Charlie Jones Trio performs in Montclair.
The Charlie Jones Trio recently performed at the DLV Lounge on Thursday, April 16. The Charlie Jones Trio consists of Charlie Jones, Guitar; Ken Cummings, Drums; Matt Raymond, Bass.
The trio began the night opening with an original composition, “Biscuit” by none other than Charlie Jones. The song began with a nice shuffle right out of the gate! Jones laid back and let Masaaki Saito take the lead. Saito is a regular participant in the Jam Sessions. Saito did not disappoint; he stepped right up to the plate. Matt Raymond’s solid bass drives the groove. Ken Cummings was right there laying down a solid shuffle anchoring the band to the groove.
‘That Blues” was a song with a good bouncy Bop-Blues feel and Cummings hummed along like a well-tuned engine. Cumming’s cymbal work was very impressive on this piece, weaving in and out and laying down the accents in all the right places. Raymond is just one heck of a monster bassist! He displayed some really solid solo work.
“The DLV” was a song that began with an interesting intro into a sort of neo-boppish flow. I must say that Jones is a very fine writer. If you listen closely, you can clearly hear how well his lines flow. The very next song featured a really solid Bossa groove. Saito got the first solo, and he did a nice job too! From what I heard, he was able to build his solo around the head with strong interpretive lines and chords. Cummings kept a solid Bossa variation in tow, knowing just when to punctuate the hits. Everybody was able to improvise and stay grounded during the tune. Raymond, once again displayed some solid bass playing. There is nothing like watching and listening to journeyman musician’s work with the dynamic interplay between members of the ensemble.
Just before the band took a break, Cummings invited me up to play! And Jones started with none other than “Oleo,” a Sony Rollins composition. That was the first of a three song set that I played on. Back from the break, the band launched into the jazz standard “Four,” an Eddie ‘Cleanhead’ Vinson composition. This time another guitarist, Clifton Howell was also on Guitar. Clifton made nice work of the tune.
It was a good night of music to be had by all! And the musicians created the atmosphere that did not disappoint.
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