There were few fireworks from the Benny Green Trio Tuesday
night in Kilbourn Hall, just a solid concert. Green had great support in the
bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington, who are not related but
probably have played together more than any other musicians in New York.

The program featured salutes to colleagues, including “Tales of Malone,”
dedicated to Green’s long-time collaborator guitarist Russell Malone, and
“Jackie Mclean,” written for the late saxophonist. There were a variety of compositional
styles on display, from a nicely structured samba (“Magic Beans”) to a slow
blues with some unconventional turns (“Golden Flamingo”). But the best tune of
the night, with some unison lines played mile-a-minute fashion, was Thelonious
Monk’s “52nd Street Theme.”

The music was more urgent at the Lutheran Church when the Scandinavian group
IPA took the stage. The quartet had no pianist, so it was up
to the bassist and drummer to keep the decidedly agitated rhythm moving under
fiery solos from the saxophonist and trumpeter. They were more than up to the
task.

Although IPA is one of the most avant-garde acts to visit the festival this
year, the group managed to hold on to the vast majority of the audience for the
entire show. This might have been due to a wise strategy of alternating the
wild rides with some more melodic tunes. The best of the latter was a calypso
tune that reminded me of “St. Thomas” by Sonny Rollins. Sure enough, it was
dedicated to Rollins and another saxophonist, Albert Ayler, who was an
inspiration on the avant-garde side.

I had a tough time getting a handle on NeWt, a trio from
Scotland at Christ Church. Only one of them was actually Scottish (the others
were Australian and Canadian), but they all were wearing kilts, which seemed a
bit over the top. It was, I must say, an unusual combination of instruments:
electric guitar, trombone, and drums.

They told stories like the one about traveling to the farthest reaches of
Scotland, the Shetland Islands, and, while walking on a cliff-side,
encountering giant birds that could have carried them off. This and other
stories were evocative inspirations for songs. The trouble was I could not feel
any connection between what they played and the things they talked about. That
is, until the very end. It was then that they mentioned an old Royal Air Force
base they came upon and proceeded to play a piece that nicely evoked military
excess.

Wednesday evening I’ll be at Kilbourn Hall where the wonderful
pianist/singer Eliane Elias performs. I’ll be back at Christ Church to hear
saxophonist Osian Roberts, trumpeter Steve Fishwick, and their group and,
finally, Montage for the nicely wild group, Kneebody.

Where did you go on Tuesday night? What was your favorite show? Leave your
reviews in the comments.

Looking for more of City’s Jazz Fest coverage? Click
here for City’s 2012 Jazz Fest Guide, click here for
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