Parran, and the Blue Reality Quartet, which features tenor and trumpet legend, Joe McPhee.
(“Ebb of a Spring Tide” – image by Jesse Koblin)
It is fascinating to base an afternoon of music and dance around a sculpture; in this case, Mary Mattingly’s “Ebb of a Spring Tide.” This large scaffolded structure holds suspended garden planters full of greenery and is irrigated by tubes of water from below the structure. Those tubes emit sprays of mist that beautify and sustain the greenery suspended in the air. The effect is lovely, especially since the greenery is interspersed with artifacts discarded by humans, such as a door at the top of the scalloping (does it open?), what appear to be teapots and other artfully placed debris. The publicity for the event highlights the interaction between the performers and “Ebb of a Spring Tide,” inviting the audience to a “unique experience [which] combines the power of sound and movement to explore the intricate rhythms of nature and the ever-changing scales of time as witnessed through our nearby waterways.”
(Jessica Pavone, solo viola)
We arrived at “Lotic Time” just as viola player Jessica Pavone started her solo music set. Pavone, a Queens resident with a deep connection to Socrates Sculpture Park, said at the start of her set that she would play music inspired by the space around her. She played over a half-hour of beautiful solo viola, utilizing sweeping lines that were reflective, energetic, serene, and subtly adventurous. The whole set was an enchanting exploration of sonorities and textures that cast a spell on the small audience gathering about the gazebo next to the Mattingly sculpture. Pavone’s set was the most rewarding of the afternoon – we’ve had the sound of it in our ears all week.
Your authors took a break to get nachos and fried plantains (shout out to the friendly servers at Fresco’s Cantina on 31st Ave!) and then returned to the festivities. We got back at the end of drummer Ronnie Burrage’s set, which provided energetic drumming while dancer Valerie Green and Dance Entropy danced to the music. The performers of Dance Entropy climbed around and on top of the “Ebb of a Spring Tide,” which was amazing to see. Too bad I missed most of Burrage’s set – we’ll have to catch him again some other time.
(Parran and his band, L-R, Alexis Marcelo, Sharif Kales, J.D. Parran, Andrew Drury)
Next up was multi-reed player J.D. Parran, with his group composed of drummer Andrew Drury, keyboardist Alexis Marcelo, and trumpet player Sharif Kales. Parran seems to always be out of the spotlight even though he’s been active in music for 50 years. He has been a crucial sideperson to luminaries such as Anthony Davis and Anthony Braxton (not to mention having recorded with Stevie Wonder, John Lennon and The Band). Yet, he’s hardly made any records as a leader (we only know of one, 1997’s, J. D. Parran & Spirit Stage). It seems appropriate that Parran looked so happy being up on the stage leading his group – he took his time introducing the songs he performed, and the band played out each piece with full solos from Parran and his sidemen. Their set consisted of energetic, driving post-bop tunes in the timeless style of Charles Tolliver or Jackie McClean, whose “Blue Rondo” was the opening song. Remarkably, Parran stuck to tenor and soprano despite a legendary reputation for playing the entire clarinet family. The music was accessible and firey, and the crowd of park visitors was clearly digging it. Parran’s band was also terrific; we loved the tart sound of the combination of Parran’s tenor sax blended with Sharif Kales’ trumpet. Alexis Marcelo could get a lot out of a little Yamaha keyboard! And it was fun watching drummer Drury play barefoot – don’t think we’ve seen before.
Parran finished at 6:25 PM, and during the 20 minutes or so it took to set up for the Blue Reality Quartet, there was an air of anticipation (at least for me). The Blue Reality Quartet is a proper all-star group of the avant-garde, made up of sax great Joe McPhee (profiled by TNB here!), who partnered with reed player Michael Marcus, and percussionists Jay Rosen and Warren Smith. (Smith played vibes at the Socrates Sculpture Park gig). These players released two notable albums of improvised music during the pandemic, 2021’s Blue Reality Quartet! and 2022’s Ella’s Island. Seeing this group waiting in the wings to regale the park with their music was super exciting! Warren Smith was sitting just a few feet from us watching Parran’s set (Paran played a tribute to the great percussionist with a song dedicated to him); McPhee looked so cool in black sunglasses and his trademark red sneakers, ready to blow the crowd away like in legendary live recordings Nation Time and The Willisau Concert.
(Blue Reality Group, L-R, Warren Smith, Michael Marcus, Joe McPhee, Jay Rosen)
However, there must have been some hard 7 PM end time for the event, because we only heard two tunes from Joe McPhee and company. They were compelling tunes, though! First, Blue Reality Group played “Love Exists Everywhere,” the kick-off track from their 2021 album. The song is built around Jay Rosen’s hypnotic, slowly modulating drums, which were especially pronounced live, his crisp symbol beat guiding the band forward. The band then plunged into the dense chordal squalls of the title track from Ella’s Island, which allowed us to hear Marcus’ bass reeds and lovely vibe playing from Smith. It felt like the next tune would bring the McPhee feature we were waiting for, but suddenly the set was over! I’m sure we were not the only ones disappointed by the abrupt end, but the summer air was warm, the sounds from the river gently washed over the park, and the music we got was great. Maybe next time, they’ll work out the scheduling wrinkles, but why complain when you can hear all this wonderful music for free? “Lotic Time” was a big success, and we look forward to its organizers returning with more next year.